Dog Splash Party

The gentle giant

Get it, Coal!

OK, so I'm thinking about going in...

Coming back from retrieving the purple ball

Throw the ball, mom!

Coal climbing out of the pool

Gracie, Sarge and I went to the Dog Splash Party at the Splash Island Aquatic Center, in Plainfield, IN yesterday afternoon. This is an annual event to raise money for various causes. The pool is officially closed on Labor Day, so the weekend after hours are designated for small dogs and large dogs to enter the pool for play. Balls, toys, and frisbees are provided for the dogs to fetch. The cost is $7 per dog, per entry.

Sarge considered it beneath him to get wet. I knew this from the start, so he stayed at my side, on leash. I took Gracie off leash in the hope that she would indeed enter the water. I thought if I could just get her wet once, she would enjoy it enough to play with the other dogs. Humans are not allowed in a pool with a dog by state law, so us two legged critters had to stay on deck. Gracie got her paws wet, and acted like she would go after a ball, but then stayed on deck within my sight.

The large (130 pounds), beautiful boy in the photos is Coal. We know Coal and his mom, Carol, from the dog park. He is a very gentle dog with a great disposition. And I have never seen him as active as he was yesterday afternoon. Coal can get really warm, due to his size and black fur. The water was cold, and it must have felt wonderful to the big boy. He swam, fetched and ran around for close to the full hour. The odd part of all this was the balls: there were 2 different color tennis balls, green and purple. Coal would only go after the purple.

Gracie watched Coal fetch, and she started towards him a few times, but then would stop. They do play fetch together at the dog park. My little girl just doesn't like the water.

We had fun watching the other dogs. It was a beautiful afternoon, 82 degrees, and it was just good to be outside enjoying the weather.

Thanks for stopping by.
Linda