For visitors, the Clark County Fair is a week of fun in the sun. We eat our fill of everything fried, play games, go on rides, watch our favorite bands and check out the animals. For 4-H and FFA members, the Clark County Fair is the accumulation of a year of hard work and preparation. And for 4-H member Ella Gardner, the 2024 Clark County Fair is a send off as she heads to college next year: A time to look back and think about all that 4-H has taught her.
A Decade of Clark County Dog 4-H
Ella started 4-H when she was 7 years old. “I had always been obsessed with dogs and wanted to do something involving them so my mom put me into 4-H for fun,” she says. She joined the Clover Rovers 4-H club and has been with them ever since.
During her years in 4-H, Ella has had many dogs she says. She started out with her family’s goldendoodle named Ozzy. When she was 10, she got her first purebred dog, a Barbet named Fender. Barbets are French water dogs. “I started showing him as my main project dog and got involved in the AKC,” Ella shares. “This is when dog showing become less of hobby and more of a life passion for me.”
Her next dog was also a Barbet and was named Hei Hei. “I used her solely for obedience,” Ella says. “I won state with her the first year she competed and won brace at state with both of my dogs!”
Her current show dog is a standard poodle named Jagger that she has owned for about a year and a half. “He was my dream dog,” she says. “Jagger was a learning curve as I had to learn to groom a poodle in show cut and learn how to aid the energy of a poodle. I do all the training and grooming on my own and he is seriously my best friend!”
Ella trains her dogs for about 30 minutes every day she says. “I try to keep training fun and high energy by playing between exercises!” she adds. Jagger loves to practice recall and spins.
“Dog 4-H is seriously such an amazing program and it has changed my life,” Ella shares. “The community of people and the social and communication skills I have learned have been very beneficial for me and I’m forever grateful for this program!”
Watch Ella Gardner’s Dog Classes at the Clark County Fair
For her Super Senior year, Ella is competing in showmanship, obedience and rally with Jagger and obedience, team obedience, and rally with Hei Hei. She will use both dogs for brace, an obedience class where she will perform with both dogs at the same time. In addition, Ella will be competing in dog bowl, which is a knowledge competition.
Look for Ella at the Clark County Fair in the Dog Barn. It’s a great time to ask about 4-H clubs and joining in on the fun next year.
