The Berkeley Lake parking lot was full, but the playground was empty Sunday morning — all the action was at the municipal pool where it was dogs-in-the-pool day.
Jeremy Orozco, 12, strained at the leash to hang on as his dripping-wet 220-pound St. Bernard, Molly, pulled him toward the family car.
“When he did a belly flop there were waves in the pool,” Jeremy said.
In the dog days of summer, Molly usually gets her cooling fix in a plastic pool in the family’s backyard in West Denver, he said.
“I’ve never seen her this happy,” Jeremy said.
Hundreds of dogs — of nearly every size and breed — enjoyed the last day of outdoor-pool season at Berkeley Lake and Cook Park, before the pools are drained and cleaned for the winter.
“This is for the dogs,” said Denver Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Meghan Hughes.
“There’s not that much parks and rec can do for them, but this is something that we can do, and everyone seems to enjoy,” Hughes said.
Dog owners appeared generous with their contributions at a box for donations for the Municipal Animal Shelter and Kids Prime Time, an after-school program.
And on a day dogs ruled, a 14-inch-tall Jack Russell terrier named Jake was messing with his family’s plans.
The hope was to make a 10:45 a.m. service at church, said Tamiko Thompson.
But her wet pup pawed his way out of the pool full of dogs four and five times his size and gave her a tail-wagging, head-bouncing look no dog lover could refuse.
At 10:30, Thompson said: “I don’t think we’re going to make it to church.”
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
