Ever Wonder What It's Like to be a Day Camper?
The day to day life of a day camper is definitely an interesting one, you’ll never have the same experience twice in a single yard, and for that I’m always excited to see what group I’ll have next! Getting to work in the morning is always ruff (Get it?) for a lot of people, but for me I start the day like everyone, having a hard time getting out of bed right away, but I always get excited knowing I’ll be enjoying the outdoors with all my little furry friends. When I step inside, I always have to say hi to all of my favorites, as well as some of the new faces who are sure to join the ranks of the Wags family soon enough! You can easily get distracted with how many smiling faces there are waiting to get lots of pets and lots love, but just remember that you’ll be giving them all the attention you want outside!
Setting up in the morning is a nice quiet process, where I get to do my daily routine of getting my yard comfortable for me and the pups, as well as making it feel like it’s my own personal yard. When you’re in the yard for those two hours, it’s your field and it’s your domain. You’re the boss and it feels really fulfilling. Having the responsibility of looking over all the pups makes me feel great, especially when I do a good job looking over them and seeing them all having a fun and safe time out there.
The two hours at a time that we’re outside are always the best parts of my day. Getting some familiar faces and fresh new ones in my yard is always a fun experience, as I get to see some usual’s in a new light every time as they respond to maybe a new puppy, or a dog that’s their breed, or just a new dog in general. I always like to make sure everyone knows I’m around to make sure there is no tomfoolery, as well as making their time out in the yard more comfortable by giving them lots of tender love and care. 
Being out with the pups is always a rewarding experience, because they really are very similar to children in a regular day camp setting. They all are very innocent and curious and playful and sorts of personalities that you would sometimes never expect. Most can be just out to have a good time and bound around in the field, playing tag and running around with all of their friends, while some can have a more reserved experience, say a dog that’s very shy when his owner isn’t around, or a dog that’s shy in a new setting around unfamiliar dogs. The rewarding part about it all, is working with these dogs, and watching them blossom into fully playing, fun loving furballs that can’t wait to be out in the yard again!
Once the time is up and we’re waiting for the next round, it’s lunch and then naptime for the pups, and it’s time for me to review everybody that I had, to see if they’re all doing alright of if any of them could use some extra attention or maybe even a break from the yard. I take all aspects of my job seriously, as I want to make sure that all of my little puppy pals are having the best experience they can here and are always healthy and safe.
Having them out again in the afternoon is different from the morning, as most are usually tuckered out from playing so hard the time before, but there are always those little fuzzballs that never seem to tire out or want to stop! I take up my position again of making sure everyone has a nice fun time out there, so I like to use whatever I can to make sure they’re happy. Some dogs like chasing around the hose, where some like to splash in the pool, I’ll sometimes run around and get them going so they can get in the mood to play, or for some I know just want to relax, I’ll give them a belly rub or a well-deserved head scratch.
My last job is to do my chore for the day, as well as making sure I can help anyone out with something if they’re in need. As the environment here is a friendly one, and I really enjoy working with all of my co-workers, I want to make sure their time here is also the least stressful it needs to be. If I am free and I can help? I am on the case! Overall, every day at work is fulfilling, and it’s hard to imagine working anywhere else where I would just be sitting at a desk at a computer for hours. Not to say that any job of that sort is a bad one, but for me I fully enjoy working with my hands and being up and active.
Honestly, it can be a hard job at times, but it’s always the good kind where at the end of the day, you can go home tuckered out and sore, knowing that you did a full day’s work, and look forward to doing it all again the next day!