West Hartford Pooches Take A Swim For Dog Park

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Some dogs, as dog lovers know, are a bit skittish around the water.

That, however, doesn't describe the lineup of guests at the annual West Hartford Pooch Plunge event on Monday at Beachland Park on South Quaker Lane, West Hartford.

In fact, turnout was so great at this fund-raiser for the West Hartford Dog Park that organizers estimate twice as many canines went swimming Monday than at 2022's event.

"The pooch plunge yesterday was fantastic – 200 dogs were there, which was twice as many as last year," wrote David Coleman, co-president of the West Hartford Dog Park Coalition to Patch. "Great weather. The dogs and their owners had a blast."

While the pool closed to humans for the season last Sunday, Monday's dog event was the last hurrah at Beachland this summer.

The event was a fundraiser for a permanent dog park and canine pool access was allowed for a donation of $15 for the first dog and $5 for additional dogs.

Coleman said the coalition is still crunching the numbers, but he estimated the final amount was a "few thousand dollars."

The event sponsors were the Town of West Hartford and the 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.

Coleman said Tuesday that nothing final for a permanent location has happened just yet, though there are some options being explored.

"We continue to push for a permanent location," Coleman said. "Possibilities include remaining at the current site, the to-be-developed site at the old UConn branch on Trout Brook, and other locations."

The former University of Connecticut Hartford campus is being targeted for a massive, retail/commercial/housing development that is currently before town land-use commissions.

From Aug. 14: 'Pooch Plunge Fund-Raiser In West Hartford To Help Canines Cool Off'

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