Dogs’ pool event goes swimmingly

The dog days of summer have been seen out with a cacophony of yaps, woofs and barks.

Pooches of all types got a chance to take a dip at Dogs Day Out yesterday — a no-humans-allowed pool party held at Arrowtown Memorial Pool to mark the end of the swimming season.

About 20 small dogs turned up for the morning session and more than 40 larger dogs splashed the afternoon away.

Though the crowd was a little suspicious of the water at first, many teetering on the ledge before backing out, fox terrier cross Baxter kicked things off with a daring dive into the water.

"He just loves swimming," his owner said.

Doggy paddle skills of the highest calibre were on put on show, along with impressive displays of fetching, howling and belly-flopping.

Honourable mentions should also be made to the dogs who pushed the boundaries of fitting multiple tennis balls in their mouths at once — it’s possible world records were broken.

Queenstown Lakes District Council animal control officers and local vets from Vetenz were poolside, offering canine advice, handing out prizes, and helping dogs clamber out of the water.

QLDC animal control officer Ash Woodley said it was a great day for the community.

"Everyone's been pretty well behaved considering it’s such an intense environment — a few dogs are a bit like ‘whoa’ when they arrive but it’s been fantastic."

Bella, a 9-year-old bichon-shih tzu, took up a post on the diving blocks to get a load of all the fun.

"She'll only get in if I get in but she’s had a good play with the bigger dogs and eaten her weight in treats," owner Shannon Finnigan said.

The event came to an end with a few friendly competitions — Elmo, a 9-year-old miniature poodle, was named best dressed, and Teddy, a 2-year-old golden retriever, was the only one to make it to the end of the Golden Retriever Race.

"It’s been a gorgeous day with lots of well-behaved dogs," Vetent vet Soffi Jones said.

"It’s a good chance for the vets to come down and meet the local dog community and give some treats to the doggies so next time they come and see us they aren’t so scared."

"With all that’s going on in the world at the moment — how can this not make you happy?"

Entry was $5 per dog and all proceeds were donated to the SPCA.

 - Lucy Wormald