Camp Blue Jay

Hello Miracle Mutt fans.

Most great pairings, like peanut butter and jelly, and macaroni and cheese, have been around for years. In the five years since its inception, Marley's Mutts' "Miracle Mutts" therapy dog program has developed some great partnerships of its own. A few of them include: Barks and Books at several Kern County Library locations, including our own Tehachapi branch, where children/youth can read to the Miracle Mutts in a stress and judgement free environment; the Mission at Kern County in Bakersfield where men and women recovering from addiction regain their confidence, learn job and relationship skills they can use in their families and communities upon graduation from the residential program; and Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC), where our Therapy dogs provide love and comfort to patients, their families and caretakers.

Our newest partnership is with the Society for Disabled Children. The Society for Disabled Children, formed in 1947 by five Rotary Clubs, provides a residential summer camp for children with disabilities called Camp Blue Jay. This camp used to be held in our own backyard at Tehachapi Mountain Park but has recently moved to Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria. Camp Blue Jay provides campers the opportunity to experience the joys and wonders of summer camp with supportive and qualified staff and counselors.

The Miracle Mutts Therapy dog program first partnered with the Society in the summer of 2016, providing love and comfort for children who, in many instances, were away from home for the first time. From teaching lessons of obedience, playing games and comforting homesick children, the Miracle Mutts were essential to a great camp experience for these children.

The Miracle Mutts will again work with Camp Blue Jay this summer and are looking for your help. We need your much-loved tee-shirts in order to make braided dog chews during our camp craft time. The braided dog chews will be given to local animal shelters upon our return from Camp. If you can help, the Miracle Mutts would love your assistance. Tee Shirts can be dropped off at Canine Creek Pet Wash and Boutique, 798 Tucker Rd., Ste. 5, in Tehachapi until June 5. We look forward to another great partnership with YOU to help provide a fun camp activity for our campers and a fun outlet for our dogs in the shelters.