Soggy Doggy Pool Party Draws Crowd

PRAIRIE GROVE — The weather was cloudy, spitting rain yet that didn’t stop dog lovers from bringing their pets for a good time at the fourth Soggy Doggy Pool Party in Prairie Grove.

The annual event set a record for attendance. More than 140 dogs of all sizes had their run of Prairie Grove Aquatic Park, whether it was in the water, running and chasing each other around the pool or taking to grassy areas. Barking was the conversation of the day, with a few disagreements here and there among dogs going after the same balls or Frisbees.

This was the first visit for Jeanne Parham of Fayetteville and her English Golden Retriever, Leif.

“But we’ll never miss it again,” Parham said. “I’m having as much fun as he is. This is the coolest thing ever. It’s so neat they do this.”

Several people drove from Bentonville for the doggy pool party. Ronny Cerniga brought her rescue dog, Thelma, a lab/ Dalmatian mix. She saw information about the event on Facebook.

“She loves swimming and is loving it,” Cerniga said.

Another Bentonville resident, Heather Dusoleil, brought her two Golden Retrievers, Ripley and Finn, and they spent most their time jumping into the deep end to fetch balls. This was the second for the dogs to return and last year, Dusoleil said her dogs probably slept two days afterward, they were so worn out.

“They get to swim and go to a doggie park all at the same time,” Dusoleil said.

Jason Garvin brought two beautiful Dalmatians. Neither was very interested in swimming at the time but still seemed to enjoy everything going on around them. Garvin learned about the dog pool party when he was at the Farmer’s Market in Fayetteville.

This was his first time to Prairie Grove and he was impressed with the town and pool.

“It’s much bigger than I would have imagined,” Garvin said.

Devin Henderson of Springdale thought a dog pool party was a great idea.

“It’s a good fundraiser for the pound. They are going to drain the pool after this so what better use of the pool?” he said.

Stephanie Conway of Prairie Grove has served on the planning committee for Friends of Prairie Grove Pound for each pool fundraiser.

Surveying the crowd Saturday, she predicted the turnout was the best yet.

“It’s good to see all the dogs having fun,” Conway said. “This is heaven for dogs. Even if they are not water dogs, they are still running around and having fun.”

The main event was dogs and water but several vendors participated. Prairie Grove Teleco sold tickets for a basket filled with doggie goodies and Flowers ‘N Friends sold tickets to win doggie treat wreaths. True Value gave away samples of dog food and treats and Arvest Bank also gave away items.

Right: Elaine Clayton helped with PG Telco’s vendor booth during the Soggy Doggy Pool Party but also brought her two dogs along. Stella, left, is a pound puppy and Hattie is a purebred Jack Russell Terrier. The dogs didn’t swim but still enjoyed all...

Far right: Dexter, a Dalmatian, was not too sure about the water. He came to the Soggy Doggy Pool Party with his human, Jason Garvin of Fayetteville.

Top: Golden Retrievers Ripley and Finn, owned by Heather Dusoleil of Bentonville, spent more of their time at the doggie pool party jumping in the deep end and retrieving balls and Frisbees. This was the second year the dogs have come to the pool party.

Top, center: Hope Coffman with Flowers-N-Friends shows off one of the doggie wreaths given away as a raffle prize at the pool party on Saturday.

Bottom, center: This was the first time for Leif, an English Golden Retriever, to come to the doggie pool party but owner Jeanne Parham of Fayetteville said they would not miss it in the future.

Above: Most dogs spent time retrieving balls, Frisbees and other toys in the water. Leah, a German Shepherd/Pitbull mix, stayed in the water doing just that. She is owned by Devin Henderson of Springdale.

PHOTOS BY LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER The Soggy Doggy Pool Party had a record attendance Saturday of 163 dogs and their humans. The time was changed to later in the day based on the weather forecast. Despite cloudy skies and some light rain, the fundraiser was considered another successful...