There is a moment of hesitation and she meets my eyes as though to check: is this really allowed? Then my dog dives – 24kg of fox red labrador launching into Gourock outdoor pool – to join the splashy tumult.
Dogs of all shapes, sizes and swimming ability have come to the outdoor saltwater pool on Scotland’s west coast for what has become an annual fixture. On the last day of the season, the strictly humans-only policy is relaxed for the Doggy Dip so that canine companions can enjoy the mercifully heated waters with their owners.
If Brèagha, my four-year-old family pet, is less interested in the panoramic views of the Clyde estuary than in the squeaky tennis balls bobbing in the water, she can be excused. It’s fair to say most folk here, even those without tails, are just a wee bit over-excited.
The pool, which featured on the cover of Blur’s 2023 album The Ballad of Darren, has been running the Doggy Dip since 2019 and this year had to lay on extra sessions to meet demand.
Tuesday was a successful first visit for Neo, a four-year-old miniature poodle from nearby Greenock. Since he has twice fallen into the local canal, his owner Christina Bell was keen to try swimming with him in a more relaxed environment. “He loves splashing around but when his feet can’t touch the bottom then he panics,” she says. “We thought we’d come here because it’s warmer water and more buoyant because of the salt and it’s been a massive improvement.”
A pair of Pekingese, 12-year-old Raphael and five-year-old Ludo, are return visitors, drifting serenely through the waggy throng in their flotation jackets. “It helps because they are quite top-heavy,” says their owner Angelique Peyranns, who has travelled across the estuary from Dunoon. “I’d highly recommend it, it’s a great idea to have them swimming in such a safe environment.”
Safety and comfort for both dogs and their humans are paramount, says Marc McFarlane, a facility manager at the pool. Lifeguards patrol the area, dogs are hosed down after leaving the pool to rinse away chlorine, which can irritate sensitive snouts, and the occasional toileting indiscretion is dealt with swiftly. And if there is a top note of wet dog in the air, it is soon whipped away by the sea breeze.
Gourock is one of a growing number of outdoor pools to offer dog swim events. The art deco elegance of Brighton’s Saltdean lido is transformed this month for “Dogtember”, with weekend swim sessions attracting visitors from across England and even France. Last year’s event raised half a million pounds for the Grade II-listed coastal pool.
“We get through hundreds of tennis balls every weekend,” says the Saltdean organiser Jules Shepherd, who also runs breed meetups at the pool during the month. “When you see 150 labs or goldies in the pool at once, it’s quite a sight.”
In mid-October, Cheltenham lido punctuates the shift from summer to winter season with a dog swim. Growing in popularity every year, it’s “a celebration of lido and community, and the bond between people and their pets”, says its marketing officer, Amy Bott. “It’s a fun way for people to discover us for the first time, then come back again for the other sessions.”
Beyond the lido circuit, dog swimming has become big business, with a proliferation of companies offering bespoke pools for owners concerned about the safety of wilder forays in rivers and lakes or who do not live within easy reach of the coast.
Andy Brownlie, who describes himself as “senior splashmaker” at Canine Dip and Dive in Suffolk, has recently written a code of conduct for similar businesses, with the aim of establishing industry standards around lifeguards and sanitation. “Fur is a nightmare,” he says.
Brownlie, who runs four other pools across the south of England, lists a host of reasons why owners visit: to help their dogs overcome fear of water, or lose weight, or to provide joint-friendly exercise for older dogs.
“Every breed of dog can learn to swim, given the right guidance,” says the former dog trainer. “Some suffer through technique – for example, brachycephalic breeds such as pugs, French bulldogs and boxers tend to lift their heads high to keep them out the water, so they’re swimming upwards while their back legs droop.
“You might think a really big dog like a Newfoundland would sink but their coat will trap air, so they glide effortlessly like wearing a big lifejacket. And dachshunds can swim brilliantly but because of their long bodies their hips roll when they turn, so they end up on their back. We call this the sausage roll.”
