Best Friends 4-H Club

Registration

Motto: "If the map and the terrain do not agree, believe the terrain." -- Charles W. Chaillet, Jr.

To Register for 4-H and Best Friends 4-H Club:

       To participate in Best Friends 4-H Club, ALL 4-H'ers and 4-H Leaders will have to register with BOTH Berrien County 4-H and Best Friends 4-H Club. Best Friends 4-H Canines are also considered members, and will also have to register.

       4-H’s fiscal year always begins on September 1st of the year and runs through to August 31st of the following year. Renewing your membership for your 4-H clubs begins on September 1st and ends December 31. New members are accepted year round.

       Club dues of $10 per year must accompany your registration forms. If you are having financial difficulties, please talk to your club coordinator privately and something can be worked out.

       If the club coordinator does not have your yearly registration forms, you are not a member of Best Friends 4-H Club. Even if you have been a member of the club in the past, you MUST re-register each year. There are three steps for your child's and/or your own enrollment in 4-H and Best Friends 4-H Club.

Berrien County 4-H   *   Best Friends 4-H Club   *   Canine Registration

       Please note: for Berrien County Youth Fair Registration forms and instructions, please see our Berrien County Youth Fair page.

STEP ONE: Instructions for Registration with Berrien County, Michigan 4-H (Michigan State University Extension Office):

        Berrien County, Michigan 4-H enrollment Registration is completed online at http://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in. When you register with Berrien County, Michigan 4-H, you can join and participate with as many 4-H clubs as you can handle. This is where your 4-H years and project records are kept up to date and contact information is current.

       This may all sound complictated, but the online forms are super-simple to follow, and your club coordinator will be with you every step of the way if you wish!

If you do not have access to a computer (or if you do not feel comfortable using a computer), contact Linda (see our Contact Us page for email address and phone number). She will have printed forms that you can fill out and return to her or mail directly to to the Berrien County Michigan State University Extension Office, 1737 Hillandale Road Benton Harbor, MI 49022.

• Registration with the State MSU 4-H Office: An annual background check is required for ALL 4-H Leaders because they are considered "teachers." These background checks are done at the state level.

  • Go to https://msu.samaritan.com/custom/502/application_info. Follow the prompts to register as a new member. NOTE: You are applying for a "Gold Role."

• Registration with the Berrien County MSU Extension Office: After you have registered with the State MSU 4-H Office, a local Berrien County 4-H account will be set up for you automatically at http://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in. You don't have to do a thing!

• Continue on to Registration with Best Friends 4-H Club, below.

STEP TWO: Instructions for Registration with Best Friends 4-H Club:

       Because Best Friends 4-H Club works with dogs and has several canine therapy programs that are available to the public, as well as the club members' 4-H achievements, there are certain liability topics that must be legally addressed by both 4-H'ers and Team Instructors:

• What type of member are you? Example: Team Instructor vs Nontraditional or Traditional 4-H’er.

• What dog training projects do you wish to be involved in? Example: Year-round canine therapy projects vs Summer Dog Project only

• Will you need a canine to work with? Or do you have your own canine?

• Current contact information.

• Have you read the Website and Canine Policies?

• Do you give or not give consent to have audio, video, film, and/or print images to be used on the website?

• Liability Agreement must be signed by adult leader or 4-H'er's parent or guardian.

Best Friends 4-H Website Policy    *   Best Friends 4-H Canine Policy

       Once you have registered with MSU Extension 4-H, you can download, print, fill out, sign, and mail back the two-page Best Friends Leader/4-H'er Registration Form from the link below -- or ask your club coordinator to mail you the form. (See below for mailing address.) NOTE: “No individual can be accepted into the Berrien County, Michigan, Best Friends 4-H Club until this form has been completed by the youth’s parents/guardian, or by the individual if he or she is of legally competent adult age of eight (18) or older.”

Best Friends Leader/4-H'er Registration Form (pdf)

       Best Friends 4-H Club Leader/4-H'er Registration forms should be mailed to:

Best Friends 4-H Club
434 Western Ave
Benton Harbor, MI 49022-5662.

If for any reason you can't download the form and need the club coordinator to mail them to you, or if you have any questions whatsoever, please feel free to Contact Linda through the info on our Contact Us page.

STEP THREE: Instructions for Best Friends 4-H Club Canine Registration:

       Dogs are club members, too, and must also be registered with Best Friends 4-H Club yearly. By training with their traditional (TR) 4-H’er and/or owners or volunteering their therapy services by being paired with a non-traditional (NTR) 4-H’er and Team Instructor, Best Friends Team Canines work toward their American Kennel Club (AKC) Therapy Dog Titles, Canine Good Citizenship Titles, and Obedience Titles. Since Best Friends 4-H Club is an AKC recognized Canine Therapy Dog Competition organization and AKC is our adapted dog training and dog competition program foundation, the club has to prove that each dog is fit for duty and meets 4-H, the American Kennel Club, and the Berrien County Youth Fair’s health standards and dog training levels.

Best Friends Canine Policy

       Each canine owner must complete a yearly Best Friends 4-H Club Canine Registration Form for each dog who is a member of the club. The yearly registration will cover Best Friends 4-H Club's Liability Insurance, Berrien County Youth Fair's Dog Registration, and American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog titles.

       Each canine registration must be accompanied by two photographs of the canine being registered: one clear view of the face and head, and one clear view of the canine's body sideways in the "stacking" position. These photos will be used for Berrien County Youth Fair registration, registering for AKC Therapy Dog titles, and on Best Friends 4-H Club Canine Membership Card for canine therapy visits. (Note: if you don't have any way of photographing your dog yourself, arrangements can be made with the Club Historian to do so.)

• For dogs partipating in the Best Friends year-round Canine Therapy dog projects and community service programs, your canine registration is due by 31 December of each year.

• For dogs who are participating in the Best Friends Summer Dog Project ONLY, canine registration is due by 1 June of each year.

Best Friends 4-H Canine Registration Form (pdf)

       Best Friends 4-H ClubCanine Registration forms should be mailed to:

Best Friends 4-H Club
434 Western Ave
Benton Harbor, MI 49022-5662.

Again, if for any reason you can't download these forms and need the club coordinator to mail them to you, need help getting photos of your dog, or have any questions whatsoever, please feel free to Contact Linda through the info on our Contact Us page.

"Hands and Paws together always in friendship and teamwork." -- L.M. Shannon-Chaillet

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