Water Bark is back at Spring Lake swimming lagoon

The kids may be back in school, but there’s still time for local dogs to enjoy some summer fun.

A popular park program that permits them to frolic unleashed in the swimming lagoon at Spring Lake returns Saturday for four consecutive weekends.

First introduced by Sonoma County Regional Parks in 2011, the park system’s Water Bark has been a huge hit with dog lovers and their pets - about 300 of whom participate, on average, park staffers said.

“People really love it,” county parks spokeswoman Meda Freeman said.

The Water Bark was the brainchild of Spring Lake Park Ranger Carol Presho, who was inspired by her two Newfoundlands, huge dogs that loved to swim and romp in water but had little opportunity to do so.

Putting a snow fence up around the swimming lagoon makes for the perfect, safe swim location, she said.

County parks held its first event in September 2011. A second one the following month attracted a record 511 dogs, Presho said.

Though admission is relatively inexpensive - $3 per dog for park members, $5 for nonmembers - Water Bark events have generated thousands of dollars in funding for park programs and services provided by the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, including a new picnic area built in 2012 at the north end of the swimming lagoon, Presho said.

“I’m very excited that it has been so popular and people have embraced it so much,” Presho said, “and regional parks has been able to put this on and provide this for the community. I think it is just a wonderful event.”

In addition to at least one such event hosted at Foothill Regional Park in Windsor last year, 16 Water Barks have been held at Spring Lake over the past four years, scheduled at different times of year outside of the human swim season.

The drought this year interfered with what’s usually at least one spring bash before the swimming lagoon opens for summer, so this weekend’s dog swim will be the first of the year.

The event runs this Saturday and Sunday, as well as Saturday, Sept. 13, from noon to 6 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sept. 20-21 and 27-28 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Parking inside the park is free for park members and $7 for nonmembers.

You can reach Staff Writer ?Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or ?mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.