MUNCIE, Ind. — In this annual event on September 6, local dogs got a special chance to dive into the deep end at Tuhoy Pool before the park closes for the Summer. On top of the fun, the admission fees of $5 per person and $5 for each feline friend will go to the local Muncie Youth and Recreation Program.
For many dogs, socialization may not come easily, so in an event where socialization plays a big role, their owners start wagging their tails for a chance to help their best friends out.
“I like that he gets to play with other dogs in a new environment. He goes to a dog park with me frequently and, you know, that's good, it's fun, but this is a whole lot different when you add in the water element,” Robert Summer, owner of Rogue the Corgi, says in his third straight year attending with his furry friends.
A main concern for many dog owners would be the safety of the pool and their pets in it, but Shannon Brown, Vice President of the City of Muncie Parks and Recreation Board, stays on top of all concerns.
“We turn off the chemicals about four days before the event, and so there's no chemicals active in the water anymore. And what we do after the event is we'll vacuum the pools one more time and then we'll drain them for winter,” Brown stated, but it isn’t the only layer of protection she makes. For the safety of the pets, Drool in the Pool stays open to dogs under 50 pounds from 10 a.m. to noon, and open to dogs over that 50-pound threshold from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m..
Although health and safety are top priorities for the pool, they also top the chart for Robert Summer and Rogue.
“But the big thing is I love just how much exercise he gets because it's important to keep corgis’ weight down. Once they gain weight, it's hard for them to lose it, and so activities like this, where there's a big draw of something unique, like a pool, is a lot of fun and good for him and for me, too,” Summer claims.
With the conclusion of the event, Tuhoy Pool is officially closed for the year, but will open back up next year, awaiting their furry friends. For more updates, follow their Facebook.
Contact Maxwell Robson with comments at maxwell.robson@bsu.edu.
