Kids/Teens Animal Camps

• In order to register a camper, parents must register online by clicking on our “Register Now” link, completing all preliminary forms and waivers, and completing payment. View a step by step walk through for registering your child for camp.
• A camper’s space will not be held until your full payment has been submitted through our online registration system.
• Once a camp session is full, our online registration system will offer you the option to add your camper to the waitlist.
• If a space opens, we will contact those on the waitlist in the order in which they signed up. You will only be contacted in the event that an opening arises in the waitlisted session. No payments are accepted for waitlisted campers. If a space becomes available, you will submit payment online at that time.
• Once you have completed payment for your child’s registration, a confirmation screen should appear and you should receive a confirmation email. Additional information will be sent to you via email at least one week prior to your child’s camp session. If you are missing an email, please make sure to check your spam for any emails from education@eastbayspca.org or Active Network (our online registration system). If you did not receive a confirmation email, there is a chance you did not click the final confirmation button to complete registration.

If you are having trouble logging in to our online registration system, it may be that you are using a browser that is not supported. Please try using Chrome or Firefox, rather than Safari or Internet Explorer.

If you are still having difficulties, please contact us by emailing education@eastbayspca.org or calling (510) 564-2961, and we will do our best to troubleshoot.

Camps are located at our Dublin Adoption Center (4651 Gleason Drive, Dublin) in the classroom and Oakland Adoption Center (8323 Baldwin Street, Oakland) in the Training and Education Center.

Due to current COVID concerns, we have adjusted to the following cancellation policy for Animal Camp:

• For cancellations made 21 days or more prior to the program’s start date, we can provide you with refund minus a $75 administrative fee to your credit card or check. Cancellations must be emailed to education@eastbayspca.org before the deadline in order to be eligible for a refund.
• For cancellations made less than 21 days prior to the session’s start date, no refund will be granted.
• For any illness related cancellations, due to potential or confirmed Covid symptoms, or for potential exposure self-isolation, we can provided you with full credit to your East Bay SPCA registration account balance, which can be used at a later date to either reschedule the same program or to sign up for future education programs such as our Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer Camps or our youth volunteer programing.
• Please note, we cannot accommodate any makeup sessions or days. Transferring sessions due to illness cancellations is subject to availability.
• Should we need to cancel camp on our end, due to potential exposure or updated county policies, you would be notified immediately and offered the option to transfer registration to a later program date or a full refund back to your credit card.

We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships for individuals wishing to attend our camp programs. If you need an application in another language, or would prefer to complete a hard copy version rather than completing online, please let us know.

As a non-profit organization, we operate entirely on donations, fees, and grants. We have a very limited amount of scholarship funds available to distribute each season. Scholarships will be awarded based upon need with respect to the overall applicant pool, and cannot be guaranteed.

Our Scholarship Program is set up for those who are financially unable to cover the cost of the program (meaning that someone applying for a scholarship would be unable to cover the program fee in the event that a scholarship is not awarded). For this reason, we respectfully ask that if you are able to pay for the full program fee, you choose to forego the Scholarship Program and reserve these limited funds for a family who would not otherwise be able to participate without financial assistance.

Completion of the scholarship application DOES NOT guarantee a spot in the camp program, as our scholarship funds are limited. A select number of camp spaces are held for campers needing financial aid (meaning that even though a camp session may show as sold out on our website, if it is before the scholarship application deadline, there are a select number of spaces set aside for this purpose). These scholarship spaces will be awarded based on need of the pool of applicants.

Applicants should NOT register and pay the program fee if a scholarship application is pending. If a payment is made, we are unable to reimburse any previously completed program fees for the purpose of scholarships.

If your child is not offered a scholarship, you are welcome to register for the full-price program; however, our camp sessions tend to fill quickly. If you are not awarded a scholarship, we do not guarantee that a full-price space will be available.

For Animal Camps, groups are capped at 15 campers. For the Jr. Vet Camp, groups are capped at 10 campers.

