[Animals] Minnesota Lake teen shows dogs at 4-H State

[Teacher™]

When Anna DeLaittre talks about animals, she simply lights up. She is a walking encyclopedia of animal facts and know-how, revealing in a single conversation some of the dog breeds that have webbed feet – otterhounds and retrievers – and the best diet for a hen to ensure her eggs have a strong shell. Anna’s home in Minnesota Lake, meanwhile, houses a veritable zoo of animals. Apart from roughly 40 hens, Anna and her father, Mark, care for two roosters, a goat named Coconut – who is expecting – a duck named Nibs, and Pepper the Siamese cat. Then, there are the DeLaittres’ three heelers: Lady, Charcoal and Tippy. Anna recently demonstrated the strong connection she has with her dogs at the 4-H State Dog Show, which was held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Sept. 23 and Sept. 24. Her senior year performance at State was a success. Anna brought home red ribbons in Intermediate Agility, Agility Jumpers 1B and Beginner Obedience. She also collected a blue ribbon in Rally. Despite all the ribbons, Anna says, “I didn’t care what I placed – I just had fun with my dogs.” Mark agrees, adding, “If you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be (at State). It’s all about the kids, and the connection.” This was actually Anna’s third trip to the 4-H State Dog Show. She qualified with Lady for the first time in 2019, and then, after taking time off during the pandemic, she returned to the competition last year and this fall. Anna’s route to State began with eight days of training with a professional trainer, followed by participation in the Faribault County Fair 4-H Dog Show. Participants who are named Grand or Reserve Champions at the county level, like Anna, then earn a slot in the 4-H State Dog Show. Showing a dog through 4-H involves several different components, each of which is designed to demonstrate different skills possessed by both dog and handler. Obedience, Anna explains, focuses on the dog’s ability to respond to commands. “You can’t touch (the dog),” she adds. “It’s more judged on what the dog knows.” Rally, meanwhile, is an event where signs are posted along a course. The handler and dog stop at each sign and perform the task it asks of them. Agility is a dynamic obstacle course including jumps, tunnels, weave poles and a teeter totter. Finally, Agility Jumpers involves a course made up exclusively of jumps and tunnels. “You turn a lot, so you have to have a good connection with your dog, and good body language,” Anna explains. She is set in that department. Anna’s dogs are quite literally family, as Charcoal and Tippy are both Lady’s descendents. Anna has been deeply involved in all three dogs’ lives – from birth, in the case of Charcoal and Tippy. Lady, the eldest of the three dogs, joined the DeLaittre family in 2017 when Mark bought her as a birthday gift for Anna. Later, Lady became a mother, and Anna helped birth and raise her puppies. “If you get dogs when they are puppies, you protect them,” Anna observes. “Then, they grow up, and they protect you.” Anna kept one of the puppies – Charcoal – and she is able to list the homes the other puppies found when they were old enough to leave Lady’s side. One puppy lives just down the street from Anna and Mark, for example, while another has found a happy home on a dairy farm. “We’re always in touch with our dogs,” she explains. Another litter produced Tippy, Anna’s third dog. Tippy is still quite young, but she made her debut at State this year in the Obedience category. “We expected to bomb,” Anna admits, “but she just blew us away.” Anna worked with Charcoal in the remaining three categories – Agility, Agility Jumpers and Rally – as Lady is retired from the 4-H Dog Show circuit. At home, Anna and her trio of dogs are inseparable. “They know exactly what time I’ll get home every day,” Anna says, adding that all three dogs, along with the chickens, duck, goat and cat, give her a warm welcome whenever she pulls into the driveway. However, following her graduation from Maple River High School this spring, Anna will be leaving her home in Minnesota Lake to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinary technician at Ridgewater College in Willmar. “It’s the oldest vet tech school in Minnesota,” she says. It seems a fitting career for an animal lover. When asked what she likes most about animals, Anna replies, “They’re not humans. They don’t judge you.” She adds, “That’s why I want to be a vet tech. I’ve always had a connection with animals.”

https://www.faribaultcountyregister.com/news/local-news/2023/11/12/minnesota-lake-teen-shows-dogs-at-4-h-state/