Dog day out at city pool
A popular Auckland swimming pool has gone to the dogs - more than 300 of them.
Dachshunds, dobermans, and everything in between enjoyed off-leash access to the Pt Erin Pool in Herne Bay on Saturday before it shut up shop for the winter.
The sun was shining as the pups swam, splashed in the shallows, and shook water on unsuspecting humans.
The day was split into three sessions, with the elderly, shy and small pups given exclusive first run of the place.
Next came larger breeds - with 200 dogs attending one session alone.
Bark in the Pool was organised by Bark New Zealand, a not-forprofit charity devoted to teaching children dog safety.
Bark New Zealand co-founder Jon Summers said it was ‘‘chaos’’ in the pool, but everything was under control.
‘‘The retrievers are definitely doing the best in [the] pool, being natural water dogs, and I’ve seen some border collies cleaning up the obstacle course.
‘‘I know there will be some happy dog owners out there this afternoon when their dogs are pooped.’’
Pool manager Darren Pott said it was great to see the dogs in the pool.
‘‘It’s getting a little too cold for swimmers, so we let the chlorine dissipate out [and] opened the pool up for the dogs.’’