Pooch Plunge Fund-Raiser In West Hartford To Help Canines Cool Off

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Summer is ending and late August must mean one thing in West Hartford ... the annual Pooch Plunge, where your furried friend can enjoy a town pool.

The 2022 version of this year's plunge is at Beachland Park, 847 South Quaker Lane, on Monday, Aug. 21, from 4 to 6:45 p.m. The pool closes to humans on Sunday, Aug. 20.

The end-of-summer special event is a fundraiser for a permanent dog park. Tennis balls will be provided and guests are asked to not bring any dog toys.

There will be one session, with families and their canines able to come and go whenever they want.

Buy a ticket in advance for a donation of $15 for the first dog and $5 for additional dogs.

Those interested can print out the confirmation email with waiver, sign it and bring it to the pool with a licensed dog(s).

“The dog days of summer are literally here,” said David Coleman, co-president of the West Hartford Dog Park Coalition, which is organizing the event. “Dogs bring joy to our lives and this is a joyful event. We always get a fantastic turn out, and we appreciate the support of the Town and our corporate sponsors.

"The Pooch Plunge, our largest fund raiser of the year, is intended to gather momentum for a permanent dog park in town. We look forward to this dog day afternoon.”

Critical to the event are local community sponsors.

“We are honored to support this amazing event,” said Courtney Daley, owner of Daley Pawz in West Hartford. “It’s so cool to promote local events in the town that I grew up in. We can’t wait to meet more local dog owners at the 'Plunge.' As a business owner, we fully support the dog park coalition and its effort to establish a permanent dog park here in West Hartford. I know that our customers will be thrilled when that day comes.”

Advance ticket sales will end the night before the event, but people can buy tickets at the gate.

"Be sure to check out the paw-some raffle prizes available at the event," wrote event organizers.

Participants can pay in advance or at the pool entrance via Venmo or cash.

To donate to the dog park effort, use this link.

Rules for the event include:

• Dogs must be licensed with current 2023 tags.
• Dogs / children must be supervised.
• Tennis balls provided. Please don’t bring dog toys.
• Pick up poop.

The event sponsors are the Town of West Hartford & Dog Park Coalition.

West Hartford currently has a temporary dog park at 100 Mayflower St., West Hartford, which is the site of the former St. Brigid School.

But the town is working to convert that to a library/community center and, when that project begins, the dog park will be shuttered temporarily.

The town and the coalition are planning a permanent dog park, possibly at that site, and the ongoing fundraising effort is toward that end.

For more information, visit the West Hartford Dog Park Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/westhartforddogpark.

For more information on the West Hartford Dog Park Coalition, click on this link.

To register for the event, click on this link.

From July 13: 'West Hartford Dog Park Gets Major PZC Boost'