Camp...

 When I was a little kid I wanted to go to summer camp.  My best friend did, and she'd come home filled with stories of swimming, playing tennis, riding horses and making new best friends. I was wildly jealous. My mother didn't want me to go to camp. She said I'd have just as much fun at home. And I did have fun... long, lovely summers, swimming in our pool, going for ice cream, reading book after book, but I still yearned for camp.

Fast forward a lot of years when I was grown and my child was grown, and I heard about Wag It Camp.  A place where people would go for a few days with their dog, and enjoy going to a variety of training sessions, swimming in a lovely lake, and enjoying the camp experience, but with their favorite dog and new dog-loving friends.  It sounded like a lot of fun. I didn't have a dog that would enjoy such an event, but thought that if I ever did, I sure would like to go to Wag It.

Then Bravo came to FairWinds. And for the last two summers we have splurged and gone to camp. It means taking time off work, leaving Chris and Rachel to take on all my chores, and paying for the privilege of a small vacation. It is SO worth it!

The place is beautiful. It is a Catholic summer camp, planted firmly on the shore of Ossipee Lake in New Hampshire. The grounds are dotted with buildings painted stark white, each trimmed in forest green. There are walking trails, sports fields, a tennis court, a huge pavilion which must house many fun activities, archery range, stable, a sand beach, lovely mountains in the background, towering evergreen trees... it's pretty much exactly what you might picture if you imagined the perfect New England summer camp. And for 5 days in late summer it is a little slice of heaven for people who love to spend time with a dog. Or two.

Every day there are a multitude of choices of classes to take with your dog. And there are trials to take if you wish, to test your skills. We wished, and Bravo did well.  Below is a picture of him searching a course for a container filled with raw wool. There are other containers that are filled with polyester fiber. He had to pick the right one, and he did, in something like 15 seconds. We also did some fancy heeling courses, and obstacle course, and even did a water skills test where he had to swim through hoops, weave poles, and around a post, not only passing, but winning a placement!  

Three meals a day are provided. Nothing fancy, or terribly delicious, but three meals I neither had to cook or clean up after. Bliss.

I went to "Barks and Crafts" and made a fun toy... a squeaky tennis ball, wrapped in fleece, which is braided to add extra shaking joy. Bravo loves to shake his toys, and toss, then catch them. 

Here is Bravo with the slew of ribbons he gleaned. SUCH a good boy. 

My friend Rita, with her dog Marcus, and I shared a bunk house.  Bravo and Marcus have been pals since they were pups, and they played adorably every chance they got. Rita and I had a nice time together, sharing a glass of wine on the wide porch at night, sharing stories and watching the dogs wrestle.

The weather was hot, and Bravo and I went in the lake several times a day. And night. The night swims were magical... a group of woman (no dogs!)  bobbing in the warm water under a waning moon. Laughter and singing erupted. I can't remember the last time I swam after dark. Or spent time with so many interesting women. It was all just so very good. I was right when I was kid. Camp is amazing.

My little cabin room was cozy, and Bravo and I spent some quiet down time there. The days were full and busy, but relaxing at the same time. It is nice, occasionally, to have a change of scenery and tempo.  On day three I was grieving, "I don't want camp to be over." But by this morning I was ready to come home. I loved my time away, but I missed my husband and farmlette.  Bravo was ready, too.  After a busy morning today, I put him in the truck. He was dead asleep before I even cranked the engine. And he slept sweetly all the way home, only waking at toll booths, to collect a cookie.

On the last day of camp there is a "Camp Game."  Campers, with their dogs, divide into teams to accomplish goals.  When I was a kid, I was never very good at sports and such, and was never chosen first for kickball or any other team. When we divided up for teams at camp for the game, several people said, "Oh good, we get Bravo!"  I had to laugh.  I still wasn't all that desirable for a team sport, but my dog was!

Oh, we had such a good time at Wag It Camp.  It was everything I hoped for when I was just a little kid. And more. And there were dogs.