4-H is an educational
program for boys and girls ages 8-18. "Learn by Doing" is the 4-H slogan, it
exemplifies many of the principles 4-H is based upon. 4-H'ers participate in
activities, events, competitions, and projects that develop and strengthen life
skills. 4-H also encourages youth to participate in community service.
The Florida 4-H Dog
Project
Volunteer 4-H Leaders
provide training classes for 4-H members and their dogs, both purebred and
mixed are welcome. The 4-H year generally follows the public school calendar,
or September through May of each year. Enrollment to become a 4-H member is
required and information is available through your local County Extension
Office. Most County programs ask 4-H members to enroll in 4-H and sign up under
the 4-H insurance program (the cost of insurance is one dollar per person- for
the 4-H year). It is also recommended at least one parent (or adult) sign up as
a 4-H volunteer. We request 4-H parents & leaders volunteer to work at
Florida 4-H Dog Project sponsored events such as shows, seminars and
fundraising activities throughout the year. This is a great way to contribute
to the success of the 4-H program and a way parents can 'give back' to the 4-H
program for the training their children receive. To locate your County
Extension Office you can check here on our Florida 4-H Dog Project website
(www.FL4-H-Dog.com), if your County is not listed check:
http://4h.ifas.ufl.edu/Links/County4HPages.htm
During The 4-H Year
4-H instructors
teach classes in Obedience, Agility, Rally and Showmanship. If your child has
any interest in dog training or showing- 4-H can help them accomplish their
goals. 4-H members can train their dogs to become better behaved family members
or 4-H members also have the option of putting the skills they learn to use
competing in 4-H Dog Shows. Several Florida Counties across the State hold 4-H
Dog Shows throughout the year, please check our website for show dates,
location and information.
Annual Florida
4-H Dog Shows
In recent years there have
been several Florida 4-H Dogs Shows offered in the Tampa area. A Florida 4-H
Dog Project Scholarship Show is held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa,
in October or November. At this show judges offer exhibitors advice on
improving their show skills. Profits from this show benefit the Florida 4-H Dog
Project Scholarship Fund. This is a great training experience for new 4-H
members, and an opportunity for returning 4-H'ers to prepare for upcoming dog
show competitions. The Florida State Fair hosts the State 4-H Championship Dog
Show in February of each year at the State Fairgrounds. There is also a
Hillsborough County Fun Show that is held at the State Fairgrounds in March
with Fun games for 4-H'ers and adults. There are several Counties in Florida
that host 4-H Dog Shows during the year, and invite all Florida 4-H members to
attend. Check the Florida 4-H Dog Project website
www.FL4-H-Dog.com for information on
upcoming shows in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee and St. Johns
counties.
Florida
4-H Dog Quiz Bowl
The first Florida 4-H Dog
Quiz Bowl competition was held in 2006, and has been getting bigger and better
every year since then! The primary objective of the Dog Bowl contest is to
provide an opportunity for youth enrolled in 4-H Dog Project to demonstrate
their knowledge of dog related subject matter in a competitive setting where
attitudes of friendless and fairness prevail. It is also hoped that these
contests will provide an educational experience for both participants and
spectators. The Florida 4-H Dog Quiz Bowl is conducted in a (Jeopardy) game
show style format. Questions are designed to test the contestant's knowledge of
subjects such as dog conformation and anatomy, canine health, and 4-H & AKC
dog show rules. Questions come from designated study materials (that will be
listed yearly on the Florida 4-H Dog Project website). These study materials
include publications such as: the Florida State Skill-A-Thon Manual (for the
current & previous 4-H years, info will be posted on this Florida 4-H Dog
Project website); AKC Complete Dog Book For Kids; AKC Obedience & Rally
Rules- (regarding AKC dog show rules); and Florida 4-H Dog Show Rules (listed
on this Florida 4-H Dog Project website). Florida Counties are encouraged to
establish a "library system," so their Quiz Bowl contestants can "check out"
materials to study and return the materials at the end of each year. Each Quiz
Bowl team consists of four contestants and an alternate, the team will pick a
Team Captain and an adult leader to help the team. Teams can represent their
County or 4-H Group, and multi- County teams can also be formed. For more
information on starting a 4-H Dog Quiz Bowl team in your County please contact
Katherine Croft: mball49@peoplepc.com
Dog Project Clinics & Seminars
The Florida 4-H Dog Project
offers several seminars and training clinics for 4-H members during the year.
Locations and dates vary, please check this website for information. Training
topics include Showmanship, Obedience, Rally & Agility.
Florida 4-H
Dog Conference
The 2010 Florida 4-H Dog
Conference will be held August 5-8, 2010 at Camp Cloverleaf in Lake Placid,
Florida. This is a four day , three night camping experience for 4-H members
and their dogs! Participants will arrive between 4-6 pm Thursday, August 5, and
depart Sunday, August 8, around noon. The cost of the Conference for
participants is $80 per member. The cost for the conference includes lodging,
meals, seminars, training sessions for agility, showmanship, obedience &
rally, activities, costume parade, best dog tricks, quiz bowl, swimming and fun
with your dog. Registration is limited so sign up early. You can obtain
registration information by going to the 4-H Dog project web page
http://www.fl4-h-dog.com. For more
information contact: Beverly Ruble at 863-386-1943 or
baruble19@gmail.com ..
Training Classes Offered In 4-H
Training classes are offered to 4-H members and their dogs in their home County
in Showmanship, Obedience, Rally & Agility. In dog training starting with
Obedience first is always a good idea. Obedience classes teach dogs basic
control- which is the foundation for all the other classes. While teaching your
dog Obedience is an ongoing process (there are many levels to advance through)-
you need a good foundation before you can go on to try other divisions such as
Showmanship, Agility & Rally. In fact it is recommended, beginning 4-H'ers
have a very good start in Obedience before they start learning Agility. 4-H dog
training classes are usually offered by the Counties at either free or reduced
prices. If you would like to take your child to additional dog training
lessons, please ask your 4-H leader for a recommendation of a child friendly
instructor in your area, that trains in a similar manner to your 4-H class
instructors.
