Merry and 4-H by #Lexy2

Canine Capers 4-H club is a volunteer run club for kids to learn all about dogs, how to care for them, and how to train them. Part of 4-H is community service. This year we have decided to foster a dog in need. We did this because we wanted to make an impact on our own community, and we are committed to helping dogs in need.

Merry is an 8 year old Australian shepherd. She spent her whole life with her human, Trish. Merry is an amazing herding and agility dog who has been working in dog sports all her life. Herding is moving sheep from one place to another. Agility is an obstacle course for dogs. Merry is extremely well trained and very bonded to Trish. Trish was recently diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian cancer and is unable to take care of Merry. Our club wants to help Trish and Merry. When Trish was rushed to the hospital, Merry unexpectedly became pregnant at a neighbors. She is now expecting 2-4 puppies, and our club is trying to support Merry and her puppies. We would like to sponsor their vet care until the puppies are weaned and pay for Merry’s spay when she is able to get it.

We think that helping Merry is an important part of helping the community. If you think so too, please donate to help Merry. You can Venmo to @Canine-Capers or send a check to: Canine Capers 4-H Club, 13 Down Ln Mansfield MA 02048.

A day in the life of a competitive cheerleader by #Lauren4

When most people think of cheerleading, they think of pom poms and games.  But oh that's not all we do. We practice 3-4 times a week for 2-3 hours. And we have competitions. Imagine losing the competition for frowning or simply not doing a motion in the dance. If you do competition cheer you need to stop any other sports you have on cheer days. You have to choose between cheer or any other sport. If you are sick you can't miss a day. If you are not at a competition then  your whole team can be disqualified. 

So here comes the competition. First you practice so much you are basically bored of the routine. Then you have to wait in a hallway for almost an hour before you get to perform. There are different competitions. The first comp is invitationals followed by locals. After locals if you make it to states then you go to regionals. Finally after regionals you get  to fly to Disney with your cheer squad to perform for two days. Then you get the other two days to enjoy Disney. But as soon as you get off the plane you PRACTICE for a very long time. Even though Disney is fun some people don't even get to go enjoy their Disney trip because they’re so busy practicing! Even though cheerleading is hard it is still very fun. Last year  our town won nationals in Disney. They must have had to practice a lot.

So the next time you think all we do is shake our pom poms and cheer at a game remember we are  also fierce competitors.