A Different Kind of Dog Paddle: A Lifeguard’s Surprise Shift at Trousdell

A Different Kind of Dog Paddle: A Lifeguard’s Surprise Shift at Trousdell

By Scott Flowers

Showing up for a lifeguard shift usually means watching people swim and play in the water. Imagine arriving at work without realizing this time, the swimmers would have four legs.

My son was working at Tallahassee’s 20th annual Puppies in the Pool event, and his day was about to include a very different kind of dog paddle.

According to WCTV’s October 27 report, the city’s 20th annual event brought dogs and their owners to Trousdell Aquatics Center for Saturday and Sunday sessions, with swimming times for dogs of different sizes.

Among many memorable moments, one participant stood out: a dog with an impressive ability to carry several tennis balls in its mouth. This skill also included very little interest in sharing, as he collected and hoarded balls while being pursued by all the other would-be fetchers.

There were other memorable moments. One playful dog nipped ankles as people tried to pet and run. A playful reminder that these swimmers had their own ways of interacting with the staff.

Then came a less glamorous duty: cleaning dog poo out of the water. Luckily this happened only once!

The unexpected assignment resulted in a collection of stories that would have been hard to bring home from an ordinary shift, and a good reminder that unexpected joys can appear when you least expect them... even at work.

For the families attending, it was a chance to enjoy the pool with their pets. For one lifeguard who had missed the memo, it was the day he showed up for work and discovered the pool had gone to the dogs.

Source note: Event background comes from WCTV Staff’s “Something Good: 20th annual Puppies in the Pool,” published October 27, 2026. Personal anecdotes were shared with the author by his son, who worked as a lifeguard at the event.