First Day of Camp!

Follow this link to check out all of our photos from this week at Camp Paw Paw! We will be adding new photos every day this week: https://photos.app.goo.gl/eeufJuhYvHR4LYuG3

Camp is off to a great start! Counselors Jess, Heather, and Sonia are super excited to spend this week with this group of awesome campers who are ready to learn about animals and the humane society!

Our morning station activities included making peanut butter kongs for HSCC’s dogs, touring the shelter, and coloring a variety of animals. Then we did animal name introductions by thinking of an animal with a name that starts with the first letter of our first names. It didn’t take long before our first guest speaker of the week arrived.

Michelle Carroll, a vet in Williston, brought her three dogs: Odin, Ritter, and Roomer. Outside of being a vet, Michelle volunteers through Therapy Dogs of Vermont. She brings Ritter and Odin to libraries, schools, hospitals and camps in order to help spread smiles.

The campers enjoyed sharing the dog beds with Ritter and when we had to move inside due to weather, Michelle joined us with her dog Odin during our campers’ snack time. Some of the campers were even able to get Odin to do tricks for them! After snack we continued tours and campers made some very colorful bead worms & snakes.

Luckily blue skies and sunshine returned so we could head back outside by the tent to help get things ready for our camp pet this week: a box turtle named Carman! Carman is owned by JoAnn Nichols, a Humane Investigator and Educator/Trap Neuter Return Specialist, who spends a lot of her time at HSCC. Campers mixed the dry soil blocks with water, so we could fill her inside and outside habitats with good moist soil along with rocks, water, and food. Each day some of the campers will be helping to feed Carman and clean her habitat.

Tomorrow in addition to helping out with Carman, campers will also start helping to provide food & water to HSCC’s feral cats. After camp today Jess & Heather spotted two of the cats and treated them to some delicious wet cat food!

Important Notes:

***Friday, we will be doing a pet share and encourage campers to bring in a picture of any of their pets (or perhaps stuffed animals or pets that they know if they don't have any at home). These can be brought in any day throughout the week!!

*** Please walk with your camper to the tent during drop off & pick up times to make sure we are able to check off that your child has arrived at camp or is leaving camp. We want to know who is here when they arrive and we especially do not want to miss seeing a camper leave and think they have gone missing. Thank you for your help and support in keeping our campers safe :)