KALISPELL — For one day only, dogs reserve the Woodland Water Park in Kalispell. The canines get to go in the water for a special cause.
“This will be our fifth or six year doing this. We've had up to 120 dogs at once,” Paws to Play Volunteer Diane Bokor said.
Dogs big and small gathered at the water park to cool off on a hot summer day at the annual Paws Splash Bash Event.
“The last day of the pool, when all the kids are out of the pool, the city lets us bring the dogs in, and as you can see, its a lot of fun in there," Bokor said.
The event has been put on for around five years by Paws To Play, a local non-profit that started due to the demand of a dog park in the area.
“People were just thinking, gosh we need one, so Paws to Play was formed maybe thirteen years (ago) probably," Bokor said. "We started raising funds, we didn't have any land or anything but people were really generous trying to get this project off the ground."
Paws Splash Bash was formed as a way to raise funds for the dog park.
“We saw something that other communities were doing at a YMCA, that's kind of how it started," Paws to Play Secretary Shelly Huerta said. "Then we brought it to Parks and Recs attention and saying hey is this something we can possibly do in the future, and then they were super on board,”
Paws to Play’s fundraising was so successful, the dog park was built in 2017, but the organization continues to raise money for maintenance and other new features.
“Now the park is up and running and we continue to raise funds to add amenities to the park, we're saving now to get a gazebo in the park,” Bokor said.
The Paws Splash Bash is fun for dogs and humans alike, and all the proceeds go to a good cause.
