Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 18/00) - It's one of those things that everybody knows is wrong, but it's been happening for so long nobody says anything about it.

How come, if people are allowed there all day and night almost every day of the year, dogs are never allowed to go swimming -- or even wading -- at Ruth Inch Memorial Pool? It's high time we stepped away from this small-minded rule by creating a day when four and two-legged, furry and fur-free, come together to splash and play and swim or just kick back in the whirlpool or the steam room.

Yellowknifer polled people at the pool about this revolutionary idea on Saturday.

Dog Day at the Pool: what do you think, professional pool person Sarah Ward?

"I wouldn't want to go swimming afterward."

The beauty of this idea is that nobody would go swimming afterward. Dog Day at the Pool would happen the day before the pool is emptied for its annual cleaning.

"Probably all the hair would clog the filters," said Ward. If that's a problem maybe we should be turning away hairy people!

"I think it's a great idea," said Monique Rodway. "I have two dogs and I'd certainly bring them. They'd love it."

Monique owns pomeranians. Both of them get along fine with other dogs and have already shown an affinity for a pool-like environment.

"Every time I get into the tub they want to get in with me," said Rodway, adding the two sometimes splash around in the bath after she's done.

Cori Janes is another supporter of Dog Day at the Pool.

"It could be a fund-raiser," suggested Janes, who is planning to get a dog next spring. "You could throw a couple of cupfulls of Mr. Bubble in the pool first."

Asked if she would bring her future dog to such an event, Janes said, "I don't think we'd be able not to (once the kids got wind of it)."

"I saw something like that on TV once," said Mary Sullivan. "I think it happened somewhere in the States." Sullivan said her retriever wouldn't go for it.

"He's a cold-water dog. He grew up swimming in the ocean, in Nova Scotia," said Sullivan. "I think there's enough other swimming areas in town."

Maybe, for a change, people should use all those other swimming areas and let the dogs use the pool.