Camp’s Kids, Pets Part on Humane Note

Because of her tiny feet, Samantha should walk only on pine wood. Wire is a definite no-no, but wood shavings are optimal.

Samantha is an American short-haired guinea pig, and caring for her was just one of the lessons young day campers have been learning at PALS (Protect Animals with Love and Shelter), a program run by the San Diego Humane Society.

On Friday, Samantha and her 15 new human friends bid each other farewell, as the society’s first summer day camp session came to a close at its headquarters on Sherman Street.

The camp is an outgrowth of the organization’s 15-year-old educational program, which takes animals to classrooms. The summer program aims to teach the youngsters, ages 9 through 11, about proper care for a variety of animals, in the hope that they will grow into more responsible pet owners, according to Lani Kian, a spokeswoman for the society.

Educator Bobbi Atwater, her T-shirt-clad canine assistant Sandy and Humane Society volunteers have spent the past week giving the day campers hands-on experience with the animals.

Among other things, the students learned how to pick up and hold-- not by the ears--Tiffany, a Siamese dwarf mix rabbit, who has a good memory about mistreatment, Atwater said.

They also whipped up their own garlic-flavored dog biscuits, made birdseed bells for winged creatures, and groomed a nosy Nubian goat named Marvin while shooing away an 18-year-old burro called Buzzy, both of whom live in the Humane Society’s farmyard.

The children who attended the five-day program--the first of two scheduled for this summer--arrived daily from throughout the San Diego area. Some have slightly exotic pets of their own. One girl keeps a playful Mallard duck in a side yard, and another said she has a housebroken hermit crab.

Besides receiving souvenirs such as T-shirts and becoming certified Junior Humane Society officers, the campers leave the program knowing the basics of animal care.