Dogs avoid toxic algae in this canine-friendly pool
The dog dog days of summer are in full swing at the Crazy Dog Splash Pad in St. Croix, Nova Scotia.
Shauna O’Handley built a pool in her backyard so her dog Arrow could practice dock diving but opened up bookings to any dog who wants to cool off.
"Didn’t want to take a chance on swimming my dogs at the lakes. They’ve been there a few times, but it’s earlier in the season, before the blue-green algae starts to come out. I actually have one person that I know that one of her dogs actually died from it," O'Handley says.
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Dock diving is a sport growing in popularity that measures how far a dog can jump. A regulation-size pool is fifteen metres, but this one is only ten; it still makes for good practice, though.
There’s a long dock where the dog sits waiting for the toy to be thrown out into the pool. The distance the dogs jump is measured, and they can earn different titles for their feats.
Dog practicing dock diving at the Crazy Dog Splash Pad in St. Croix, N.S. (Nathan Coleman/TWN)
Belgian shepherd Bijou is 3 years old and rides in the car for 45 minutes to swim here safely.
"I actually have a big acre-sized pond on my property, and I don’t even swim my guys on it because of the blue-green algae," says Bijou's owner, Ashley Dussault.
SEE ALSO: Why dogs need more help than cats in extreme heat
Meanwhile, another customer, Ziggy, is 12 years old and enjoying the pool.
"It helps her mobility a lot because there’s a lot less stress on their joints when they're swimming," comments Ziggy's owner, Tara Bayne. "Given the heat that we’ve been having, she can get some exercise, you know—the water cools them down, so they don’t have to be worried about being outside in the extreme heat."
Whether you’re training to be the next top dog or just in it to stay cool, you can’t say any of these dogs have it 'ruff.'
Check out the video above to see some awesome dock diving in action.
Copyedited by Anika Beaudry, a digital journalist at The Weather Network.
Thumbnail image taken by Nathan Coleman.