By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Becky Baker, a longtime advisor for the Canine Caper 4-H Club, has announced the 2024 Great Darke County Fair will be her last as an advisor.

Baker started working with the 4-H Club over three decades ago and admitted she didn’t know much about showing dogs or even training dogs when she first got involved. She said she got involved because her daughter was in the club.

Before she became an advisor, Baker said she was a volunteer. “Sue Detling was the advisor, and I came to help her as a volunteer. She said you better learn how to train. I said, ‘why?’ She said you’re taking this club over next year.” She quickly realized that she could not teach the kids how to show a dog if she didn’t know how to show a dog.

Baker said before she started working with Canine Capers, she had a family dog, but did not train dogs. “I had no idea until I came back from living in Indiana for seven years and I got into it,” she said.

There was a point where Baker took a two-year break, but it remained in the family, and she was never very far away from the 4-Hers. Her daughter became the advisor. “She would come to my house to do showmanship (training) because she didn’t like to do showmanship,” said Baker. “So, I did it for her for those two years.”

When Baker’s daughter passed away, the club didn’t have an advisor that knew how to train dogs, which meant Baker was back with the club.

Since learning more about dog training and shows, Baker has gone on to show in AKC shows and has taught at 4-H and was president and taught at Greenville Area Dog Club (GADC). “I enjoy it, and I raised Golden Retrievers for several years.” She pointed to her dog, Murphy, a Golden Retriever that was part of her last litter from nine years ago.

Baker said she kept doing it for her daughter and grandkids, but she also kept doing it for the kids in the 4-H club. She had mentioned leaving several years prior and said many times that it would be her final year, but the kids kept bringing her back. Each time she would announce it was her last year, one or two of the 4-H kids would say I’ve only got one more year and ask her to stay for that year. Baker would relent and would come back.

“I enjoyed it and I enjoyed the kids. They are my kids. I’m like momma bear when it comes to my 4-H kids,” said Baker. Over the years, Baker believes she has worked with nearly 500 kids since becoming an advisor 33 years ago. She said she still has kids that come and see her every year in the dog barn. “They know I’m here,” she said. It’s that relationship she has had with kids that has been the most rewarding for her. “It’s rewarding when they do well and it’s rewarding even when they’re crying, and I have to support them when they’re crying. But they know I’m always there and I’m always in their corner,” she said.

Baker said she began her time as an advisor in the old dog building between the cattle and sheep barns. She admitted part of the reason for staying until this year was because she wanted to end her time as a 4-H advisor in the new building. “When I started, I said I wanted to see the new building go up. I thought it would have been up long before now, but 30 plus years later we’ve got a building,” she said.

They haven’t asked the fair board yet, but when the building isn’t rented, they are hoping they will be able to use it during the winter for training. “We’re hoping that they don’t leave it sit empty, if they’re not using it let us use it,” she said.

She has assured everyone that this will be her last year and will leave the club in the capable hands of Andrea Haworth. “I’ve wanted to leave many times in the past, but she didn’t have anyone to help here. Now she has two new advisors that have come in to help and one of the 4-H kids is going to be an advisor. I’m very confident that I don’t have to worry about it now,” Baker concluded.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].