Each camp session will be led by one of our Summer Animal Camp counselors who are in turn supported by our full-time, year-round Education staff, each with extensive experience in humane education. Each camp group will also have two to four teen volunteers to support.

Yes! Please provide two daily snacks for your child, in addition to lunch. Due to allergy considerations, East Bay SPCA will NOT be providing any food items for the campers.

Our doors will be opened at the start of camp. Campers can be dropped off as early as 9 a.m.

No, unfortunately at this time, we do not offer any care before or after camp. Our camp hours are 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Camp ends at 3 p.m. Campers must be picked up no later 3:15 p.m. Any campers still in our care after the 15 minute grace period will be charged a $20 late pick-up fee. An additional $20 will be owed for each 15 minute period following, until the camper is picked up.

Campers must be dropped off by an adult (at least 18 years old). Upon drop-off, the adult will need to sign each camper in. When completing our online registration forms, you will be asked for a list of the first and last name of any individual authorized to pick-up your camper. Campers will ONLY be released to individuals on this list, no exceptions. In order to pick-up a camper, you must be an adult listed on that camper’s approved pick-up list, you must provide Photo ID, and you must sign the camper out. If a parent/guardian wishes to add someone to the approved pick-up list for their camper, it must be done in person or via email (through the primary email account listed on your online registration account).

We do our best to accommodate a wide range of learning and behavioral differences; however, we encourage open discussion with our Education Team in order to determine whether this camp will be the right fit for your camper. Each situation will be assessed on an individual basis to ensure that we can offer a safe and enjoyable experience for both the campers and the animals. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us prior to completing registration, so that we can discuss your individual situation, by emailing education@eastbayspca.org or calling (510) 564-2961.

We try to provide as much animal time as possible, while making sure that everyone remains safe and our shelter animals are comfortable and low stress.

At a minimum, campers will experience one dog and one cat meet-and-greet per camp day; however, we try for many more! For the safety of the children and the animals, our staff will choose which animals are appropriate for visiting and interacting with each day. While we will do our best to provide as much hands-on animal time as possible, and plan many meet-and-greets into our camp schedule, please note that an animal shelter is a very fluid environment. Due to animal temperament, health, adoptions, etc., our plan for any given day may need to be altered accordingly. Our primary focus is ensuring a safe environment for both the campers and the animals in our care.

In addition to the daily meet-and-greets, camp sessions may also include guest visits from animals of different species. When we’re not meeting animals hands-on, we are often doing activities that involve helping and being around our shelter animals- such as making cat toys or dog treats and delivering them to animals around the shelter.

During our Canine Academy Summer Sessions for older campers, additional animal-time is built into the schedule to allow time for campers to train the dogs they have been grouped with.

No. For the safety of the other campers and animals in the building, please do not bring any pets to camp–this includes during pick-up and drop-off.

Yes! While some of the main concepts or subjects remain the same throughout all of our education programs, we refresh our curriculum each season to include new crafts, games and activities. We find that campers enjoy coming to our programs year after year!

No, each week of Camp within the same season and age-range will use the same curriculum. This means that a camper signing up for multiple weeks within the same season will experience the same crafts, games, and lessons week-to-week. However, being an animal shelter, the animals participating in our camp program will change week-to-week. For this reason, we have received feedback from previous campers, that they have still enjoyed multiple weeks of camp, despite the similarities in lesson plans.

Your child may be eligible to participate in our Counselor-In-Training or Youth Program Assistant programs. Learn more >

East Bay SPCA Animal Camp is a typical day camp with an animal twist! We aim for one cat time and one dog time each day of camp, and hopefully more! When we’re not meeting animals hands-on, we are doing typical camp activities- games, crafts, lessons, community building, etc. Being located as a shelter, we are also in a unique position to learn about animal welfare and create items to help the shelter population. This includes adoption ads, cat houses, enrichment items, and more! Our highly skilled education staff also tailor our camp schedules and adapt activities to better fit each camp group’s interests and needs.

Below is a sample of what a typical day at camp might look like: