Our Camp Dogs

No camp is complete without small animals to love. Gone are the days however when we had goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits and sheep. Now we are a bit more sensible. We cuddle with dogs and cats.

Lily

Eileen has two dogs: Lily and Pudge. Lily is a border collie/Australian shepherd mix. She is not timid, but very social, energetic, friendly and fun. I think you'll like her.

Lily came to be with us on Valentine's Day, February 14th. She was eight weeks old.

Since then, we have been training Lily to love Sprucelands, enjoy campers, respect the horses, and stay away from cars.

When you drive into and around Sprucelands, be aware that Lily could surprise you suddenly. She is growing up however and using better judgment.

Pudge

Pudge was a gift from a family moving to North Carolina during the winter of 2007. She was two. She is a bleached blond English retriever who gives Babe company and likes to sit on your foot.

When she arrived, she did not 'do stairs'. Now she does stairs. She is a bouncer, bopping up and down when she sees you. That has good points and bad...like Eileen loves being noticed and hates when Pudge runs another pair of her nylons.

Pudge inhales her food, loves to roll in the mud, and shows no horse sense whatsoever. However, she is a great friend to Lily. She has literally shown Lily the ropes, and loves her like she is her very own puppy. Pudge does best with another dog friend. So Lily and Pudge are a team.

Meet Our Cats

At Eileen's house, there are three cats: J.I.B.(short for Jack in the Box), K.C. (short for kitty in a can - long story), and Socks. Socks just had 5 beautiful calico kittens. Anyone want to take one home?

The barn has horses and cats. Everyday - as you can see - the cats are fed on the stairs to the hayloft. It's quite an event. In spring, new kittens are born, often hidden in the hay by their mothers until it's time for the kittens to socialize and learn to hunt.

Many of those kittens find homes with Girl Scouts and camper families. Others are relocated to pet stores, but they are such fun to watch. We hate to let them go.

Campers often adopt a kitten while they are at camp. Please note: campers cannot take kittens to their cabins out of respect to other campers. Cats and kittens need to stay in the barn.

Should a camper or staff member decide they want to take their kitten home at the end of their session, no problem. Most important of course is getting permission from mom and dad, and that is sometimes the biggest challenge of your summer.

Other Wildlife

Campers ask about wildlife in the Sprucelands woods. Actually, the most noticeable wildlife are the birds. Because Sprucelands is located 2 miles from the Audubon Society, the birds are outstanding. They sing their hearts out daily. Often there are ducks, geese or great blue heron visiting our lake.

We see mice, raccoons, deer, an occasional coyote, skunk and fox. Sometimes fawn follow us on trail rides, and that makes the day really interesting.

One cozy sound is listening to an owl hooting softly  in the high trees as we snuggle into our sleeping bags for the night.