Meet Our Camp Dogs
Get to know the amazing Roughing It Camp Dogs!
Penny the Camp Dog
Penny has recently graduated from her Camp Dog Training and is officially the Roughing It Camp Dog! Penny is an 8 year old Boxer that was adopted from the Nor Cal Boxer Rescue by Amy, Jo, and Cecilio on February 13, 2017. She was adopted at age 3 after being found in Salinas. She spent six weeks in the hospital and a foster home as she was malnourished and had a number of health issues from living on the street. After a long process of rehabilitation she is now healthy with some seasonal allergies and is on a special diet. She has a very friendly and playful personality. She loves meeting campers, new people, and new dogs! She’s very playful and loves playing with toys especially pull ropes. She now spends time visiting at Ann and Hobie’s so they have some “dog” time! She loves going for walks daily, including visiting the Reservoir every day. She enjoys walking on the lake trail, to the ranger station, and up the sunset trail. She has a step sister, boxer sibling named Rolo who is training to be a future Roughing It Camp Dog! Her favorite foods are waffles and ice cream (whose aren’t?) and her favorite activities include going on car rides, taking naps, playing, and of course visiting the Lafayette Reservoir and seeing campers there!
Camp Dog-In-Training: Rolo
Rolo is our Camp Dog-In-Training! She is 3 years old Boxer and was purchased and adopted by Amy, Jo, and Cecilio when she was just a puppy. Rolo is currently still working on her training and socialization skills. She gets scared easily and can be shy with new people and dogs. Like many campers, she sheltered at home during the pandemic. She is continuing to work on increasing her socializing and comfort level with other dogs and new people. Once she gets more comfortable we can’t wait for her to come to camp! She loves running, playing tug-a-war, chewing on bones (and other toys!), going for walks, and children! She likes gardening although her digging and trimming of plants are not always appreciated by her family. She is a big, busy, and active girl and her favorite foods are crackers and chips!
Camp Dogs Through The Years
Gus!
Ann and Hobie purchased Gus as a companion for Max, their second camp dog, in September 2004 when Gus was just 8 weeks old. Gus and Max immediately became best friends and played together for endless hours. Gus, like Max, went to Puppy School One and Puppy School Two. Gus was lucky enough to have several private sessions with the School Trainer to perfect his manners and learn not to jump up on others. He finally graduated from Puppy School and was ready to meet the campers for Summer 2005. He so loved each and every camper and was so happy to be around them for their pets and companionship at camp every summer. He had such a happy and loving nature that really brightened up every day for the campers with his presence. Gus especially loved Opening & Closing Circles where he would get to sit with the campers and get lots of pets! His very favorite activity at camp was doing the Fun Runs with the Jr High Boys. Gus was a German Short-Haired Pointer, a sporting bird dog, who was intrigued at seeing all the Canada Geese and wild turkeys roaming free at the Reservoir. He also loved comforting campers who might be having a hard moment or were homesick by going to their side and being there for support and friendship. Gus was almost 14 when he passed away of old age in February 2021. He spent his whole life at Roughing It as the Camp Dog and brought smiles to so many faces including campers, staff and, of course, the Woods family.
Max!
Max was Ann and Hobie’s first German Shorthair Pointer. They purchased him from a breeder in Orinda when he was just 8 weeks old. He started meeting campers when he was not even a year old and loved to be around them every summer since. Max had such a happy, gentle nature and all the campers enjoyed his company. During camp Max loved going to Opening and Closing Circle where he would sit with different camper groups every day and he also liked dressing up for theme days. He enjoyed hiking with campers and was occasionally invited to go to a group’s secret fort. He was trusted to never reveal their secret locations! Although not allowed today at camp, Max was occasionally seen rowing with campers on Olympic Day as they see how fast they could make their time between docks 4 & 5 in Capt’n Roughs Cove. He loved going to the Moraga Riding Site where he would visit with every horse, Aladdin was his favorite, and enjoyed hopping into a horse trough for a cool dip on a hot day. Max made many camper friends with his important assignment to escort a timid or homesick camper up the hill from the bus to opening circle on their first day of camp. Max was our loving camp dog from 1995 until 2013 when he passed away at 18 years old. Such a special dog, he is always in our hearts.
Oliver (Our First Camp Dog)
Oliver was a mixed breed, a loving sweet dog that used to be called a mutt. He was a Safeway dog, meaning that he was part of a dog litter that someone had set in a cardboard box outside the doors of the Lafayette Safeway to give away. This was a coming scene in 1979. Our neighbors took Oli home. Their other dog did not like him, so we got him instead! Oli loved children and enjoyed all the campers and their hugs and pats. When campers swam at our home pool for camp swim lesson, we used private home pools in early days of Roughing It, Oli lifeguarded the campers walking up and down pool deck the entire time. He enjoyed sitting with campers, especially at lunch time! For campers who did not have a dog, Oli with his sweet temperament was a wonderful introduction to dogs for them. He enjoyed going on the Hi Sierras with our campers, a camping trip Hobie headed up at the end of the summer in the ‘80’s- 90’s. Oli was our first camp dog and was at camp for 14 years. He is remembered fondly by the Woods and our early campers!