Dogs invited to take a dip during Sept. 6 pool event
The Desert Breeze Aquatic Facility is set to become a splash zone when Dog Daze of Summer allows pups in the pool Sept. 6.
The event is scheduled from 8 to 11 a.m. at Desert Breeze, 8275 Spring Mountain Road. Recreation specialist Michelle Chamberlain said there are two categories, one for dogs less than 50 pounds and one for dogs 50 pounds or more. Small dogs swim from 8 to 9:15 a.m. and larger dogs take to the water at 9:45 a.m. Each session is open to 100 dogs.
“They get to go in the pool, and there are going to be different awards for the dogs like funniest trick, shortest dog and tallest dog,” Chamberlain said. “And we do games with the dog, like throwing the ball, and they have to fetch it.”
She said there is a reason the small dogs have their own session.
“I guess what they found in the past is that the smaller dogs and bigger dogs, they sniff each other and bark at each other, so now they separate them,” she said.
Dogs must be leashed while outside the facility. For this event, it’s “dogs only” in the pool — no owners allowed in the water.
Becca Sequeira took her Australian shepherd mix Milo to the event in 2013. She is a former employee of Desert Breeze and said she’d never attended the event until after she changed jobs. She said it was fun and that Milo had fun, too.
“He loved it,” she said. “We were worried he wouldn’t (take to) the water, that he wouldn’t like it. We thought, ‘If he doesn’t like it, at least he’ll get to play with other dogs.’ But he just loved it.”
Milo performed his signature trick, best described as a jump and spin in the air that finishes with a backflip. Though the crowd loved it, the judges awarded best trick to another dog.
Sequeira said she plans to take him again this year.
“It’s really a fun family event,” she said. “It’s unique, a thing that most (community pools) don’t have.”
Registration is $5 in advance or $10 at the door. All participating families must show proof of their dog’s vaccinations. To register online, visit tinyurl.com/p5o29bu and scroll down to Dog Daze.
For more information, call 702-455-7798.
Contact Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.
