The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Dog Dayz Swim at attracts canine crowd
Ask any of the dozens of pet-loving participants in Willowick’s Dog Dayz Swim Aug. 16 whether their canine companions knew they were in for a treat and you’d likely get a resounding “of course!”
The evening went off with a splash beginning at 6 p.m., when dogs weighing 50 pounds or lighter could take a dip, followed by the 7 p.m. installment, when pups 50 pounds or heavier could take to the water.
Like many communities around Northeast Ohio, the pool at Manry Park hosts the event toward the end of swimming season. This particular plunge benefitted the Lake Humane Society, with 100 percent of the $2-per-pup entry fee bound for the Humane Society, the city reports.
“I didn’t say anything all day long to them about it. I wanted it to be a surprise for them,” said Euclid resident Joan Cameron, who came to the event with her sister, Evelyn Cameron and their two dogs: Tipsy, a collie mix, and Harley, a Labrador mix. “So I went and got dressed and ready to go. Then, I get back and they’re carrying on something fierce! I swear, they knew we were coming here.”
She said Harley’s more of a water-lover than Tipsy but she brings the pair there whenever the city hosts the event.
“Oh, we come every year,” she said as Evelyn kept track of Harley swimming in the background and Tipsy rested against the pool’s wall. “Yep - as soon as I find out when it’s happening I put it on my calendar and that’s it for that night.”
She said the swim has the added benefit of helping to ensure Harley will rest easy that night.
“She’ll sleep really good tonight,” Joan said.
As Harley and Tipsy made the most of the event, nearby Peggy Schroeder and her long-haired Dachshund, Bear, scoped out the scene at Mary for the first time.
“We’ve been to the one in Willoughby and another in Wickliffe. But this is our first time here,” Schroeder said. “I think it’s really nice and it’s not so overcrowded.”
She said she’s glad to help out the Humane Society while enjoying a nice time around other dog lovers.
“It’s nice because you get to talk to people about their dogs,” she said. “It’s a good, social time.”
Meanwhile, at the west end of the pool, Willowick residents Vickie Grasse and Pam Boehringer hung out with their pugs, 16-year-old Brook and Joey, 10.
“She’s getting a little older. But I help her out,” Grasse said about Brook, who sported a red polkadotted bathing suit for the occasion. “She has some hip issues, so I hold her as she swims and she does fine.”
When asked how she does around other dogs, Grasse said Brook’s had a lot of playtime around big dogs like Saint Bernard and English mastiff big - so she’s pretty comfortable around any sized pup.
And, while Brook loves to take a dip, rescue dog Joey wasn’t as sure of himself in the water, so Boehringer held onto him and walked him calmly around in the pool.
“He’s a little freaked,” she said. “This is probably his first time at one of these.”
The pair say they go to similar events whenever they can find them, including the massive Dog Paddle and Pet-a-Palooza at the Cleveland Metroparks’ Ledge Pool and Recreation Area in Hinckley.
“That one is huge — massive — hundreds of dogs,” Grasse said.
No matter where they’re held, she said she thinks doggie-swim events are a great benefit for everyone involved, both human and canine.
“Oh, I would definitely recommend this to anyone. It’s just cool to see all the different breeds, talk to people about their dogs. And I love it when all the dogs get together and play,” Grasse said. “I mean, really, you don’t think about it al the time. But they like to get together with other dogs and have a good time.”
And, for some dogs, getting a chance to swim around a bit is as therapeutic as a visit to a physical therapist.
Take Sweet-pee, for example. The 9-month-old Australian cattle dog/corgi mix was born with severe mobility issues and narrowly escaped
being put down due to the extensive nature of her condition. But, thanks to the Animal Rescue Center in Eastlake, foster parents Victoria and Sean and her loving new mom and dad Eastlake residents Christine and Steve Risher - the grateful little pup has a new lease on life.
“She was slated to be euthanized six months ago because she couldn’t walk,” Christine said, adding that, thanks to the hard work her foster parents did with her, and she and her husband’s continued care, Sweet-pee (named after the accidents she used to have) is happy, healthy and glad to be alive.
“This, right here, is, like... You just don’t give up on a dog,” Steve said as he held onto Sweet-pee by the handle on her little life jacket and explained how therapeutic the swim seemed to be for her.
“We weren’t sure, with her back legs, if she’d go under. So we put a life jacket on her and, look at her, she really is having a good time.”