The 14th year for the 4-H/AOC summer program for kids and dogs begins Monday, July 11, and runs through Friday, July 15, from 9 a.m. until noon at the Albany Obedience Club training facility on Wemple Road in Glenmont.

The week-long program is fun for our youth, their dogs, and the volunteers who make this program a success year after year. It is a great opportunity for area youth to benefit from the training provided by our experienced AOC dog trainers/program leaders and to use the AOC training facility and grounds.

Participants rotate through three different programs each day. Agility, always the favorite activity for our youth, is included each day.

Peg Munves, a professional dog trainer, including training dogs for movies and television, will be back all week with more “tricks.”

The folks from Tundra Spirits, a Siberian Husky Rescue group based in Galway, New York, will return. The group’s previous programs on their sled dogs, bandaging, and pet first aid (including a dog mannequin for cardiopulmonary resuscitation) were all great! This year’s first aid program will be just as great.

There are so many things to learn about your dog, to do with your dog, and so many things dogs do for work and sport. Join us and learn about some of these exciting activities.

Young dog handlers do not need to be current 4-H members, but will be enrolled in the 4-H program as part of the registration process. Enrollment is limited to 18, so register soon. Registration applications and additional information can be obtained through the Albany County 4-H office at or by telephone at 765-3500. The cost if $90.

Editor’s note: Sharon Briesch is a volunteer with the dog camp program.