About
Camp PAWS Summer Camps include humane education lessons and hands-on activities such as pet photography, animal communication, bird identification, and wildlife conservation. Campers visit with adoptable animals each day and provide enrichment and training with shelter animals. Sessions also include presentations from guest speakers.
• Ages: 4–13 years old
• Schedule: Camp options include morning-only and full-day sessions with camp hours ranging from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
For Camp PAWS Summer Camps, campers need to bring a lunch and drink each day, and refrigerators and microwaves are not available. A small snack such as veggies, pretzels, or crackers is provided each day, and participants are encouraged to bring a water bottle and may bring their own snack to meet dietary or allergy needs. Children come into contact daily with animals which may include cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, and reptiles, and the shelter regularly uses peanut butter and cheese with dogs and is not a peanut-free camp environment. If a child will bring medications to camp, a medication release form is required on the first day for both prescription and over-the-counter medications, and prescription medication forms must include a doctor’s signature.
All staff and volunteers involved in Camp PAWS Summer Camps programming have a full background check and go through training on safety and health procedures. All camp staff members have current First Aid, CPR, and Mental Health First Aid certification, and the Lead Humane Educator and VP of Volunteers and Humane Education are certified teachers in the state of Michigan. Camp activities are modified and adapted for different age groups, and Camp PAWS offers “session 1” and “session 2” so campers can attend more than one week each summer. Camp PAWS Jr. is intended for children entering Young 5s or Kindergarten, Camp PAWS weeks alternate between children entering 1st–3rd grade and 4th–6th grade, there is one “siblings week” for children entering 1st–6th grade, Camp Purrs Jr. is for children entering Kindergarten–1st grade, and Camp Purrs is divided into weeks for children entering 4th–5th grade and 6th–8th grade. Select “all ages” weeks are offered as part of the summer camp program, and school year camps group all ages K–5 into one camp. Doors to camp open 10 minutes prior to the official camp start time, and HSHV is no longer offering before/after care for camp programs as of fall 2023.
A limited number of scholarships for Camp PAWS summer programs are available for families in financial need. Scholarship applications must be submitted online by Friday, January 30th at 4 pm, late applications cannot be processed, and scholarship applicants should not register for camp because scholarship spaces are separate from general registration. Preference is given to first-time scholarship applicants, participants may be awarded up to one scholarship per camp season and up to two scholarships in a lifetime, and families can add their name to a waitlist, with openings filled on a first come, first serve basis via email. Minor waiver and consent forms are built into the registration process.
The Humane Society of Huron Valley has been serving the community, saving animals, and helping people for more than 125 years and began its humane work in 1896. Its mission is to support the loving, responsible care of all animals in the community, and it is governed by a board of directors and supported by individual and corporate donors, partnering with a number of organizations dedicated to furthering the cause. HSHV is the only animal shelter in Washtenaw County taking in all types of unwanted, injured, lost, stray, abandoned, and abused animals and is classified as a “no-kill” shelter as defined by Maddie’s Fund, with the highest “save rate” among similar animal shelters in Michigan and consistent recognition from the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance. Charity Navigator rates HSHV “exceptional” with 4 of 4 stars, and only 1% of charities have received 12 or more consecutive 4-star evaluations. Through the Tiny Lions lounge and adoption Center, opened in May 2016, HSHV has found homes for hundreds of cats, and Tiny Lions offers activities like Yoga with Cats, Trivia with Cats, and Cats & Kids.
Last updated January 5, 2026.
• Ages: 4–13 years old
• Schedule: Camp options include morning-only and full-day sessions with camp hours ranging from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
For Camp PAWS Summer Camps, campers need to bring a lunch and drink each day, and refrigerators and microwaves are not available. A small snack such as veggies, pretzels, or crackers is provided each day, and participants are encouraged to bring a water bottle and may bring their own snack to meet dietary or allergy needs. Children come into contact daily with animals which may include cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, and reptiles, and the shelter regularly uses peanut butter and cheese with dogs and is not a peanut-free camp environment. If a child will bring medications to camp, a medication release form is required on the first day for both prescription and over-the-counter medications, and prescription medication forms must include a doctor’s signature.
All staff and volunteers involved in Camp PAWS Summer Camps programming have a full background check and go through training on safety and health procedures. All camp staff members have current First Aid, CPR, and Mental Health First Aid certification, and the Lead Humane Educator and VP of Volunteers and Humane Education are certified teachers in the state of Michigan. Camp activities are modified and adapted for different age groups, and Camp PAWS offers “session 1” and “session 2” so campers can attend more than one week each summer. Camp PAWS Jr. is intended for children entering Young 5s or Kindergarten, Camp PAWS weeks alternate between children entering 1st–3rd grade and 4th–6th grade, there is one “siblings week” for children entering 1st–6th grade, Camp Purrs Jr. is for children entering Kindergarten–1st grade, and Camp Purrs is divided into weeks for children entering 4th–5th grade and 6th–8th grade. Select “all ages” weeks are offered as part of the summer camp program, and school year camps group all ages K–5 into one camp. Doors to camp open 10 minutes prior to the official camp start time, and HSHV is no longer offering before/after care for camp programs as of fall 2023.
A limited number of scholarships for Camp PAWS summer programs are available for families in financial need. Scholarship applications must be submitted online by Friday, January 30th at 4 pm, late applications cannot be processed, and scholarship applicants should not register for camp because scholarship spaces are separate from general registration. Preference is given to first-time scholarship applicants, participants may be awarded up to one scholarship per camp season and up to two scholarships in a lifetime, and families can add their name to a waitlist, with openings filled on a first come, first serve basis via email. Minor waiver and consent forms are built into the registration process.
The Humane Society of Huron Valley has been serving the community, saving animals, and helping people for more than 125 years and began its humane work in 1896. Its mission is to support the loving, responsible care of all animals in the community, and it is governed by a board of directors and supported by individual and corporate donors, partnering with a number of organizations dedicated to furthering the cause. HSHV is the only animal shelter in Washtenaw County taking in all types of unwanted, injured, lost, stray, abandoned, and abused animals and is classified as a “no-kill” shelter as defined by Maddie’s Fund, with the highest “save rate” among similar animal shelters in Michigan and consistent recognition from the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance. Charity Navigator rates HSHV “exceptional” with 4 of 4 stars, and only 1% of charities have received 12 or more consecutive 4-star evaluations. Through the Tiny Lions lounge and adoption Center, opened in May 2016, HSHV has found homes for hundreds of cats, and Tiny Lions offers activities like Yoga with Cats, Trivia with Cats, and Cats & Kids.
Last updated January 5, 2026.
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