Pet Pals
What a Week!
Camp Fur-Ever Friends, Week One Wrap-Up
What an absolutely incredible week it was for Tails of Hope – Rutland County’s Humane Society! Camp Fur-ever Friends ran July 13th through 17th right here at the shelter — the first of two weeks of summer camp, brought back after 15 years.
Week One was Pet Pals, for ages 6 to 9, and it was led by our camp coordinator Lauren Escott. Lauren is our Development Coordinator and started with us at the beginning of May — and she made this camp an absolutely amazing experience for our 16 campers, she started from scratch and planned and organized every single detail.
The Week in Review
Camp kicked off with a shelter tour, where kids learned how animals come into our building and everything we do to get them ready for adoption and their forever homes. Each camper “adopted” their own stuffy and decorated a collar for it, then met our staff.
Throughout the week, we were lucky to have some wonderful and knowledgeable professionals join us:
- Dr. Rob Macpherson and groomer Candy, of Rutland Veterinary Clinic & Surgical Center, talked with the kids about responsible pet ownership — including some super gross (but very cool) worms, ticks, and X-rays showing what happens when dogs eat things they shouldn’t. Candy shared why regular grooming matters, since matted fur can be really uncomfortable for pets.
- Noah Sweeney, Rutland City Animal Control Officer, shared the challenging work he does bringing in stray animals and helping animals in neglect cases.
- Kelly McDermott-Burns of HeartSong Reiki came to talk about animal Reiki. She’s a regular shelter volunteer and taught the kids how to approach animals with awareness, kindness, and calm energy.
- Mei Mei Brown, founder of Brandon FCAP, talked about the importance of spaying and neutering, especially for cats, and the work she does trapping, spaying/neutering, and returning feral cats to their communities so they stop reproducing. She also brought along Tarzan, a former feral cat she rescued and has since completely won over. Tarzan came to us with a serious leg wound; after months of care — including laser treatments from Rutland Veterinary Clinic — his leg ultimately had to be amputated, and he also received a much-needed dental procedure. Today he’s an absolute sweetheart living the good life at Mei Mei’s house. The kids got to meet him and see his tipped ear, the universal sign of a TNR (trap-neuter-return) cat.
- Als Allan, owner of Mountainside Mutts, one of our camp sponsors, joined us to talk about dog training, behavior, and the importance of structure — and how to approach a dog safely and confidently.
Making Memories
Campers spent the week making treats they fed to our resident dogs and toys they distributed to all the cats, creating adoption posters, painting pet rocks, and decorating our adoption center windows. They logged plenty of time in Cat Room 2, home to about 20 kittens, and cooled off on the hot days with the hose and pool. On day one, they met our sweet adoptable dog, June — and then they interacted with her during the week when our Shelter Director demonstrated to the kids how a wellness exam works, then they did a mock exam with real tools on their stuffies–and on their last day, they got to see her again to say goodbye (June is still available for adoption and would make a wonderful family dog — she loves kids!)
The week wrapped up with a campfire and s’mores after a day of running, playing, and exploring the shelter trail.
Thank You
None of this would have been possible without our generous sponsors, our volunteers, and our incredible staff — who kept the shelter’s daily operations running (never a dull moment!) while also making room for a full week of camp. The energy in the building all week was electric.
Thank you to all the camp families for trusting us with your kiddos, and to everyone who helped make this week possible. We hope to see these campers back again next year — and more than that, we hope we’ve helped raise the next generation of responsible, compassionate pet owners, adopters, volunteers, fosters, and donors.
Stay tuned for Week Two!
A Message from Camp Coordinator Lauren Escott
What an incredible first week of Camp Fur-Ever Friends!
From day one, I was blown away by how passionate our campers were about animals. I loved watching them soak up everything they learned about responsible pet care, the behind the scenes of shelter work, and future careers helping animals. These kids weren’t just learning facts; they were growing into more thoughtful, compassionate future pet owners right before our eyes.
As a crafty person myself, it was wonderful seeing their creativity come to life, whether painting pet rocks, making cat toys or creating adoption posters. Watching them be hands-on and let their imaginations take over was proof that the best learning happens when kids are having fun.
A huge thank-you to our guest speakers, who generously donated their time and expertise to our campers. I loved overhearing all the curious, and hilarious, questions our campers asked. A massive thank-you as well to my amazing coworkers, who looked out for me all week and jumped in to help with anything I needed. I couldn’t have done this without you. And to our incredible volunteers, whose extra hands and hearts made everything run so smoothly, thank you doesn’t feel like enough.
NBC 5 -WPTZ Feature
Lindsay Hall of NBC 5 -WPTZ visited camp on the very first day. She told us it was one of her “best work days ever.”
