By Richard Martin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Star, a 6-year-old yellow lab, leaps off the diving board during Dog Swim Day on Saturday at Fossil Park Pool. Eric and Jessica Carroll of Largo brought Star for the fourth year in a row. He taught her to leap into the pool by tossing a Frisbee.
ST. PETERSBURG — The Fossil Park Pool had all the makings of a typical Saturday in August: filled to capacity, plenty of noise and an abundance of splashing about.
There was 9-month-old Bella, too afraid to get wet. And 11-year-old Ozzie, looking at home in the deep end. There was lots of running around the deck, with lifeguards sitting at the ready, whistles in hand.
Except this was no ordinary Saturday. On this day, the pool went to the dogs.
Fossil Park played host to the annual — and very popular — Dog Swim Day. More than 150 four-leggers took a dip in the 25-yard competition-ready pool, and the adjacent kiddie pool. The latter was quite a hit with the littler ones.
With the pool set to close for the season, St. Petersburg recreation officials figure it was a perfect time to throw the dogs a bone, and let them in. This marked the eighth year of the event, and it has become so popular that officials added a third 90-minute session this time around.
"It's just a fun thing to do," said Anita Westmoreland, a recreation supervisor. "The dogs enjoy it."
Of course, there were rules. Five dollars per dog. Proof of current vaccinations. No more than 60 dogs in the pool at a time. And no humans in the pool.
There was a grassy area set aside for bathroom breaks, which begged the question of whether there have been any — you know — incidents in previous years.
"Never had a fecal accident," Westmoreland said. "I think dogs are very self-conscious about that."
At the kiddie pool, Toni Langland had a tough time coaxing Bella, her Pomeranian-silky terrier mix, into the water. She placed Bella in, only to have her scurry right back out.
"She's not used to it," said Langland of St. Petersburg.
Ozzie had no such trouble. The Australian shepherd confidently paddled the length of the pool as owner Prudy Olson walked alongside on the deck. "This is his fifth year here," she said.
Sady, a 4-year-old chihuahua mix, was content to sit in owner Melissa Hartinger's lap along the pool deck while other dogs ran about.
"She's not so sure about it," said Hartinger, who got Sady about three years ago from the group Chihuahua Rescue & Transport. "But she walks around and socializes, so it's good."
Richard Martin can be reached at rmartin@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8330.