My Life with Dogs

Shelby on the Lure Course (photo by Whitney)

Yes, another great weekend at Camp Dogwood. This is my 4th time at the camp, and the boys just loved it as usual!   Check out www.CampDogwood.com for details if you are not familiar with this.   

Bandit, Shelby and I trekked off on Friday up to Ingleside, IL, where we stay for the long Memorial Day weekend.   I stayed once again in Desser Lodge, the room having about 10 bunks and a homey kelly green painted interior.  I got there first, so I scoped out a few bunks to drop off my stuff and stake out an area for the kids.   My roommate from past Camps, also Carol, arrived with Julie, a Rottie mix and her new dog Cafe, an Australian cattledog mix.   We had two other roommates this time – Emily and her cute little guy Dolce, and Lisa with her two Cane Corso Italian mastiffs, Kiara and Lillian.

The weather was great, the activities were fun, and I got to meet up with old friends and make some new ones as well.   Lisa was an expert on feeding her dogs raw food, and shared her knowledge with us.   Emily shared her knowledge of wine, and of course, we indulged in a few tastings!

Bandit at the Beach!

Dolce, or 'The Dolch!"

Shelby took a few more honors at camp – he ended up winning 3 of the beach games contests, including being able to catch 10 treats without dropping them faster than the other dogs!    Can you tell I am a proud parent???

Of course, agility training and lure coursing were also part of the agenda.    Shelby needs a little work yet on agility….well, actually I need a little work!

Bandit loved the beach….his legs were very unstable all weekend, and he couldn’t walk very far without getting tired, so the short walk to the beach was about all he could handle.   He loves running and frolicking in the water!   He just has that look of joy in his eyes….and algae in his mouth!

Cafe's First Camp

I asked Renny Mills, the camp photographer, if I could use some of her pictures in my blog.   She said I could as long as I give her credit, which is fair enough.    So, once I scan in a few of those, I will tell some of the other fun stories of Camp Dogwoods past!

I spoke with Alyssa, one of the camp’s directors, about bringing Mia to fall camp.   She said it would be no problem…so, in October, little Mia will experience her first camp!

Kiara Relaxing

I know that Carol and I will room together this fall, and hopefully Emily will come back (I hear she might be bringing a crew from Michigan!) and Lisa from Syracuse is also hoping to be back.   That is the one thing about Camp Dogwood…..you have to keep coming back!   The dogs, the fun, the new experiences, the camaraderie – it is a very unique way to bond with your “kids!”