Camp Dogs

Stuffed Olivia dogs- a best seller at the camp store

Olivia and Griffin are Camp Dogs. Well, okay, Olivia and Griffin are my babies, my loves, and the center of my universe. But they are ALSO camp dogs. 

Two years ago, my biological puppy clock started ticking and I began to dream of tiny paws pitter pattering around my life. Originally I planned to rescue a pound puppy and be a hero, but somehow I ended up googling bulldog pictures for hours on end, which led to breeder websites and the next thing you know, I've got a $3000 purebred dog with champion show dog bloodlines. So much for being a hero...

I've always thought bulldogs were adorable and as I researched more, I liked the description of their personalities, temperament and the fact that I wasn't going to have to run them for miles and miles every day.  However bulldogs are sensitive to heat, don't swim and are not exactly the "romp through the woods" type of dogs. They are described as being good with kids and that was enough for me! 

Stuffed Olivia dogs also taste great.

Olivia settled into camp right away. Training week, I asked the staff to stand on a line I'd created with a piece of masking tape. Everyone moved to the line, including Olivia. Once the kids arrived, she was thrilled to have constant attention, not the least bit stressed out by hoards of loud children crowding around her. In those first months, I panicked repeatedly when I couldn't find her. Frantically screaming her name and imagining her lost and afraid, I'd get a walkie talkie call from staff saying, "we can hear you all the way across camp! She's down at archery chillin' with us!" I'd run down there to see her sitting next to the benches and she would look at me like, "what? It's time for archery."

The fall after her fist summer, she threw terrible tantrums, looked depressed and only ever seemed truly happy when we went back to visit camp.

Griffin became a camp dog last year. I rescued him in June, 3 days before staff training began. It was not an ideal time and I was worried about bringing a strange dog to camp. But he settled right in, frequently hanging out in the baseline between 2nd and 3rd during kickball games. He was easy going and settled right in. And in the fall, he joined Olivia's post camp depression. 

We've been back at camp for a week and they couldn't be happier. They spend their days sunning themselves, playing and exploring in the woods, and fall asleep by 8pm, completely exhausted and  totally content with life at camp.

Stuffed Griffin doll- highly requested last summer
and sure to be a best seller this year

Also pretty tasty...