Shadow, a spotty black and white cat, captured the heart of 14-year-old Andrew Carlson as he spent the afternoon forming a relationship with the tabby.
“There are some cats I’ve wanted to keep at the camp,” says Carlson with a smile. “Shadow is one of them.”
It was the first day of 2012’s Unleashed summer camp when Carlson was paired with Shadow for a writing activity. He went on to write and handcraft a journal from Shadow’s perspective, including where the cat came from, how he got there, and how he desperately wanted to find a home.
The journal wasn’t made for Carlson to keep; it was a keepsake for the family that would adopt Shadow in the future.
Jack Perkins, the humane education manager and coordinator for the camp, says he recognizes the immediate connection that so many campers experience with the animals on the first day. “Every time they go to the adoption floor, they’ll check to see if their animal is still there,” he says. “And if their animal isn’t adopted by the end of the week, they’ll be extremely sad.”
More activities in which the campers participate in include animal interaction, listening to guest speakers, and embarking on behind-the-scenes field trips. The camp is a weeklong summer day camp held by the Animal Humane Society for children grades four to 10.
This will be Perkin’s second summer as the Humane education manager after moving from Oklahoma. Full of Southern hospitality, Perkins genuinely hopes the children will have a good experience, and he aims toward a week overflowing with activities, excursions, and games. “When it’s all over, I want them to have trouble telling you what all they did because [their week] was so packed,” Perkins says with a slight drawl.
Abundant activities
There are plenty of activities and trips during the week, but the trips are different than typical zoo outings.
Having attended the camp for nearly three years, Carlson says one of his favorite trips was going to the Underwater World (now Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium) at the Mall of America. A typical field trip there involves a self-guided tour of the aquarium; however, Unleashed campers get a behind-the-scenes tour. This made it a field trip Carlson wouldn’t forget.
“We got to visit above the water, and nobody else could go there,” Carlson says. “And it is also where they prepare the food, take the water quality measurements, and feed the animals.”
This is only one of the special field trips the campers attend, but there is something for everyone to enjoy, as the camp is split up into four different age groups.
The youngest campers, third and fourth graders, focus on the caretaking of animals. The fifth and sixth grade camps concentrate more on how the Animal Humane Society operates and manages adoption. Issues surrounding animal cruelty are the main focus in the seventh and eighth grade camps, while the medical aspect of animals and animal-related careers is covered with the ninth and 10th grade camp.
While each age group has an emphasis, animal time is the highlight of every camp, according to Perkins. “Overwhelmingly we hear from the campers ‘we want more time with the animals.’ This camp really values the human-animal bond, [and we hope] children spending time with the animals can teach them to understand and relate to what the animal feels.”
Unique projects
To benefit the animals at the Humane Society, service projects are also implemented throughout the week. Campers participate in making pet beds, building feeders for wildlife, creating bandanas to spruce up the shelter dogs, and designing posters to educate the public about animal-related issues.
One of the most exciting projects completed is the enrichment box that the seventh and eighth graders make for The Wildcat Sanctuary, Perkins says. Campers make extravagant and decorative papier-mâché or cardboard boxes that are made to look like robots, aliens, or anything from their imaginations. Then they’re given to the animals to tear up as the kids watch, he says.
With all the special trips, speakers, and activities, Luann Carlson, Andrew’s mother, says she feels this camp has been a really special experience for him and can be for other children too.
“This camp is really nice for those kids that really love animals and they’re able to get hands-on experience with them,” she says. “It gives them a deeper love of animals—and the instructors are so great. The kids get a lot out of it.”
Carlson and Perkins said they both recognize the wonderful reputation that the camps have gained with parents and the community.
“[When I ask parents] how they heard about the camp, the most common response was from someone else who’d been at the camp and had a great experience,” Perkins said. “We have great word of mouth.”
This summer camp continues to be popular; in fact, this year the Animal Humane Society has decided to bring back spring break camps. The spring break camp hasn’t been available since 2010 and it’s returning with a distinctive twist, Perkins said. Along with animal activates and games, the Animal Humane Society will be pairing up with the Stages Theatre Company to give kids the opportunity to create an animal-themed play that they will perform at the end of the week.
”I’m really excited about it because it’s unique,” Perkins says. “I want it to be something different, a different experience [than the summer camp].”
Every summer, the Unleashed camps fill up fast and this year will be no different, Perkins says. They have added more sessions this year at their five different locations around the metro, and signing up early is recommended to ensure a spot.
Carlson said he hopes to attend again this year and his mother seems keen on sending him after giving the camp tremendous praise.
“I love it because he loves it,” she says.
Carlson’s four-legged friend Shadow went on to find a happy home and Carlson left the camp with something more, a week of unforgettable memories.
Amanda Snyder is a student studying journalism and photography at the University of Minnesota.
