Mourning Glory and Tail Wags

Mourning Glory ~ A camp for kids who have experienced deep loss, due to the death of a loved one.

KPETS ~ 4 legged friends who bring tail wags, joy, and comfort.

Yesterday Chester and I, along with 6 other KPETS teams, visited Mourning Glory Camp. It was the first day of camp.  Arrival time was 9:00 a.m. Counselors and campers were all a bit anxious.   And at 9:00 a.m., three furry and smiling golden retrievers in yellow vests, were on site with their owners to help break the ice, calm the nerves, lighten the burden, and bring some joy to hurting hearts.

The arriving campers, who were immediately placed into the care of a counselor,  seemed to randomly rotate between the Goldens ~ Chester, Hunter, and Sammy ~ settling into the spot they felt most comfortable. Sammy, an oldie Goldie,  lay under the shade of a giant Elm, while children sat close, asking questions and stroking his soft fur. Hunter roamed, walked,  layed down, and performed tricks, as kiddos snuggled in close to catch a peek and a hug.  

Chester was in full retrieval mode, which was a huge surprise to me, especially in the extreme heat (100 degrees plus humidity).  On days such as these, if I throw the ball for him in the backyard, he looks at me and says "you've got to be kidding...." and heads back into the AC.  But for his kids, he will retrieve neon green tennis balls until the cows come home. Which he did.  And they gave him a kazillion pupperoni treats as reward.  He was in dog heaven. Tail waggin' and tongue draggin', he had a ball, and so did the 3 kiddos who played with him. One little girl especially stole my heart.  She was missing her two front teeth.  Every time she held the tennis ball high and said "Chester sit!"  it came out "Hector thit!"  And Hector thaat for her with pleasure. Too cute.

After retrieving more times than I could count, and taking a few walks around the Pavilion loop with each of his kids, he was an especially hot-dog. There was a hose attached to one of those pump thingy faucets.  A little boy and his counselor got it working....and they aimed it at Chester. Water sprayed everywhere while Chester chomped and romped in the cool stream, splashing everyone who was near ~~~ giggles and laughter erupted.  Of course his head was drenched, and the boys promptly gave him a classy Mohawk on top of his furry head.  More smiles.

After an hour of fun, our KPETS replacement teams arrived right on time. One hour in the extreme heat is enough for our furry friends. A Springer Spaniel, Standard Poodle, Sheep Dog, and another Golden arrived, ready to love and romp with these precious kiddos for the 2nd hour of camp.

Laughter and giggles are good for the soul ~~ Hector and I were blessed beyond words to be with these oh-so-precious-children at Mourning Glory Camp.  A Glorious Morning indeed.

Chester (also known as Hector) resting after a good day's work.