Sunday was a special day for dogs at Whanganui East Pool.
Advertised as a Doggy Paddle, it was the last day of the season and the water was reserved for canine friends, large and small. To keep squabbles to a minimum, small dogs had the pool from 1pm and vacated the premises before the big dogs took over at 3pm.
Midweek got there while the small dogs were in charge.
"It was fantastic: really good fun," said one of the dog owners as she was leaving. One was taking her small dog home and would return later with her German shepherd.
Melody Tamou, Splash Centre Operations Manager was at the pool with two of her staff members, Kimberly and Lexia.
"This is the first year we've done this," she says. "Other regions like Auckland and Wellington have done it, so we thought …
"It's definitely been cool, especially as we're animal lovers."
She says, although it's not a requirement, a lot of the owners are getting in the pool with their animals.
Gienipha was there with Noah, her little Jack Russell / fox terrier.
She put him in the pool and he paddled frantically to the side, where he attempted to get out by himself. Gienipha lifted him out.
