Article in the paper today!!!!

SPCA CAMP AIMS TO EMPOWER YOUTH

Posted: July 22, 2015

By RACHEL CISTO

HARRISONBURG — The Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA is

hosting a summer camp for children ages 7 to 12 who might need

extra help with their social skills — featuring a specially trained, kidfriendly

pair of dogs.

Wendy Pendleton graduated from James Madison University in 1999

and spent the next 10 years teaching high school biology and Earth

science in Rockingham County Public Schools. During that time, she

also taught dog training and agility courses.

In 2010, Pendleton left the school system to open Peak Performance

Dog Sports.

Together with her dogs Cheetah, an 11-year-old golden retriever, and

Vixen, a 2-year-old Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, Pendleton

launched the PEAK K9s for Kids program in 2014. K9s for Kids is

designed to help teach children self-esteem and confidence, as well as

combat sources of anxiety in their lives, such as bullying, divorce or

death.

But she says that the camp can be fun for any child.

“They don’t have to have an issue — they just have to like animals,”

she said.

The PEAK summer camp, running at the SPCA facility on Old Furnace Road in Harrisonburg, features the

Manadoob Program for Self-Esteem — a series of questions, activities and craft projects that all revolve around a

story.

“It teaches that everybody should be respectful to all things, no matter what they look like,” Pendleton said. “They

learn tolerance and diversity and patience ... things that all kids should learn as life skills.”

Pendleton adds to the Manadoob program at the camp by bringing in Cheetah and Vixen. She said that having the

dogs there can help make the children more comfortable.

“They lend that unconditional love and acceptance,” she said.

Cheetah and Vixen also give the children more opportunities to learn, she said.

“Because of my background in dog training, we can also go over things like positive reinforcement and clicker

training, and teach the kids how to train a dog, which gives them more self-confidence,” she said.

Registration for K9s for Kids Camp closes July 31, and the camp runs from 8 a.m. to noon, Aug. 3 to 7. The camp is

limited to 10 children and costs $100, although Pendleton says there are scholarships available.

To apply for K9s for Kids camp, visit www.peakk9s4kids.org .

Contact Rachel Cisto at 574-6272 or rcisto@dnronline.com

Photo caption:

Wendy Pendleton and her dogs, Vixen (left) and

Cheetah, make up the PEAK K9s for Kids

program, which she launched in 2014 to help

teach children self-­esteem and confidence. (Photo

by Rachel Cisto / DN-­R)