Dog competition kicked off week of fair events

The Washington County Fair kicked off with the Washington County “Paws and Pals” 4-H Club dog agility competition, which took place Saturday, July 23 at the Weiser Soccer Complex on E. Park Street in Weiser.
 Dozens of 4-H members pitted their pooches against each other to see whose skills would rise to the top in several categories.
 “This marks the beginning of the 2022 Washington County Fair and today we are watching the kids do agility and rally obedience,” said Megan Inwards, a 2009 Weiser High School graduate who serves as the dog superintendent for the 4-H group and its event along with her mother Janet Sorensen.”
 Depending on the category, dogs and their owners were judged on a variety of disciplines that included owner handling and their dog’s ability to obey commands and negotiate hurdles, tunnels, hoops, and other obstacles.
 “I want you to enjoy your dogs and have fun,” Megan stressed to competitors in an orientation held prior to the competition Saturday morning. “There are going to be mistakes; there are going to be struggles – have fun with it. You guys have put in a whole lot of work, don’t end the day today mad at your dog or mad at yourself. Enjoy today and be proud that you are here.”
 Competitors ranged in age from five- to 17-years-old. Group members are considered full 4-H members when they reach eight years of age, according to Megan, and can continue to participate in functions and events through their senior year in high school.
 Helping judge Saturday’s event was Keri Osborne of Ozzy’s Canine Service in Ontario.
 “We train dogs and we have tried the last couple of years to build back up our 4-H and it hasn’t quite happened,” she said. “I know Janet Sorensen through Ozzy’s and she asked me to come judge and I thought, ‘sure,’ so here I am.”
 Club members come from Cambridge, Midvale, and Weiser. Leaders focus on teaching youth the proper technique when training dogs.
 “We do meetings every week and use the agility equipment and the rally equipment,” Megan said. “Megan Reynolds and Bonnie Johnson do the agility side of things and myself and my mom, Janet, teach the rally obedience. We start with basic obedience for dogs to learn how to ‘sit,’ ‘down,’ and ‘heal’ on a leash and then we teach them the command signs.”
 Megan was a long-time 4-H member herself, spending 10 years with the canine group.
 “Just recently, my mom started training with a group over in Ontario and they taught us about rally, and we decided that was what we wanted to do for the kids here in Washington County and it’s been a lot of fun,” she said.
 Rally is considered a hybrid of classical obedience and agility training, which requires dog and owner working together seamlessly on a course made up of signs to be successful. Each sign represents turns or commands such as stay, sit, and down, mimicking real-life situations dogs and their owners’ will encounter. It creates a special bond while teaching them skills to apply in everyday tasks in life.
 “I love dogs,” said Weiser resident and homeschooler, Michael Sprinkel, 17, who competed with his grandparents’ three-year-old German Shepherd, Ozzy. “My older brother and sister did it when we lived down in California. “It takes a lot of work. I practice with him at least twice a week.”
 The Washington County Fair is being held at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Cambridge this week and wraps up on Saturday, July 30, with round robin, livestock sale, a parade at 6 p.m., and the last day of the ICA rodeo beginning at 8 p.m.
 For information on the Washington County “Paws and Pals” 4-H Club, call Megan Inwards at (208) 550-1752.
 

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18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
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