Swimming in the DMV

[Anonymous]

Hi, pet people. Looking for places to bring my dog to swim this summer. Golden Retriever, water curious and interested, but I wouldn't say a fluent swimmer probably due to lack of opportunity.

Where can we go? I found one place out in Potomac we are considering for a day trip for swim lessons, but I think the purpose is more for water therapy than teaching a 1 year old to swim. And that's a haul. Rock Creek is nearby, but I believe there are parasite concerns if it hasn't recently rained. Planning a trip to Springfield dog park, but that water is not particularly deep. Sniffspot doesn't have anything with a pool locally. I watch these Goldens on Instagram doing dock diving in indoor pools and would love to at least try that out, but apparently we have nothing like that here?

Anything I am not thinking of?

[Anonymous]

I looked into this and was to find very much. A lot of pools let dogs come swim on the last day, so around Labor Day.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and there are parts of the Potomac River in Southern MD where the water is very calm and might be good for a dog. But that’s obviously a bit of a trek.

[Anonymous]

No great suggestions, but a caveat: the end-of-season doggie swims at public pools are NOT great for dogs who are not already very confident swimmers. Overwhelming, and there's no gentle ramp or appropriate stairs for in/out, which can get unsafe quickly if a dog panics.

I hope others have suggestions. I've been to great lake-front dog parks in other cities where dogs can wade in safely and then swim out fairly deep, but I don't know of anything like that locally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I looked into this and was to find very much. A lot of pools let dogs come swim on the last day, so around Labor Day.

Yes, Francis Stevens (very close to me) does this the last day of the season, but that pool is actually closed this whole summer to human and dogs for repairs.

[Anonymous]

Here’s a list of MD options: https://www.dogsofcharmcity.net/amp/12-places-for-your-dog-to-go-swimming-in-maryland

Some more including VA: https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/api/amp/pets/dog-days-of-summer-where-to-go-swimming-with-your-dog/

[Anonymous]

The shirlington dog park is the best option for this in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I looked into this and was to find very much. A lot of pools let dogs come swim on the last day, so around Labor Day.

This is so nasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I looked into this and was to find very much. A lot of pools let dogs come swim on the last day, so around Labor Day.

This is so nasty.

What's nasty about dogs using the pool before they drain and clean it for the season?

[Anonymous]

Is it safe for a dog to go into a chlorinated pool? Will the dog ingest chemicals by grooming himself afterward?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The shirlington dog park is the best option for this in the DMV.

I thought it regularly is pretty contaminated due to storm runoff.

[Anonymous]

I should probably not be giving away my favorite hidden spots, but oh well. Go to Mason Neck. There is a small "beach" about a 1/4 mile walk into the trail by the water (Bayview Trail). Check out the tides before you go, because at high tide, there's not much beach. Anyway, it's shallow water for humans, but deep enough for dogs for a looooong way. And the beachy area is long enough that you can go to the far end of it, if you need to get away from people and dogs. Keep your dog on a long line; they aren't supposed to be off leash (although they frequently are).

[Anonymous]

Glencarlyn
https://g.co/kgs/rfpXfB

[Anonymous]

In the trail at dyke marsh there are a few spots we’ve felt comfortable letting dog wade in. It’s at Belle haven marina.

Haul Road Trail