Pooch Plunge#
While the annual doggy swim has been a popular event, environmental considerations, as well as several safety factors, have made the event less manageable to hold each year.
To host the Pooch Plunge, there are several factors to consider:
- Approximately 500,000 gallons of water is used for the event.
- Because of the time needed to prepare the pool, swimming days for the community are cut short.
- The event brings a considerable amount of wear and tear to the pool systems (facility filters must be removed and the drains covered due to dog hair). These systems are expensive to maintain and repair.
- During the event, pool filtering systems cannot run, which can create public health concerns to individuals that enter the pool.
- Many staff hours are required to plan, market, execute, and then clean up after the event each year. Recreation is currently struggling to adequately staff facilities for regularly scheduled programming each day.
- The ongoing request for an extended swim season has been a high priority for Recreation staff, as City Park Pool is the only outdoor public pool, and hot temperatures remain well into August each year.
For these reasons, Pooch Plunge will no longer be held at City Park Pool.
Starting this year, City Park Pool will now offer an extended swim season, staying open for public swimming through Labor Day.