Community Service
4-H youth are encouraged
to participate in community service projects. Through the Florida 4-H Dog
Project, many 4-Her's have the opportunity to have their dogs tested to become
therapy dogs. Therapy dogs are used in a variety of ways including visiting the
elderly in nursing homes, visiting children and adults in hospitals, and
participating in the schools' reading to dogs program. Some County 4-H programs
encourage their 4-H members to become 'puppy raisers' for dogs who may go on to
become 'service dogs.' The 4-H member trains the dog to be able to perform the
types of skills needed to be accepted into the service dog program. At the end
of the training period, if the dog passes the test- he will be accepted into
the final training phase of the service dog program. Check to see if your
County participates in one of the Service Dog 'puppy raiser' programs.
Florida 4-H Dog
Project Scholarship Fund
The Florida 4-H Dog
Project established a $1,000.00 Scholarship that was awarded for the first time
in July of 2009. Our goal is to award this Scholarship annually, and eventually
raise $20,000.00 to make it a perpetual Scholarship Fund.
The Florida 4-H Dog
Project Scholarship
The Florida 4-H Dog
Project has established an annual scholarship to be administered by the Florida
4-H Foundation, Inc. This scholarship has been established to provide financial
assistance to a former 4-H member to further his/her education. Any higher
education experience is costly for young people and their families. So, the
opportunity to provide 4-H members with what may be life-changing assistance is
very much within our mission.
This annual scholarship
will be known as the Florida 4-H Dog Project Scholarship and could be used at
any community college, college, university, or vocational school, since many
young people benefit from a community college experience before making the leap
to a four-year university.
The Scholarship will be
awarded each year to an eligible applicant. The recipient will be selected by
the Florida 4-H Youth Development Scholarship Committee in cooperation with the
Florida 4-H Dog Project Scholarship Committee according to all established
criteria and procedures. Awards will be announced during the 4-H Congress in
Gainesville.
For information on how to
apply for the Florida 4-H Dog Project Scholarship- contact your local County
Extension Office and ask your 4-H Agent to help you complete the Scholarship
application from the Florida 4-H website: .
http://florida4h.org/awards/portfolio.shtml
. You can find additional information on Florida 4-H Scholarships at:
http://www.florida4h.org/awards/scholarships.shtml
Florida
4-H Dog Project Scholarship
Eligibility for the scholarship depends on
an applicant meeting the following criteria: " Be a student who is a former 4-H
member with an extensive background working with dogs, beginning his/her
Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior year of college. Preference will be given
to youth pursuing animal related studies including pre-veterinary sciences. If
no 4-H members with dog experience have applied, the scholarship will be open
to 4-H members with other animal experience. " Financial need will be
considered based on parents' and/or applicant's income and situation.
Criteria
Eligibility for the
scholarship depends on an applicant meeting the following criteria:
- Be a student who is a former 4-H member
with an extensive background working with dogs, beginning his/her Freshman,
Sophomore, Junior or Senior year of college. Preference will be given to youth
pursuing animal related studies including pre-veterinary sciences. If no 4-H
members with dog experience have applied, the scholarship will be open to 4-H
members with other animal experience.
- Financial need will be considered based on
parents' and/or applicant's income and situation.
Administration
- The Florida 4-H Foundation will establish
and manage the Fund in accordance with the policies of the Foundation. The
Executive Director of the Foundation or her designee, will be the initial
administrator of this Fund.
- Upon proof of registration, a check will be
issued by the Florida 4-H Foundation payable to the educational institution in
the name of the scholarship recipient
Foundation
Qualification
- By letter dated April 24, 1946 and updated
February 9, 1973, the Internal Revenue Service has declared the Florida
Foundation, Inc. (federal tax identification number 59-1000186) to be a duly
qualified charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) and also an
organization described in sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the
Internal Revenue Code and not a private foundation under such provisions in
section 509(a).
- The Foundation is currently listed as such
a qualifying organization in IRS publication 78. Additionally, the Foundation
is certified by the Board of Regents as a Direct Support Organization for the
University of Florida under Florida Statutes Section 240.299 and is a duly
chartered active Florida corporation not for profit.
If you would like to make a
tax deductible contribution to the Florida 4-H Dog Project Scholarship
Fund-
Please mail your
check and make it payable to:
Florida 4-H Dog Project Scholarship Fund
C/O June Lyness
409 Whitman Road
Winter Haven FL 33884
For more info on the Florida 4-H Dog Project Scholarship Fund
contact:
Chairman: Patty Martin c_pmartin@verizon.net or (941)722-7800
Treasurer: June Lyness Dogfan101@aol.com or 863-324-1495
Or check the Florida 4-H Dog Project website:
www.FL4-H-Dog.com |
|
4-H In Florida
The overall objective of
4-H is the development of youth as individuals and as responsible and
productive citizens. 4-H projects offer learning experiences in many different
subject areas for young people. More than 45 project areas are currently
available in Florida. A range of activities such as public speaking, camping,
and judging events have been developed, providing 4-H'ers with opportunities to
practice and apply new knowledge and ideas.
To get more information on
the Florida 4-H Dog Project please check all areas of our website:
www.FL4-H-Dog.com or contact the Florida
4-H Dog Project Chairman Sally Alford Manning at
horsepny@tampabay.rr.com . For
additional information on 4-H you can go on the State of Florida 4-H website:
http://www.florida4h.org/
