The crimson collar stood out from black fur and blue water as Hank shot into the pool, chasing down that soggy tennis ball for what had to be the 30th time.
"He's been excited," said his owner, Rhonda Davis. "He's been waiting to go to the pool all day."
Hank was one of dozens of dogs attending the Bella Vista Animal Shelter's first aquatic event Saturday, wherein dogs were allowed to swim in the Kingsdale pool, and their humans were supplied with hot dogs. The event was put together with support from Crye Leike Realty and the Bella Vista Property Owners Association.
"What better way to raise funds for the shelter," Davis asked, "than to have a canine swim day?"
Anyone whose dog was current on vaccinations was welcome to participate for $5.
Sherry Laemmle, principal broker with Crye Leike, said that this event was initially discussed last year, but the discussion came too late in the year to actually hold the event. This year, there was plenty of time to get ready.
"And now," she said, "we're hoping it's annual."
Alex Graziani, aquatics manager for the POA, said that he had to set up the pool for the dogs and ensure the water didn't have any potentially-hazardous chemicals in it, which was a relatively simple process.
The rain and sunshine both helped in their own ways, he said. While the recent showers helped to water down the pool, preparation also largely meant letting those chemicals evaporate from the water.
"That's kind of why we had to wait for the pool season to be over," Graziani said. "We do it at the perfect time where once this is over, we start shutting the pools down for winter."
Shelley Parson was more than happy to bring her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Winston, to the pool. She stood alongside the water's edge, tossing the miniature surfboard each time he brought it back.
"He will swim and get this all day," she said as she tossed the blue and green board again. "It's his favorite water toy."
Parson said it was a great day to spend an afternoon, particularly on such a nice, bright, clear day, and that she was very happy to support the shelter.
While Robin Heis, director of the Bella Vista Animal Shelter, had initially planned for larger dogs to play in the main pool and smaller dogs to stick to the kids' pool, the result was the opposite. The larger dogs were often nervous about jumping in, and smaller dogs, like Winston, constituted most of the swimmers in the main pool.
Kevin and Tamie Bradford brought their dog, Tally, who is a mix of Lab, shepherd and cattle dog. Tally was too scared to actually jump in, Kevin Bradford said.
"They could do it again next week and we'd be back," he said.
The couple is new to the area, he said,. They lived in Texas before moving to Northwest Arkansas in April. Tally was adopted in Fort Worth, and the Bradfords have both been impressed with how dog-friendly the region is, between the trails and the dog park.
"We call it Barkansas," he said. "She loves it here."
As the event wound down, Robin Heis estimated there were about 90 attendees total.
Rhonda Davis helped Hank out of the pool for one of the last times, his fatigue finally beginning to show after nearly two hours of swimming after tennis balls.
"Maybe he'll sleep good tonight," she said.
General News on 09/21/2016