WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – Dogs from the Humane Society of Marathon County were treated to a “doggone pool party” at Schulenberg Pool on Monday.
The Marathon County Parks Department opened the pool for 25 of the shelter’s dogs after it closed for the season on Aug. 11. The county has hosted dog swims before but began doing exclusive ones for the humane society last year.
“It was always like a dream of mine that we have one just for the shelter dogs since not all of them are dog friendly, or are going to do well in that environment,” Humane Society Executive Director Lisa Leitermann said.
Some dogs have certain limitations to what other dogs they can interact with, so they have solo swim times in the morning.
“It’s going to help us in the long run in order to keep them happy and healthy while they’re in their temporary homes at the shelter,” Leitermann said.
Marathon County recreation coordinator Daniel Schmid was working at the pool and having fun with the dogs.
“There is some cleanup to do here obviously. We try to obviously make sure we’re pulling double duty, not just playing with dogs, but it is a nice perk of the job,” Schmid said.
Leitermann and shelter employees brought larger groups of dogs later in the day so they could play together.
“I might like it more than the dogs do. They definitely enjoy their time and come back to the shelter tired,” she said.
Both the shelter and the parks department hope to continue their partnership in the future.
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