Annual dog swim creates a whole new definition of doggy paddle

The A.D. Clark Pool at the Hargraves Community Center was filled on Sunday with the typical sounds of summer — laughing, splashing and howling.

The 11th annual Dog Swim took place Sunday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dogs of all sizes and breeds came to the outdoor pool to doggy paddle with their friends and shake water onto their owners.

Rachael Williamson, the program assistant for Orange County Animal Services, said the pool closes after Labor Day, so they are allowed to use it for this event.

It cost $5 for dogs to swim, and their owners got in free. The proceeds were split between Orange County Animal Services and the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department.

“It is not about how much we make,” Williamson said. “It is just a fun event.”

Robb English, aquatic supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department, said the Dog Swim has been at the A.D. Clark Pool for six years. He has brought his two dogs, Lucy and Nigel, for the past two years.

“I love dogs, and it’s such a unique event. A lot of people come down,” English said. “They don’t know whether their dogs like to swim or not. So you have a lot of dogs that like to swim, some that kind of do and some that don’t at all. There is a big, wide variety of diverse owners and dogs.”

English said over 100 dogs came to the dog swim last year.

UNC alumnus Christopher Downs, the lifeguard for the event, worked at the pool over the summer and volunteered to work at the Dog Swim because he has always been curious about the event.

“I am hopeful that I will not have to give mouth-to-mouth (resuscitation) to a dog,” Downs said. “That will be a win for me, if I can leave today without putting my mouth on a dog. No rescues is always a good day. Cleaning up after people is run of the mill, so today is just going to be cleaning up after dogs. That’s the job.”

Chapel Hill resident Hunna Watson heard about the event on Chapelboro and said she knew her 16-month-old Samoyed puppy, Raleigh, would have a ton of fun at the pool.

“I thought it would be good for him to see other dogs swimming because he is kind of scared,” Watson said.

Bryna Harrington, a student in the M.D.-Ph.D. program at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, brought her dog Moose — a 9-month-old puppy from the Durham animal shelter — to the Dog Swim to help teach him how to swim by watching other dogs.

“Moose is a terrible swimmer,” Harrington said. “We thought this could be a way to teach him some confidence — not sure that that has happened yet. He’s slightly backed off from his Frankenstein-style of swimming, so I take that as a win. I don’t know if he will have major trust issues after this though.”

Grant Porter and his fiancee brought their dog Cooper after hearing about the event in an email.

“Cooper just loves to run around with other dogs,” Porter said. “I think it is just something different and fun, and he loves the water. That combination makes it ideal.”

@erin_kolstad

city@dailytarheel.com