Parks Department: Boulder Dog Dayz canceled for fourth year in a row – Boulder Daily Camera

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Boulder Dog Dayz, a highlight of the year for dog owners looking to cool off their pets over Labor Day weekend, will not be returning this year, according to a representative from the Boulder Parks and Recreation Facilities.
Dog Dayz, which is usually at Scott Carpenter Pool at 30th Street and Arapahoe Avenue, last convened in 2018. The event was canceled in 2019 due to construction that lasted into 2020, then again due to the COVID-19 pandemic amid ongoing health and safety concerns. This year, however, the focus has shifted to letting families have the last splash in the pool in September, not pets.
“(We’re) keeping the pool open for just the humans this year,” said Jonathan Thornton, the communications program manager for Boulder Parks and Recreation. “We’re trying to do our best to have operations open as much as we can for the community.”
Another factor impacting the event is the ongoing staff shortages facing the parks department. Positions across the department are struggling to get filled, meaning places like Scott Carpenter Pool would be without lifeguards, a potential public safety risk.
Hiring lifeguards has been a struggle over the past few years for several reasons, including decreasing high school and college student applications, more competitive wages from private sector jobs, and lapses in lifeguard certification programs for employees, according to Thornton.
“We’ve had some trouble ramping up those programs,” he said. “Because of those reasons, we had to curtail those operations.”
Curtailing operations included closing Spruce Pool last summer and not offering outdoor pool lessons for members.
Residents across Boulder are disappointed with the news, including Amy Mueller, whose dog Maple can’t swim safely in local fresh water. “Dog Dayz was one of the few times she could swim without a massive reaction,” she said. “(It’s) disappointing another year will pass without the event.”
Another resident, Caroline Bushnell, added that it was her pup’s “favorite week of the year.”
All hope is not lost, however. The Parks and Recreation Department will have an increased budget to hire more seasonal staff in 2023, which might allow for a return of Dog Dayz next year. The Parks and Recreation Department will have more conversations about whether to continue the event in the spring when the budget is in full effect, according to Thornton.
For now, four-legged friends will have to find more creative ways to cool off this September.
“We know it’s popular and people love it,” Thornton said. “Maybe next year. We’ll see how things go.”
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