Though summer is drawing to a close, it certainly doesn’t mean the fun is over for everyone. The Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club, tucked away in West Seattle, hosts an annual dog friendly pool party at the end of every swim season to raise money for its swim teams and give our furry friends a chance to enjoy the finer things in life. I brought my trusty sidekick Brooklyn along for a couple laps and surprise surprise—hilarity ensued. Read on for a sneak peek of a day in the life of a doggie pool party, Seattle-style.
The dog days of summer in Seattle
Upon unleashing Brooklyn, she bounded toward the pool and cannonballed in with absolutely no reservations. Being the water loving dog she is, this wasn’t surprising. But when the time came to get out of the pool and return the ball for another toss, she struggled. Brooklyn completely missed the stairs and opted to clumsily claw her way up the side. After a rough start, Brooklyn was pretty reticent to jump back in immediately.
Brooklyn observed this regular old kemosabe for a couple ideas on how to best approach the situation. Barking profanities at the ball didn’t seem to work…
Photo by Chona Kasinger
…nor did attempting to empty the pool of its contents.
“Look Brooklyn, it’s right there! you can do it girl!
Eventually, she fell in after stretching too far to try to catch the ball with her paw. After she waded around for a while trying to pick the best tennis ball to bring back, I led her to the stairs where she was able to get out of the pool with no problem. This newfound knowledge seemed to put her at ease and the prospect of a mouthful of tennis balls began to outweigh her fear of getting trapped in the pool. After the little obstacle of getting out of the pool was squared away, Brooklyn was as good as gold. Bombs away!
Michael Phelps, eat your heart out.
Brooklyn isn’t letting a “NO DIVING” sign rain on her parade. It’s not like she can read anyway…
Here’s Brooklyn taking in the sights before toweling off to go home. All in all, it was a great day—she overcame hardship and got to work on her doggie paddle.