Dogs make a splash for Pooch Plunge in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s a pool paw-ty at the Legion Stadium Pool in Wilmington.

Dozens of dogs came out for the first day of the Pooch Plunge on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have come here every for the past four summer since she’s been a puppy,” Anne Sophia Richards said. “She’s a golden-doodle and she loves swimming and ball chasing. This is a great chance to get her in the water since we don’t have our own pool for her to be able to swim in.”

The event is hosted by the YMCA of Southeastern NC in partnership with the City of Wilmington.

Edward Caplan, YMCA aquatics manager, says this is one of their most popular events. Within the first hour on Wednesday, 40 dogs had already taken part. They anticipate hundreds will take a dip throughout the five day event.

“It’s very exciting to watch the four-legged swimmers swim. We’ve got some dogs that use the ladder. It’s always a good time here. Everyone smiles at the pooch plunge,” Caplan said.

With a $5 entry fee pooches can splash and fetch to their heart’s content.

“To be able to bring the dogs out into the water safely and not have to try to like get them in the waterway or something that might be a little scarier, this is a great chance,” Richards said. “We really enjoy it and having the community be able to do this. I wish more pools would do this.”

The remaining dates are as follows:

Thursday, September 7th: 3:30pm – 7:30pm
Friday, September 8th: 3:30pm – 7:30pm
Saturday, September 9th: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Sunday, September 10th: 12:00pm-5:00pm

The event is $5 per dog, per day. Cash only.

Per the health department, only dogs are allowed in the pool.