With summer weather coming to an end, Auburn’s Parks and Recreation hosted the Dog Days of Summer Pool Party on Sept. 23, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Samford Pool.
While the pools are closing and need to be cleaned in the next few weeks, Parks and Recreation coordinated the free event to end the summer season. Dogs and their owners from the Auburn community were invited to swim, soak up the sun and had the chance to win a PetSmart gift card for the best swimsuit.
Owners had to register online before the event and submit their veterinarian's vaccination records to ensure all dogs stayed safe. The registration was capped at 30 dogs per hour, but owners were still encouraged to come with proof of vaccination if they did not get a chance to register prior to the event.
Maura Toohey, aquatics and special events coordinator for City of Auburn, waited patiently for the fun to start at 11 a.m. to check in the dogs that had signed up for the first hour.
“We did ask for everyone to register online because we're making dog park rules apply. We needed proof of vaccination records, specifically for rabies, like the Parvo vaccine. That kind of thing is transmittable to other dogs,” Toohey said.
Toohey organized a table with a speaker, treats and sunglasses so owners could take silly pictures of their furry friends if they didn’t have a costume. There was also a walk-up counter Toohey sat behind where dogs could walk up to and request whipped cream in a cup, or a 'pup cup,' if they desired.
Tug Kesler, short-term owner of Lucky, a black and white terrier shepard mix, hoped for a “lucky” day. When Kelser and Lucky arrived at the pool, Lucky wore a neon vest with the words, "Adopt me," for the duration of their hour.
“My wife and I found him about two months ago dumped off in a neighborhood near Camphill," Kesler said. "All the shelters are jam packed and since we have another dog and travel a lot, we are trying to find him a home."
Kelser said that Lucky is very cuddly and loves being around other dogs, so he thought today’s event was a great way to spread the word and find Lucky a forever home.
Hercules, a Bracco Italiano hunting dog, attended the event wearing a rubber duck floatie, sunglasses, bandana and a bucket hat, ready to jump in the water and enjoy the day with his owner Larissa Clason.
“We've never seen anything like this for the city community. We just wanted to join and see what all the hype was about,” Clason said.
Clason said she found the event on Facebook and wanted to check it out because Hercules loves to swim and she wanted to show off his swimsuit attire. Hercules’s brother, Hades, was injured and could not make it to the event.
Andrea Elkins, owner of Coal, a black lab, also showed up to compete in the swimsuit contest. Coal strutted in wearing a Hawaiian shirt, hat, sunglasses and a lei around his neck.
“We dress him up in anything. So he has gotten used to it and he'll just kind of wear it now,” Elkins said. “I signed up for this event and then I saw when the Auburn game was coming on and I was like, yeah, I'll catch up with that later.”
Summer has now come to a close as the Auburn dogs got to enjoy their last day of summer in the Samford Pool and fill their bellies with whipped cream and milk-bones.
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Jolie Bishop, culture editor for The Auburn Plainsman is a senior in marketing with a minor in journalism. She has been with The Plainsman since summer of 2022.
