GIVING BACK
DAN
SAYERS
Top: The first
members of
Mide Junior
Handlers Club
gather with their
dogs at their
first weekend of
competition in
March 2007.
Bottom: A group
of kids from
Mide Club 4-H
gives a dog show
demonstration at
the Cumberland
County Fair.
Knowledge is Power
for Carolina Juniors
C
eSea Lawson, DVM, can remember the first dog show
that “her kids” attended. “It was a five-day show in
Raleigh,” recalls the Fayetteville, N.C., veterinarian.
“On the Saturday of the show, the kids wanted a picture of
all of them with their dogs and ribbons. The photographer
said that it would be impossible to get that many kids and
dogs into one picture.” However, the proof of the kids’
determination to achieve their collective goal can be found
on the Mide Clubs 4-H website where the motto, “Knowledge
is Power,” is proudly displayed together with a photo of
five dogs and their proud novice handlers. “They did it,” Dr.
Lawson says with the pride of a mama bear.
The Ojibwe word for a medicine person, Mide (pro-
nounced mee-day) is a nonprofit umbrella organization of
clubs for young people living in Cumberland County. Dr. Law-
son developed the organization 10 years ago from weekly dog
training sessions held on the soccer field of a local church. As
noted on the organization’s website, “Activities are divided
into various clubs, and each club helps to open a young per-
son’s eyes to the world
and what the world
has to offer them if
they get out there
and try.” The Junior
Handlers Club is just
one of several clubs
within Mide where
local kids can try
their hand at activities
ranging from sewing
and fencing to conformation show handling. There’s even a
Dickens Fellowship Club dedicated to the works of Charles
Dickens. According to the Mide website, the group’s mission
is “to create environments, through collaboration, that build
strong, healthy youth who are proactive in a complex and
changing world.” Who better to join the ever-evolving sport of
dogs than young people prepared to meet its challenges?
Dr. Lawson has been involved “in dogs” since she was a 4-H
member herself. “The Chinese Shar-Pei is my major breed,”
she says. “I also have Chinese Cresteds and a Havanese.” In
2008, she officially launched Mide Clubs. So far, the organiza-
tion has served to mentor nearly two dozen young people in
her community. “We did not have a club at the time we first
started, and the kids wanted to have one,” Dr. Lawson says,
noting that the club provides a home base for different groups
of local kids. “For each thing a group does, we put a different
club together to help figure out what new members want to
do.” In this way, the membership of Mide has become a unique
collection of kids who might like to read the classics during
the week and show dogs on the weekends.
Though varied in interests, Dr. Lawson’s kids are also
prepared to work hard to help pay their own way. “My 4-H
members are available to help people who need an extra
hand. They (and I) will help with grooming, walking, show-
ing, holding at ringside, whatever is needed,” she says. By
working to assist busy handlers and exhibitors, Mide fosters
a culture where each member can value doing a good job
while learning something along the way. “Think about the
economy today,” Dr. Lawson offers. “In order to get ahead
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