Advice from Emily

For kids who want to get involved in dogs but their parents are wary, a good first step is to prove yourself responsible. If your parents won't let you have a dog, work at a local animal shelter as a volunteer. That's a great way to learn about dog's body language, behavior, and care. It's a good start to showing your responsibility--making it to work on time, caring for the animals properly, and so on.

If your parents will let you have a dog IF you take care of it, take care of it. You should pick a breed that's compatible to your parent's requirements. They don't want fur all over, then a cocker isn't a good choice. Want a small dog? Don't fall in love with Labs or danes. Labs tend to act a lot bigger than they actually are (as in, jumping, excessive exercise requirements), coming from experience. I don't really know what else to say that relates to kids & dogs,

I got *my* dog when I was 13, after we were found by a sheltie mix puppy (my mom loves shelties & collies), and 3 months later the pup was reclaimed, and I conned my parents into thinking I needed a show dog. I paid for my pup myself (my 7 month old pup), came all out of my bank account, I groom all 3 dogs (we had 1 before, got the lab, then my brother decided he wanted a collie) I arrange vet appointments, wash them, clean up after them, walk them, and train/show them. Show the lab, that is.

Junior Showmanship is like real showing but kids compete as to how well they can handle their dog, not how the dog looks. That's my main activity. 4-H allows anyone over 8, I believe (I'm not sure; I just know I'm old enough), and AKC allows 10 to 18 years old, with 4 class divisions.

Emily

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