GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio — Welcome to Animal Camp at Rescue Village, the Humane Society of Geauga County. We're here on the first day, and puppy pandemonium is underway.
About a dozen puppies are inside individual enclosures. Each has a young camper with them. There are plenty of sniffs and snuggles as the puppies get one-on-one attention from young handlers, each of whom is here through The Gathering Place.
"Kids whose lives have been touched by cancer get kind of an over and above experience," shared Rescue Village's Executive Director Kenneth Clarke. "They are given their own puppy for a week, and learn how to care for them. Then they leave, just like all of our campers, as scholars of the Humane Society. The Humane Society is sort of like hospitals -- the need they serve is never going to go away. And I think the lesson that these kids can learn is while lots of people care for them, they can care for someone else."
On this first day, some of the campers are shy and slow to interact with their puppy. But as the morning progresses, each opens up, chatting more and interacting with staff and fellow campers.
The relationship between Rescue Village and "Animal Camp" at The Gathering Place dates back to 2001.
There's no denying the puppies benefit, and Rescue Village does, too, as the children become ambassadors for the shelter and its mission.
But the experience provided these young campers is perhaps most valuable of all.
"It gives them a sense of calm and agency -- that they have something to take care of. They can't fix everything, but they can use their abilities in their own way to take care of something. (This week) they have a wonderful time and there is a brightness about them that they might not have otherwise this week," shared Whitney Hadley, who serves as Animal Camp Director and is a manager of children, teen and young adult programming at The Gathering Place.
Animal Camp is offered free of charge to children at The Gathering Place. The goal for this therapeutic experience is to enhance communication skills, as well as problem-solving and coping mechanisms.
As mentioned, Rescue Village pauses adoption for puppies that are paired with campers. But once camp wraps up at the end of the week, they'll all be back up for adoption.
And of course, there are lots of great animals available of all sizes and ages at Rescue Village.