Research recently compiled by Dogster, a dog-focused online publication, found that pet parents in the United States spent $109.6 billion on their furry friends in 2021, the European Union spent an estimated €21.2 billion in 2020, and China rang up $31.89 billion in 2020.
Some savvy water parks and community pools across the globe are leveraging dog owners’ willingness to spend money on their pups by holding dog-only events as their seasons come to a close.
Funworld tapped water parks, community pools, and dog resorts for their tips on how to hold successful end-of-season events for guests’ beloved furry friends.
Dogs Down Under
Several community pools throughout Australia hold dog-only events at the end of their season. One of these is Ballarat Aquatic & Lifestyle Centre in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, which started hosting a Dog Day in 2023.
“With many dog lovers in Ballarat, it was a great way to utilize our facility in a diverse way that could potentially reach a target market that might not have visited before,” says Gerald Dixon, manager of aquatic and leisure services for the city of Ballarat. “The event marks the end of the outdoor pool season before the pool is closed to the public for winter, so there was no risk to the quality of water” Dixon says.
Belgravia Leisure, which manages more than 160 swimming pools across Australia and New Zealand, will also host end-of-season dog events at some of its community pools. “The pool is put into hibernation at the end of the season, so it’s the perfect time to host an event like this,” says Darren Allen, area manager for Belgravia Leisure. “We no longer need to keep [the pool] in regulations after it closes, so the dogs don’t impact operations. Fur babies are becoming a genuine member of the family these days, so owners love it.”
Fetching Funds for Local Animal Charities
The annual Doggie Dip at Splish Splash Water Park in Calverton, New York, raises funds for a local animal shelter. “We also invite the shelter to set up at the event,” Director of Marketing Danielle Trombetta says. “Typically, they bring information on the organization and have one to two dogs that are currently up for adoption.”
Similarly, Ocean Breeze Waterpark in Virginia Beach, Virginia, partners with a local dog rescue for its annual Pup Party. “The event is a fundraiser for them,” explains Myra Wood, director of marketing and sales for Ocean Breeze Waterpark. “There are actually dogs that are here that day, and there are adoptions that happen.”
Hawaiian Waters The Colony, a water park in Colony, Texas, hosts Bow Wow Luau, an event benefiting a local animal nonprofit, while Wags and Waves at Hawaiian Waters Garland in Garland, Texas, raises money for several rescue groups in the local area, says Group Sales Manager Christy Myers.
“We sell tickets to [Wags and Waves] and then for an upcharge, the rescue group sells them to residents and guests,” Myers explains. “They will bring in sponsors and line the street with pop-up tents and tables where people are selling treats, dog collars—everything dog-related.”
A Paw-ty That Is Off the Leash
End-of-season dog events are not only enjoyable for dogs—many are designed to be fun for their owners as well.
For example, for its annual Wags ‘n Waves Dog Swim Day, Wild Waves Theme & Water Park in Federal Way, Washington, brings in local vendors and sponsors with dog merchandise. “Owners enjoyed shopping around and finding new treats and toys for their pets,” Marketing and Sales Director Pam Bugbee tells Funworld. “It’s fun to offer a unique, pet-friendly experience that is as fun for the owner as it is for their fur babies.”
Will B. Morey, director of water parks at Morey’s Piers and Water Parks in Wildwood, New Jersey, says its annual PigDog Puppapalooza also includes beach walks, which brings attention to their all-season, pet-friendly bar, appropriately named PigDog Beach Bar. “[The beach walk] starts and ends at our PigDog Beach Bar,” Morey explains. “Some people aren’t familiar with that, and they realize that it’s dog-friendly all summer long, so they can bring their pups there and get something to eat, drink, and relax.”
Staff Works Their Tails Off
While some report their end-of-season dog events are their staff’s favorite workday, in some cases, the staff finds themselves working harder than they do during the season.
Myers says for their dog events at the Hawaiian Waters parks, they need more hands on deck than normal. “We have staff that kind of act as goalies, if you will, to make sure dogs don’t run out,” she details. “We tighten everything up quite a bit and use stanchions and different guarding so that we can make sure dogs don’t escape.”
