A Dog’s Day in August
Barbara Crimond | Aug 20, 2018 | Comments 0
If a dog could talk, quite a few were saying, “Oh, yeah!” , or “hot-diggity me” at their annual opportunity to hit the pool for a once a year romp. For the third year, the Lamar Municipal Pool allows dogS to run, jump, splash, chase balls, bark and interact with owners and other dogs once the pool has closed for the season.
That was Sunday, August 19th when pool manager Carrie Smith and some of their staff kept the pool open for dogs and owners, big and small. The smaller dogs got the place to themselves from 12:30pm to 1pm, at which time it was every dog for himself! The owners were kept on dry land, although several youngsters did go into the shallow wading section off and on. The whirly slide was not in operation.
Some dogs jumped right in, others took a few tentative steps into their new surroundings, either to chase a ball or to, literally, dog paddle, around. Several dogs that went into the diving pool just used the ladder to get back to the patio area while others needed an assist from their human partner. Some dogs from the same family continued to use the buddy system in the water as they did on dry land, sticking close to one another while the owners offered encouragement.
It was a well-behaved crowd, given the mix of breeds, sizes and sexes. One or two nervous yips or enthusiastic barks were evident and short-lived. Pool manager, Carrie Smith said this was a fair turnout, although she estimated there were as many as 50 dogs the year before.
By Russ Baldwin
Filed Under: City of Lamar • Entertainment • Events • Featured • Recreation
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