Watch out, Michael Phelps! The dogs are jumping in.

NORFOLK

Most owners of water-loving dogs know they can visit the pet-friendly beach at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach or the Oceanfront in the off-season, when restrictions against dogs are dropped.

Public-pool options, though, are limited.

So it’s a treat when the Norfolk Fitness & Wellness Center opens its pool to canine swimmers just before it closes for the season.

The center will host the second Dogs Gone Swimming, a fundraiser for Friends of Norfolk Animal Care Center, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.  Dog owners can choose one of four, 45-minute swim sessions, each beginning on the hour, so the crowd doesn’t get too unruly. Lifeguards also remain on duty for the event.

“Believe it or not, we try to put a little bit of control on this,” said Bob Batcher, a city spokesman and Friends of Norfolk Animal Care Center board member. “We take this stuff seriously.”

Last year, a trash-talking dachshund made a lot of noise. Some rambunctious boxers caused a bit of a ruckus.

“Their owners put ’em in time-out, and they were fine,” Batcher said.

Other than that, everything went swimmingly. Friends of Norfolk Animal Care Center raised more than $2,000 from more than 113 splashing dogs. This year, they hope to attract 200 canine swimmers.

The money helps the Animal Care Center, the city’s municipal animal shelter, in providing medical treatment for sheltered dogs and cats and educational programs and clinics to encourage spaying and neutering. It also can buy needed equipment for the facility.

If swimmers pre-register online by today , it costs $10 for the first dog and $5 for each additional dog. At the door, the price goes up to $15 per dog.

The Fitness & Wellness Center pool slopes at the shallow end, so even toy breeds or novice swimmers that lack the natural ability of a retriever or a spaniel can wade in. If they prefer to stand on the edge and watch – as a diffident Great Dane did during the event last year – that’s OK, too.

“This year, because of that dog, we’re going to have non-swimming activities,” Batcher said.

Those include a K-9 police dog demonstration, paw readings, obedience training exercises, dog agility performances and canine swimsuit contests.

To appease human swimmers concerned about pet-tainted water, the center schedules the event after the pool’s regular season ends, Batcher explained. “It’ll be drained the next day.”   Carolyn Shapiro, (757) 446-2270, carolyn.shapiro@pilotonline.com