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14-The Canadian Champion, Friday, April 5, 2002 Swimming pool for dogs making a splash Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Lacey swlms In the canine hydrotherapy pool et Argyle Ferma In Campbellvllle. Few people have a pet like my cat Don't you hate wisen people talk about their pets? As if tiseir pet is so much more special than other people'î. As if their pet it jusl a step below being Isuman. As if people really want to hear about their dog or cat? Well, 1 hale il, especially when few have a pet that cen compare 10, my cal. 1 don't even particularly like tIse cal. I've men- tioned Isin in this space before. About how he ignored me for years and then with my daugh- ters gone during tIse week ail of a sudden want- ed to be my buddy. Either tisat, or he bas an elaborate plan to make me insane. a I neyer wanted the cal in the first daugbters begged me and tisen pro would take care of il and I wouldn't a thsg. 1 don't blame kids for saying tisat, 1 blamne par- ents for believing it. And maybe it's not so much that we believe it but rather that we'd like to, hebelieve il. I've fallen for thse samne trick several n t e tintes. TIse cat's namne was Mlishou. There's ne way 1 loose wat evergoing to have a cal with a stupid naine Iietas renamned it Kit Kat Meowser, ,q wbich is alto a ttupid naine, but far more manly. Tise girls cail il Mishou, I call it Kit Kat place. My Meowser, s0 il has two naines. mused they I taught tise cal my standard trick. Whenever 1 Isave todo * seeMYCA 's on pagl5 By RICHARD VIVIAN The Champion Swimming is for the dogs. That's what John Henderson, owner of the Argyle Farms Canine Hydrotherapy Pool, believes. "Most of themn seemn to just love it. Il's great exercise and 1 think they really enjoy it." Since November, Mr. Henderson has opened his horse training pool - Argyle Farms (10207 Guelph Lmne) is a horse training facility - to members of the canine persuasion. "A lot of it is for after dogs have an operation. Veterinarians often recommend they get this sort of exercise in that situation because il's low impact. Other owners of dogs feel their dogs are a littie over weight and somne do il just for the pleas- ure of it," he explained. "It's a different type of exercise ail together (than running and playing on the ground). They're using different muscles for this. On their firsi time here, people should really take il easy and let the dogs build up to a certain cspacity. You need 10 make sure you're nos over doing it." Dogs splash their way around the 10-foot-deep, 56-foot-long pool, with tumn-around circles as both ends and a ramp for dogs who prefer to wade in. Up to 10 dogs in water at a dîne Durmng open swima sessions, up 10, 10 dogs take to the water aisa time and don't seemn 10 gel in each other's way, said pool supervisor Nicole Bedard. "Mhe majority of themt (dogs) seemn to really enjoy il, but there are a few who do not. Typically, Iabs are more prone to, gomng in right away and not being bothered by it. Others are sometimes a unite unsure of what's gomng on, but once they learn 10 swim, they really enjoy il," she commented. "A lot of people throw in water toys and they'Il jusl dive in an go themnselves. For dogs tIsat are a littie more timid, what we do 10 re-assure themt is put a safety vest, a life jacket, on them. It helpa them along." Being both indoors and monitored for acidity and cleanlinets, the pool offerts asafer swinnng option dma the typical swimming pond, Mr. Henderson continuied. "It's chlorinated, s0 there are no pesticides or anything in il you might tee in a lake or creek - and no parasites either." Outsîde of post-operation and overweight canines, there's alto a few dog trainers who bring their show dogs to round out their exercise and training.