In a fitting end to the dog days of summer, Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI), held its annual Pooch Plunge at the Carson Aquatic Facility outdoor pool Saturday, with dozens of dogs and their owners enjoying the end-of-season last splash.
The community event is to celebrate people and pets all the while helping more pets have access to spay and neuter services, said Lisa Schuette, founder and president/chair of CASI and also serving on the Carson City Board of Supervisors.
The Pooch Plunge is also the final day for the city’s outdoor pool, which is now closed for the season.
Gardnerville resident Dan Healy brought Annie, a 6-year-old yellow lab to the plunge Saturday after learning about Carson City’s event and knowing they had a similar one in Salt Lake City where they used to live.
“She loves the water,” said Healy while tracking her moves and watching her retrieve a dog ball multiple times, even appearing to prefer the water than the poolside concrete.
Locals Lucille and Gary Reyes brought their 7-year-old golden doodle Daisy to the event, which they’ve attended annually.
“We can’t get her out” of the water, said Lucille, noting how Daisy gets along with all dogs and “loves everybody.”
Mikki and Erick Reed brought their 5-year-old black labs Hope and Lexi to the event, the fourth year in a row.
“The girls love it. It’s absolutely their favorite day of the year,” said Mikki Reed.
CASI volunteers Trish Kelliher and Anita Habberfield explained the event, allowing the smaller dogs into the pool for the first half, followed by the bigger dogs for the last half, observing that “little dogs usually run around the pool more than they get into the pool … But the big dogs, they love the swimming, they just get along and have a good time,” said Kelliher.
They also noted there seemed to be more people without pets who just came to watch the show.
