Animals took center stage at Camp Pawprint this past summer as campers learned about care and comfort while having close encounters with companion animals and some more exotic species.

More than 330 campers ages 7 to 12 were signed up for the week-long day camps from June through August at the main shelter. Summer camp offered three themes:

• Shelter Heroes focused on animals traditionally kept as pets and how to care for them;
• Wild Things, a deep-dive into the wild side of the animal kingdom, from exotic pets to wildlife in Wisconsin and around the world
• Pet-tacular Professions centered on occupations that involve working with and caring for animals

Campers enjoyed learning about and caring for our classroom critters. They experienced close encounters with a variety of animals – from companion animals at the shelter to horses to wild animals like an armadillo and a fennec fox. They played animal-related games outside and created art projects, like adoption posters for a variety of available animals waiting to be adopted inside. They also attended a variety of animal-related presentations from experts at DCHS and throughout our community.

We want to thank all of the individuals and various businesses and organizations that presented at Camp Pawprint. These folks made time out of their busy days to teach our campers about their careers, passions, and pets. Put your paws together for:

Aldo Leopold Nature Center

Amber Middleton for SoL Criations Farm Sanctuary

Andi Marks (Camp Pawprint Counselor) on Pet Rabbits

Animal Services Officer Shannon Meyer

DCHS’s Admitting Department

DCHS’s Animal Medical Services Department

DCHS Development team, Pet of the Week

DCHS’s Livestock Program

Dog trainer Nikki Darga

Dogs on Call

Ferrets Underground

Hilary Hemmes-Kavanaugh, Primatology Presentation

Holly Hill-Putnam, Wildlife Volunteer, on DCHS’s Wildlife Center

International Crane Foundation

Jason Nolen from Cats/Dogs of Madison

Jenna Fastner from Wisconsin DNR

Laura Gordon & Billie

Madison Mounted Patrol

Megan Senatori on Animal Law

Mindy, Kelsie, & Stan the cat

Paul Zuelke from Key Reptiles

PAWWS to Heal

Pet/Fire Safety with Officer Bernadette Galvez (City of Madison Fire Department)

Zoozort

Have a young animal enthusiast interested in attending Camp Pawprint in 2023? We’ll be offering a variety of day camps, plus Winter Break and Spring Break options throughout the school year. We plan to open registration for Summer Camp 2023 in February. Keep your hawk eyes on our website for updates!