The City of Cupertino held its annual Pooch Plunge event on Saturday, March 29 at the Blackberry Farm pools, inviting dogs from all over to enjoy a day in the water. The event consisted of four 45-minute blocks starting every hour from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with 40 dogs attending each block.
This is the first year since the event’s inception before the pandemic in which the event will be held twice — one springtime session in addition to the annual fall session, which will be held on Sept. 6. Jason Bisely, the Pools and Picnic Recreation Coordinator at Blackberry Farm, says the choice to introduce a second day was a result of the event’s popularity.
“When we first started, it had three swim blocks, and just because it’s been so popular, we added a fourth one,” Bisely said. “It’s our favorite day of the year, and it always sells out. So we figured we’d open up another one in the preseason, see if it was just as popular. And turns out it is.”
San Jose resident Stacey Kazan has attended the Pooch Plunge for the past five years. Each year, she has brought her golden retriever, Maxwell, who is now 12 years old, to enjoy the facilities at Blackberry Farm. Although Kazan and her dog have had a positive experience each year they have attended, she warns owners that not all dogs will enjoy the event.
“Pooch Plunge is just not the place to teach your dog how to swim,” Kazan said. “I think some people don’t understand that and try to just drop their dogs in the water, which just scares the dogs and makes them afraid of water. So as long as your dog loves the water and loves to swim and is good with other dogs, I’d say come.”
Kazan says the Pooch Plunge has allowed Maxwell and many other dogs to indulge in their love for swimming. The event is Kazan’s only access to a pool for Maxwell, so she makes it a point to sign up every year. This year’s event was particularly significant to the pair, as Maxwell recently sustained an injury.
“He actually tore his CCL, which is the equivalent of an ACL in a person,” Kazan said. “We didn’t do surgery, because when they’re old, surgery doesn’t always end well. So, we’re just rehabbing it on our own with physical therapy. He’s done some pool therapy, but it’s only been like 20 minutes in a warm, small pool. So this was a big deal for him.”
