Petting All The Animals: 4-H Hearts in Ireland

Growing up, I’ve always been a big animal lover. Our family always had cats and dogs, and my wife and I have an American Brown Dog™ named Wrigley. In fact, my wife says she fell in love with me because on our first date, I greeted her dog before I said hello to her. The vibrant green Irish countryside is flecked with brown coats of sheep, spotted with black and white patterns of cattle, and streaked with the grays, browns, and blacks of incredibly fast horses. Cows here also ‘moo’ with Irish accents, which is adorable.

Some of the kids on this trip have similar animals back home. Addie Hines told us how she grew up around horses her whole life after her dad, Michael, rodeoed. That may have given the pair a competitive advantage at the Irish National Stud farm where they placed third in a mock race. Addie blamed her dad for them not finishing first. That honor went to Gracie Moore of Winnfield.

Gracie is our group’s self-proclaimed animal enthusiast. She told us that she came to Ireland with the goal of “petting everything” and so far, seems to be well on her way. At every stop along the way, she has gravitated towards any farm dog, wandering sheep, or even tiny crabs peeking out of the rocks. That was surprising to see, as crabs aren’t very fluffy, yet many of these teens were excited to pick them up and let them crawl over their hands.

Time after time on this trip we’ve been told how 4-H has helped get kids out of their shells, but actually witnessing it is something else. I was not a 4-H kid, as I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I see now through these kids that 4-H would have really helped with that.

One girl who greatly credits 4-H with helping her is Sophie Kay. The soon-to-be junior said her favorite stop was the sheepdog demonstration at Glengowla Mines (and to be honest, it was probably mine, too). Watching the energetic three-year-old Pip maneuver and corral his flock was truly incredible. Sophie grew up raising goats and recently started learning about sheep. She also has three dogs back home, so this was right up her alley. She is homeschooled and says that she’s grateful to 4-H for not only connecting her with these animals, but with other students with similar interests she now considers friends.

I’ve told Karl that I’m kicking myself (or rather, my 14-year-old self) for not getting involved in 4-H. I think it’s something that I as an animal lover, and a young introvert, would have really been able to connect with. I’m certainly more than happy discovering it now in my 40s and renewing my love of animals through these kids’ experiences and passions.