Because they only want dogs to be in certain areas of the water park, Trombetta says staff preps for the event by barricading all areas of the park in which guests—and their pups—are not permitted to enter. “Additionally, we have lifeguards in the wave pool during the event to ensure the safety of all our guests and their four-legged friends,” she adds.
Allen at Belgravia Leisure says the event’s risk mitigation is based on two key elements—owners taking responsibility for their dogs and staff remaining vigilant about pool safety supervision. “Doggy Day is chaotic, but it’s great to see patrons being alert and super aware of their surroundings,” he adds. “Our staff is experienced in dealing with all sorts of situations.”
While most employees may love having the water park go to the dogs for a day, Morey says it’s important to remember that not everyone likes dogs. “Some people are afraid of dogs, so we want to make sure ... if they have any issues that we’re conscious of that,” he explains.
Safety Fur-st
In addition to staff, there are other clearances required for dogs to be admitted into many of the water parks.
To attend Wags ‘n Waves Dog Swim Day, Bugbee says guests can bring up to two dogs, and proof of vaccinations are required for park entry. “Wild Waves verifies current vaccination records for all dogs attending the event, and we provide separate areas for large and small dogs that might need their own play space,” she explains.
At Splish Splash Water Park, Trombetta says the facility created a liability waiver and release for all guests to sign prior to the event. “The waiver will confirm the guest/handler is 18 years of age or older, their dog is not aggressive or dangerous, and the guest can always control their dog and its behavior, and we require all vaccinations to be up to date, a rabies tag, collar, leash, and license to participate in the event,” she details.
Owner Francis Higgins at The Wagington, a luxury pet hotel in Singapore, says to remember not all dog breeds are good swimmers. “They are required to wear dog life jackets when at the pool,” he says. “One must have very well-trained, attentive staff who are willing to jump in with dogs and a wide range of sizes of durable dog life jackets.”
As an additional layer of safety, Morey’s Piers structures its dog event so that there are five sessions throughout the day. “Breaking it up into sessions ... allows for there to be a certain amount of animals, but still we can try to keep up with demand to have enough capacity for them,” Morey says.
Nothing to Be Sniffed At
Pools full of dogs mean lots of fur—along with other forms of waste. Developing a plan for how to handle contaminants is crucial in executing a successful and safe event.
Because the dog event is held after Wild Waves Theme & Water Park’s last operating day, Bugbee says the pools are drained and cleaned immediately following the event. “Our guests are so kind and very careful to pick up after their fur babies,” she continues. “We have pet stations around the park with doggie bags and cleaning supplies.”
Dixon at Ballarat Aquatic & Lifestyle Centre says the pool at their Eureka facility is drained and cleaned before the start of the summer season. “You need to remember that humans have hair, too, and on hot days, we can have close to 2,000 swimmers attend Eureka,” he adds. “Our water quality management system is well equipped to deal with regular humans and the 50 or so dogs who attend for a couple of hours.”
At Morey’s Piers, the team has found that dogs do not normally relieve themselves in the water. “It’s really on the deck, and we just expect them to go on the deck,” Morey explains. “We’re handing out bags and we have teams with bleach, hoses, gloves, and scrubbers ready to go so we can clean things up pretty quickly.”
An Un-fur-gettable Experience
While there is work involved with holding pool fun just for dogs, those who have organized the events agree it is well worth the effort.
“[It’s a great] food and beverage opportunity for us at the end of the season, and it’s that one last chance to blow out any merchandise that you don’t want to hold over in the offseason,” Wood says.
“A lot of the guests who ... bring in their dogs don’t have kids, so they would not come to the water park otherwise, so it’s a chance to get our name out a little bit more,” Myers points out.
“It’s always really nice to be able to ... use our platform and our venue to try to benefit an organization that’s trying to do good things in the community,” Morey says. “It’s certainly a win-win when you get the public that comes in—and is happy to have a good time and happy that the money they’re spending is going not just for their good time, but also to a good cause.”
- This original reporting from IAAPA News first appeared in Funworld magazine. For more stories and videos covering the global attractions industry and to read a digital version of Funworld magazine, click here.
