Dogs In Swimming Pools

Really. This is happening at Heckington in Lincolnshire. Providing a period of time when dog owners can go swimming in the pool with their dogs. Why?

A few questions come to my mind:

• Do they drain the water and refill the pool before admitting the general public again?
• What do they do if a dog goes to the toilet while in the pool?
• Main concern: Is it good for the dogs to be in a pool that is treated with chlorine.

I have done a bit of research and this is what I have found which seems to be the general opinion. This from an American vet where, apparently, pool owners appear to encourage their dogs in:

One question that tends to come up is whether chlorine is safe for dogs to ingest. Overall, the amount of chlorine in a pool is not likely to be harmful to dogs if they’re simply swimming. The main concern is that dogs will also ingest large amounts of pool water while they’re swimming. This can lead to salt poisoning or an electrolyte imbalance similar to drinking ocean water, and may cause vomiting or loose stools. To prevent this, keep plenty of fresh water available while your pets are swimming. The fresh water will be more appealing to the dogs than the pool water. Additionally, chlorine and other commonly used pool chemicals can irritate the eyes or skin of some dogs.

Given that. If I was still a dog owner I would not wish for my dog to go swimming in a swimming pool! I hope this rather silly idea does not take off in a big way!