Discover how Plum Creek Kennel Club’s Junior Look & Learn program is encouraging youth participation in dog shows.
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Like many other dog clubs, my kennel club(s) like to look for additional ways to encourage Junior participation and to highlight them at our shows. So this year, at Plum Creek Kennel Club (Colorado), we launched a New Junior Look & Learn program and area.
As a former and lifetime Girl Scout, I have been involved in many youth activities and educational projects, plus I have attended many county fairs and even created a 4-H program in the past. Add in the fact that most dog clubs in Colorado really do not have Meet the Breeds or much in the way of education for the general public—so all this is mixed together to be what we call the Junior Look & Learn program.
We asked any Junior to submit a Breed Display Board (think 4-H project board). We did not state difficult details on “do this or don’t do that,” we just put it in the premium list and posted on social media for them to participate.
Plum Creek Kennel Club did offer prizes. Grand Champion got a $100 Gift Card, Reserve Grand Champion for a $50 gift card, and Honorable Mentions received $20. We had no idea how many kids or breeds would want to join in; and were more than happy when the sign-up reached 20 breeds. (We actually had to find a larger space for them, which we felt was an awesome problem to deal with.)
In addition to the formal prizes, we had a local Junior Mom offer to make Swag Bags for each participant. We announced we were doing this and many in our local dog community stepped up to fill the bags with things like collapsible dog bowls, dog food and treats, kid snacks and treats, lip balm, stickers, and gift cards.
To participate, we required a simple parental consent form and used that to obtain other facts such as the breed, Junior’s age, and adult contact information. The other thing we do on all of our parental consent forms is we get parental permission for us to take and use photos on our website, social media, and in articles, like this event that promotes the AKC and purebred dogs.
Breed boards were set up by Friday at noon in the designated area. We had three people review and judge all the boards on Saturday. One judge was a former Junior, a retired teacher, and a club member. Another judge was a former 4-H participant/leader and a club member. And our final judge was a Board Member from the Colorado Junior Foundation.
The trio of judges had a tough job as there were many fabulous display boards which represented Alaskan Malamutes, Australian Cattle Dogs, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Cane Corso, Cairn Terriers, Corgis, German Shorthaired Pointers, German Wirehaired Pointers, Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, Harriers, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Pugs, Rat Terriers, Russian Toys, and West Highland White Terriers (Westies). There were to be four other breeds, which ended up needing to cancel.
The AKC Rep loved seeing them. The judges hired to judge for the club that weekend loved the educational area. Our members and local dog show enthusiasts were proud. And, of course, the parents and Juniors themselves felt they knocked it out of the park!
Overall—WOW! What a fabulous display of AKC purebred dog breeds! It truly became a place where people did LOOK & LEARN!
On Sunday, the Swag Bags and the Breed Boards were gathered up and brought ringside to the Junior Showmanship ring. At the end of Juniors, we called all the Look & Learn Juniors with their boards into the ring, took photos, and gave out placements, awards, and ribbons. Placements were:
Australian Cattle Dog, by 12-year-old Katie; Corgi, by 11-year-old Kimberly; German Shorthaired Pointer, by 12-year-old Katie; Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, by 9-year-old Braylen; and the Pug, by 17-year-old Isabell.
Bettina Bienefeld, Best In Show Photo, attended the show and graciously took photos of the activity for us. Many of the photos used in this article are from Bettina, and a few are photos I took.
Plum Creek KC will absolutely do this again each year, and I hope to see it expand not just at our show… we have heard that many people who visited are taking the idea back to their clubs as both a Junior and an Educational project. So, feel free to beg, borrow, and steal this idea for your local club!
GREAT JOB, JUNIORS!
You know I am your biggest fan!
If anyone wants more info or any help launching this program at your dog club, just reach out. Marlene Groves / marlene@buffalogroves.com / H 303.621.1111 /
C 303.243.0440
For more information on Plum Creek Kennel Club, visit:
www.PlumCreekKennelClub.net.
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