How do you know if water is safe for swimming?

Fran101

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#1
There is a big local park around where I walk dogs.. and there is a big pond/body of water.



There are swans/ducks and dogs are allowed (at the park, not sure about the pond) but I haven't been here during warmer weather and was wondering.. how do you know if a pond is ok for dogs to swim in? I'm worried about health stuff, pond scum, biting fish lol I dunno

Not for the dogs I walk obviously lol I was just curious how bodies of water are determined to be safe.
 

Fran101

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#5
After watching that Monsters Inside Me show on Animal Planet..I'm never swimming again :p.

Sorry that's not helpful :p.
Lol I meant for dogs.. CERTAINLY NOT for me!

Natural bodies of water other than the ocean creep me out
PLUS IT'S GREEN!
and geese are big..
 

Brattina88

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#6
That's a good rule to go by Jess lol I never thought of it that way. If it looks to scummy I say no.... Your park looks very nice :) If they were allowed, I would probably allow it
I always stop and consider.. would I be able to go in after her if there was an emergency? o_O
 

Doberluv

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#7
My person all rule is if ducks are in it, my dog can be in it :p
LOL...I'm the opposite. If ducks are in it, (well....too many ducks and geese especially) my dogs don't go in. All that poo floating around. eeewwwww.

That water doesn't look too bad though.

My Lab was terrible. When off leash, she'd just head for any water and I just let her. Sometimes it was pretty gross and she got hosed off when we got home. I liked the big lake I lived near. It was really clean. But she went in ponds on the golf course and in ditch water by my house and in my creek. The creek wasn't bad, but had some shallow, muddy places.

It's fun to have a dog that enjoys swimming, but extra work for us....rinsing if needed, drying etc. My Lab took forever to dry.

Well, I bet you're looking forward to all this fun. It's nice you're looking ahead of time for neat things to do.:)
 

CharlieDog

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#8
That's a good rule to go by Jess lol I never thought of it that way. If it looks to scummy I say no.... Your park looks very nice :) If they were allowed, I would probably allow it
I always stop and consider.. would I be able to go in after her if there was an emergency? o_O
This. If I wouldn't want to go in it because of the murky bottom or silt on the bottom, whatever, I don't let them in. If other dogs are in, I usually will, or geese or ducks, I figure it's safe enough, but sometimes even if they are, if I'm not willing to jump in to save them, I don't let them. I've had to jump in one too many times to not consider it a strong possibility. (Or maybe Ozzy is just a terrible swimmer :p )
 

Southpaw

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#10
Ask other people. lol.

Our dog park has a disgusting pond. There are signs up warning about the high levels of e. coli found in it. Ask anybody at the park what they think about the pond and you are almost guaranteed they will say DON'T DO IT. And then tell you about how their dog got wicked diarrhea from it or something. And the vets here advise against that pond, too.

(Of course, I disregard rules and Juno still goes in it).

That's my personal, fool proof (obviously!) method. :p
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#11
I look for flowing water, stagnant freaks me out. I'd just ask around locally. If there is no toxicity warning I'm usually fine with it. I can always bathe my dogs, their fun is worth the stank.
 

joce

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#12
Both I and my dogs have been in some nasty water! That looks beautiful!

Usually we go on walks and a toy will get stuck in river scum and I get to retrieve it. Ick. I'm still alive. But it could explain some things lol!
 

Dizzy

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#13
If it had visible sludge I'd be wary. Otherwise anything is game to us.
 

milos_mommy

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#14
If you don't see dogs swimming in it, it might be unlikely they're allowed. Most ponds in Central Park don't allow dogs to swim (because they disturb the wildlife, I guess....the ponds are safe enough for turtles, fish, and plenty of birds to live in), and Central Park is REALLY dog friendly.

Otherwise, maybe call the town/city and ask if there are any environmental warnings around it.

I let Edna swim in some of the nasty sludgy swampy ponds that dogs ARE allowed in, and she never got sick, even when she tried to pick up a dead frog on the bank *vomits*.
 

smkie

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#15
Watch out for fishing line, and broken bottles in public lakes and ponds. I had a lab get 80 stitches from a three prong fishing hook that caught in his leg and ripped as he swam.
 

Maxy24

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#16
I've never seen dogs swimming there, my guess would be they are not allowed. Especially since I think that's where they have like swan boats and stuff.

As for in general, I have no idea. I'd probably avoid any stagnant water. For example at the park I bring Tucker to there is an area of water, it fills up when it rains, stays for several weeks but does dry up if it's really hot for a while. I generally don't let Tucker in there (though other people do let their dogs in and Tucker has gone in to grab balls a few times), I just feel like the water must be gross if it just sits for weeks with no flow or anything.
 

Fran101

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#17
That's the pond in the public garden.. not the common with the swan boats lol but I asked someone today and they've said they've seen dogs go in there and come out totally GREEN!
..so.. I'm gonna go with it's not a good idea lol
 

Laurelin

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#18
I'll be honest, I've gotten more wary as time goes on. I used to let them in almost anything. But a friend of mine lost two young dogs- a malinois and a toller- to blue green algae. It was so sudden. Someone at the park mentioned that it has been found in the pond at the park. I see dogs in there all the time but I can't help but worry. We avoid it now. I don't think I'd let my dogs in my dad's pond either for the same reason.
 

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