Haffner hoists

Katie Haffner is a regular when it comes to holding the big banner at the dog show.

She’s shown the top dog at the Jay County Fair five times. (With three different dogs.)

But when she got a taste of the supreme showmanship competition a couple of years ago, she set a new goal.

On Tuesday, she accomplished it.

Haffner, a 10-year  member of 4-H, won the small animal supreme showmanship competition Tuesday afternoon on her second and final try.

“I didn’t even know what to think,” she said. “I was ecstatic.”

Haffner advanced to small animal supreme showmanship for the first time in 2021.

Rachel Heitkamp, the current Miss Jay County Fair Queen, took the title that year.

The experience lit a fire under Haffner, who started showing rabbits simply in order to prepare herself for supreme showmanship. (In the competition, advanced showmanship winners from each species must show each of the species  —dog, cat, poultry, rabbit and pygmy goat) —with the exception of the one they represent.) After Joseph Kunk represented the dog club in the competition last year, Haffner was back again in her final year in 4-H for a shot at the title.

She said the rabbits and pygmy goats — she also shows goats — were the easiest Tuesday afternoon.

“The biggest challenge was definitely the chickens,” she added, though she seemed calm and in control throughout that portion of the competition. “I’m just not familiar with them.

“I just don’t like them,” noting bad experiences in the past. “That makes it kind of hard for me.”

In Tuesday’s competition, she was up against Alivia Toney (cat), Tuck Hemmelgarn (pygmy goat), Nevaeh Brower (rabbit) and Madi Paxson (poultry)

Through her 4-H career, Haffner has shown goats for multiple years. She picked up rabbits recently and has previously shown diary cattle, swine and poultry.

She has also done cake decorating projects.

But dogs are her love.

“It’s not about the animal,” Haffner said. “It’s about you and how you work with your dogs and how you train them and what kind of a trainer you are. … Dogs, the more you work with them, the better you get.”

She’s had tremendous results, showing the top dog at the fair five times. She won with Grizz before shifting to Tucker to take the title in 2021. She brought Rufus to the fair this year and won the title again.

She said the key is getting the animals well-trained when they’re young.

“I work hard with them when they’re puppies and I get it in their head when they’re real little,” she said.

After that it’s essentially about maintaining their behavior daily and working with them at dog club practices. (That’s with the exception of tricks she taught Rufus for that portion of the contest this year.)

In addition to her 4-H activities, she had some minimal involvement in FFA. She said she regrets choosing work — she has jobs as MSSL Wiring and Norm’s Place in Portland — over being more involved.

But, when it came to her final year in 4-H, she made sure she took time off in order to make it to all of the dog club practices and to be able to fully enjoy the fair.

“This year I realized it’s my last year in 4-H and I’m gonna take time off of work and enjoy it,” said Haffner. “And it definitely paid off.”