Barks, Splashing And Happy Faces

104 dogs and their human companions enjoyed a dip in the Edmundson Pool on Sunday afternoon.

104 dogs and their human companions enjoyed a dip in the Edmundson Pool on Sunday afternoon.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The start of school often brings the closure of public swimming pools.

On Sunday afternoon, the Oskaloosa public swimming pool at Edmundson Park officially closed for the season. The doors to the facility swung open one last time as 104 dogs wagged, jumped, splashed and swam their way around the pool.

The event was designed to help raise funds for the Oskaloosa Bark Park, and Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter.

Valinn McReynolds, who helped to lead the effort, got the idea from similar events held in other places. She had considered taking her dogs to Des Moines where a similar event is held, but then she questioned why it couldn’t also be held here in Oskaloosa for area dog lovers.

McReynolds spoke with Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock about the event. McReynolds then wrote a proposal to the city manager “and we were able to get this done”.

“It’s so fun to watch,” says McReynolds as the dogs can be seen jumping around in the shallow end of the pool, while a few retrievers cruised through the deeper end. Other dogs, who presumably are not fans of bath time either, found the idea of swimming not to their liking.

For some, there was a concern that the pool may be contaminated by the swimming dogs. McReynolds explained that the pool is drained at the end of the season. This year, a major repair to the pool is scheduled as well.

McReynolds said that the Dog Splash is one more example of trying to bring events to Oskaloosa, events that keep people local and not leave the community.

Posted by on Aug 24 2015. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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