I spent a day playing with golden retrievers at Camp Goldie in Millstone. You should, too!

💛 Camp Goldie in Millstone is a place everyone should check out

💛 Guests play with Golden Retrievers and take part in activities

💛 Check out my day at Camp Goldie

I am a huge animal lover, so hanging out with dogs, cats, bunnies, pretty much anything with four legs and fur always gets my attention and melts my heart.

This past weekend, my 23-year old son and I had the pleasure of visiting Camp Goldie in Millstone for a morning of playing with golden retrievers.

What is Camp Goldie?

Guests are invited to make an online reservation and purchase tickets to come to this camp in Millstone and play with some of the happiest dogs on the planet. Spend up to two hours playing, petting, and posing for photos with approximately eight to 10 goldens that belong to breeders (sorry, folks; they're not available for adoption).

Simply play and cuddle with them, watch them jump in the lake for a swim, towel them off, brush them, play fetch and blow bubbles with them, take tons of photos, get oodles of kisses, and let your stresses melt away.

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What to expect when you arrive

I wrote a story not too long ago about Camp Goldie, how it all got started, and its mission. Check it out here.

When we arrived at the “camp,” we were immediately greeted by owner Patrick Marini, his wonderful wife Erin, and the entire Camp Goldie staff decked out in purple camp shirts, ready for a day of fun.

Next, we met Butter, a 10-week-old goldie who was in her little playpen, bouncing all over, ready to play with everyone. We got to hold Butter, and cuddle with her. She’s a true baby who loves to be held. She enjoys giving kisses, and of course, puppy nips, which were just adorable.

Then, it was time to meet the goldies for two hours of non-stop fun. Most of the dogs belong to breeder Susan Boekholt, who owns Ruff Life Golden Retrievers in Brick. She was an absolute doll who loves these dogs and thoroughly enjoyed sharing them with us.

The Dogs

Besides Butter, 10 other affectionate goldies were at camp that day, all who captured my heart. Ruff Life Goldens: Mikey, Mazie (Butter’s mommy), Mango, Phoebe, Pancake, Journey, and Vader. Also present were the Riverstone Goldens: Finn, Puddle, and Trout.

Mango is the one whose name you heard a lot from breeder Susan. That’s because Mango marches to her own beat. That’s code for Mango doesn’t really like to listen to instructions and goes off to do her own thing. LOL. What a sweetie, though!

The Activities

Before anything can start, the dogs have to make their grand entrance.
In this video, Patrick is explaining to us what the day’s activities will include. While this is happening, you can hear the dogs behind the closed barn door barking and scratching at the door, just dying to come out and play with everyone.

Then we do the countdown. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 …..1 (Jump to 1:25 in the video below).

At that moment, Susan opens the barn door, and 10 goldies come barreling out with such force and enthusiasm, bursting in every direction known to man toward the “Zoomie Zone.”

Zoomie Zone

In the Zoomie Zone is where we can run with dogs, throw them balls, play fetch, blow bubbles with them, rub their bellies, and take tons of pictures.

Little Butter did her best to keep up with the bigger dogs. She was running and playing with all of them.

After zoomies, the dogs were supposed to have some cuddle time with the guests, but they had their own agenda.

Lake Wagmore

To the lake! They needed to cool off after all that running around chasing balls and bubbles. So, all of them (except baby Butter) took off for Lake Wagmore where they jumped in the lake, swam, ran after tennis balls that we threw to them, jumped out, shook off the excess water (we were in the splash zone, for sure), and jumped in again.

I was in awe of Pancake, who chose to swim on her own. She couldn’t be bothered hanging out with everyone else or chasing balls. She wanted to get her laps in before lunchtime.

After countless jumps in and out of the lake, ball fetching, doggie paddling, and excess water shaking, it was time for the dogs to get out of the lake. That’s when they get sprayed down with the hose to get the lake slimies off them.

Of course, some of them love to jump and get sprayed in the mouth. That was fun to watch.

Toweling, Brushing, and Photos, oh my!

Next is towel time. Everyone is given towels so we can dry off the pups. They loved this. A few were drawn to my son, begging for him to dry them off. It was so cute.

After towel time, it’s time to brush the goldies. They went crazy when they saw the brushes. Phoebe was again very drawn to my son. She practically jumped onto his lap to get brushed.

Once things calmed down (as much as things can calm down with 10 goldies and a baby goldie in your presence), Finn did some tricks for us. Then it was photo op time. Everyone had the chance to gather on the official Camp Goldie bench for pics with the pups. Trying to get as many of them to look at the camera was challenging, but funny.

After browsing the little gift shop and receiving a complimentary “doggie bag” from the staff, it was time to say goodbye to our new furry friends. After all, they had to rest and recharge for their afternoon guests.

There were lots of hugs and cuddles. One goldie wanted to jump in my purple jeep. LOL.

Smiles all around....and Butter was tuckered out.

Takeaway

I don’t care what kind of day you’re having. Wrapping your arms around these sweet pups is all the medicine you need to feel better. Their love and sweetness just emanate from every single one of them, with one simple goal in mind: to bring us joy.

That’s exactly what they did. I never smiled and laughed so much in two hours. But these joyful goldies melt away all your worries, even if it’s just for a little bit.

Visiting Camp Goldie is a must-do on your list. Check them out here. Make a reservation, and just enjoy basking in the innocence, friendliness, and love from these dogs.

Remember, it's always "golden hour" at Camp Goldie.

Thank you, Patrick, Erin, Susan, and the rest of the Camp Goldie staff for a memorable Sunday morning. We’ll be back.

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