Dogs take a dip in Edmonton pool

Dogs take dip in local pool For one day only, pooches were able to go for a charity swim at an Edmonton YMCA.

For one day only, pooches were allowed to go for a swim at the Jamie Platz Family YMCA pool.

The pool is scheduled to be drained for annual cleaning and maintenance, so the staff decided to host a “Doggie Dip” on Sunday ahead of the temporary shutdown.

“We had about 120 people pre-register, but then we’ve had almost 2 to 3 times that show up here,” said centre manager, Asim Chin. “[we’re] doing our best to manage and make sure everyone gets a chance to see their dog jump in the pool today.”

The charity event raised more than $6,000 for the YMCA Strong Kids campaign, a program that subsidizes recreation costs.

Currently 1 in 4 individuals who come to the Platz YMCA are subsidized through Strong Kids donations.

“The economy…the way things are right now…families are making tough decisions around how they spend their dollars,” said Chin. “Health, fitness, recreation, being part of a community, those are things we don’t want them to give up.”

With files from Jeremy Thompson