Camp Golden Years has found our home; now, we need our Old Dog Army to help us bring it to life! We have secured 3 acres of raw land right next door to build our new home. The lot went up for sale earlier this year, shortly after we moved out of our old building. After working with the property owner and real estate agent, we secured it on a land contract to possibly become Camp’s forever home. Still, at that time, the plan of having Camp there wasn’t a sure thing because while we are located in a rural area, it is still residential. At our old building, we had over 20 crazy old dogs at a time barkin’ and bouncin’ off the walls whenever you walked through the door, but we had the proper zoning, and our neighbors were industrial businesses and didn’t care about the ruckus, but this property we could absolutely not have that, and our recruits had to be good little neighbors. I know many rescues operate out of their homes and knew that it could be possible to make this property work but I had to see it in action for certain before we started asking supporters to help fund this project, and the good news is, it’s possible!

 Over the last year, Camp has operated out of my home and half of my garage. We have virtually no barking and have figured out how to maintain a mellow environment for the recruits and everyone around us. In fact, many of our neighbor dogs party harder than our recruits! Also, personally, this has been the least stressful rescue year I have had. I have been able to take care of important family matters that required my total commitment and be more present in life, which I have not felt I could do for some time.  Looking back, I see I set it up harder than it needed to be.  I didn’t think I would like having Camp in my home as much as I did, but I feel like I got my life back and still get to do the job and mission I love. For quite a while, it felt like I had to trade one thing for the other.

 Moving forward,  Camp will be on its own property for the rescue adjacent to my home and have about half (10-12) of the recruits we had previously. This allows my family to have our space back yet keep close eyes on the recruits and build a spot just for them as well as a space for the daily operations of Camp. Having fewer recruits allows us to create a calm, orderly, and quiet environment that can be maintained by one person if needed, which keeps us sustainable and “Keeps Us Campin’ On”! 

 At this time, the lot needs a lot of work before we can let the recruits move in, so we ask our supporters to help us bring it to life. We will start this project at the beginning of 2024 and would like to have Phase One funded by then, so we will need all the help we can get. We will need a good used tractor to clear the land and make it buildable. We must also fence off the property to keep the critters out and our campers in. Lastly, we will need to run power, water, and septic to the buildable areas and purchase or build two 400 square-foot portable sheds to serve as our Camp Cabins to house the recruits for their stay at Camp. We are looking to raise $53,000 by the end of the year to get this project started on Phase One. Below are the estimated costs of each phase and the timeline we would like to finish within.

Phase One (2-3months) = $28,000- $53,000

Land = $18,000

We have the land secured through a land contract with the previous owner and have paid $32,000 already. We want to pay off the land entirely by the end of the year to keep the rescue out of debt.

Tractor and dirt work = $25,000

We need a mid-size to large, used, mechanically sound tractor with a bucket and the ability to hook up a post-hole digger and gannon. We would love it if someone was willing to donate one to Camp as this is a significant purchase, but if not, we must purchase one. (We are willing to pick a tractor up anywhere in the country if someone is willing to donate)

Phase Two (4-6 months after Phase One) = $35,000-$71,000

Fencing = $5,000- $20,000

We plan on doing the fencing ourselves as long as we can secure a tractor to dig post-holes. While we would like to fence off the entire 3 acres, we must fence off 1 acre with a secondary play yard for the larger or more active recruits.

Camp Cabins = $40,000

This estimate is based on purchasing sheds locally and finishing costs. If we build them ourselves, we may be able to do it for half the cost. 

Septic =$10,000

This estimate is for a professionally installed septic system. We will not do this job ourselves.

Electric =$10,000

This estimate is to have electricity done by a licensed contractor.

Water =$0 -$1000

We have access to a shared well and will not need to dig a well, but we may need to purchase a holding tank. 

Phase Three (6-9 months from now)-THE RECRUITS MOVE IN! = Priceless:)

Setting up our new home will cost anywhere from $63,000 to $124,000. We will do whatever we can to keep costs closer to the low end, so we welcome any equipment, building materials, labor, or services donations to help us complete this project. Thank you for your patience and support while we work on our new Camp. In the meantime, we are still remaining operational and rescuing but with a much smaller troop size of just six senior recruits at a time.