''I had never done anything like this before," Silverman said. ''I thought it was a really nice outlet, very relaxing, with the dogs resting at our feet -- except when they got riled up." She was referring to Mickey's sudden aggression toward Hobbs, who took a seat next to me on the bench and fell asleep, unfazed, as I made bandannas for him and Duffy.
Among the 21 human and 26 canine campers were many who, like Silverman, were enjoying their first experience at camp. Oliver, a shy Havanese, had never even been out of New York City. His companion, Patricia Karpas, was so impressed with the canine nutrition presentation by Donna Raditic, a veterinarian in Great Barrington, that she was planning her second trip to the Berkshires for a dietary consultation on Oliver. Others, like Shadow, the Siberian husky from Manhattan, were veteran campers; he had previously attended Camp Gone to the Dogs in Vermont. His companion, Harry Nance, decided to come to Camp Unleashed this year because the long-weekend format suited him better than the weeklong sessions of the other camp.
