Soggy Doggie enables pups to dive in

Rick Dandes, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·3 min read
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Jun. 4—WATSONTOWN — The sweltering heat of a Central Pennsylvania summer can be debilitating for humans, and pets.

Duska Rishel came up with a humanitarian solution to keep your dog cooled off — by inviting them into their indoor pool — as a service of her business, Soggie Doggie.

Soggie Doggie provides a year-round, indoor heated building and swimming pool for dogs of all sizes and abilities, according to Rishel, the owner and operator.

Rishel said the concept stems from an event she attended around eight years ago during the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.

"Somebody down there had a galvanized pool that they had welded," she recalled. "It wasn't very big, but the dogs were swimming and loving it."

Rishel thought "it would be a cool idea to offer that to dogs that had mobility issues, excess energy, needed to lose weight or just have fun. It's just all-around beneficial to them in many ways."

The doors to Soggie Doggie are open at the R-Horizon Farm, where she resides with her husband, John.

The Rishels moved to the farm in 2001, when it was an operating dairy farm.

Initially, they did not have a pool on the property, but they built one inside one of the existing structures on the farm.

"We had a space on the farm that made sense for us to put the pool," John said.

Meanwhile, John Rishel also has a heifer raising business on the farm.

Providing inspiration for the business was Duska's Jack Russell, named "JR", who is an avid swimmer, she said.

To have your special companion jump into the pool, contact Rishel and set up a private appointment — a chance for the dog or dogs to investigate the pool site.

"Initially," Duska said, "we have almost a meet-and-greet session, an evaluation to make sure the dog can get in and out of the pool, using the ramp.

Not every dog that comes here knows how to swim, so I do spend a lot of time getting dogs acclimated to the pool. "

After that has been established, dog owners can make appointments for 30, 45, or 60-minute intervals. "Depending on how long you want to use the pool," Duska said. "It is all private usage. There are not a bunch of dogs there at the same time."

The dog is never unattended while in the pool, Duska stressed. "Of course, the owner is also there for the session.

"I enjoy seeing the dogs get benefit out of this," she said. "It makes them happy, and it makes me happy."

There is also a fenced in area, about half an acre, where dogs can go to run and play. "We have a picnic table as well, so that the owner can sit and spend time with his or her dog."

The business location is 1710 Vincent Ave., Watsontown. For more information, call 570-412-6676, e-mail soggiedoggie@gmail.com. or visit online at: www.soggiedoggie.com.