Get ready to shake off that soaked fur, Sonoma pooches, because after a year’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spring Lake Water Bark is back. The fun dog-swimming event will return for three weekends in October to the Spring Lake Swimming Lagoon at 393 Violetti Road in Santa Rosa.
“We are so pleased to bring back the Water Bark,” said Melissa Kelley, executive director of the nonprofit Sonoma County Parks Foundation. “Dogs and their owners love this event, and we’ve been getting calls and emails requesting it for months. We’re glad we can offer this safe swimming option for dogs and at the same time raise funds to support our dog-friendly Regional Parks.”
Also returning this year is photographer Julie Vader, who will be onsite to take photos on Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Oct. 10 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Vader posts photos of the playful dogs at julievader.com, and a portion of the photo sales benefits the Parks Foundation.
The swimming lagoon is available this fall for human use through Sept. 26. Following that date, the lagoon will be circled by snow fencing to keep dogs safely enclosed. Also for the dogs’ safety, the lagoon water is treated with chlorine and regularly tested.
The event will be offered the weekends of Oct. 2-3, 9-10 and 16-17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to reduce wait times for Water Bark entry and benefit from the online ticket discount. Online tickets are $7 per dog for Regional Parks members and $9 per dog for non-members. All in-person tickets will be $10 per dog. Regional Parks members park for free, and parking for non-members is $7 per car. Advance tickets can be purchased at SonomaCountyParksFoundation.org/water-bark.html.
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