I Survived Doggie Day Camp!

All tuckered out, Wilson is curled up in his favorite spot right by the window.  

In an effort to help Wilson become a little more of a social butterfly, we signed him up for his first doggie day camp.  If you went for a walk with him in our neighborhood you would think he was an old curmudgeon who disliked dogs.  He would pull at the leash with his fur in full mohawk mode.  I'd ask him, "Do you want to eat that nice little dog or are you just protecting me from his cute little button nose?"  I don't think Wilson was aware that dogs can be friends with each other.  It is our fault after all, for not getting him out more when he was a puppy.  Besides the occasional dog friendly get together, he's always been a leash length away from any possible furry friend.  Our goal here is to be able to take him to the amazing dog parks in the area.  However, we needed to make sure we weren't going to put ourselves in a situation where someone would get hurt.  This is when I heard about doggie day camps.

I found a place that has a reasonably priced puppy day camp close to our new home.  After doing some research I found them to be trustworthy of my best friend's well being.  Wilson was dropped off first thing in the morning so he could become comfortable before his playmates showed up.  We were told that it doesn't help for nosy parents to hang around so we left and ran some errands.  Naturally, we returned two hours later and peeked around the corner to see how he was doing.  What??!! A little over protective?? Or do I just love my dog like people love their kids??!!  

His report card showed that he was pretty shy and enjoyed watching the other dogs.  Naturally, he loved getting attention from the handlers.  At the end of the day he was graded as a "happy camper".  I think a few more trips to camp and we'll be ready for the park.