Spring, Fall and Winter outing dates will be announced on the home page of this website, to the Yahoo Talk List, to the DSA Facebook page and posted in the on-line Newsletter. The Fall Outing
Outings are FREE to DSA members (must be a current member to attend), only your lodging and food are extra. However, there is a $25 deposit required to hold your spot. The deposit is non-refundable, so if you need to cancel your reservation, the deposit becomes a donation to DSA, but if you attend then it does get applied to your lodging fee.
Register and pay deposit through PayPal:
OR- send an email to DogScoutCamp@gmail.com letting Lonnie know you want to attend the outing and mail her a check or money order made out to DSA- mail to D.S.A. 5040 Nesatel Rd, St Helen, MI 48656
Most meals are "potluck" type, but a trip to a restaurant in town or ordering pizza is also a possibilty.
Winter outing info- click here
Mushing 101 info: click here
Each fall and winter DSA plans weekend outings for the purpose of getting together with our dogs and dog friends and having fun. Usually a hike is planned, so that campers can enjoy the woods, and so their dogs can earn credit towards their Packdog titles.
Some come in just for the daytime activities, but most camp on site. People bring their own rigs, rent some of our RV's, or stay in the camp lodge private or group rooms.
Saturday evening we may eat pasties (official food of the great white north) for dinner, have a costume contest and play doggie games. The bob for apples game and the treat catching game are popular. The costume contest has catagoeies for the best individual costume (dog only) and best team (dog & handler).
Saturday night we may go on a moonlight walk through the woods (weather permitting) ending with a campfire next to the pond.
Sunday morning we can go out for breakfast at a local restaurant which makes yummy potato pancakes. Then, while some of the campers may need to depart, others go for an off-leash run in the woods. The dogs may even decide to go for a swim after their run!
Because there is an abundance of beautiful, level hiking trails, some campers take their dogs a few extra miles and qualify for their Packdog 5-mile Checkout Hike. Now, when they complete the rest of their mileage requirement, they will be all checked out for their certificate.
Saturday afternoon we carve pumpkins and have a contest for pumpkin carving. Catagories of judging may include: best overall design, most original and scariest.
Above right is a photo of DSA director, Lonnie Olson, with her dog scout, Wile E. Below is a photo of Carol McMahon and her dog scout, Lilly, posing inside the stump of a burned out tree. This tree was so huge when it died (about 100 years ago), that the previous property owners put a roof on it, carpeted it, sawed some windows in the sides of it, and made it into a deer blind, complete with it's own swivel chair.
Outings are a great time, and I hope everyone will join us! The more the merrier!
