Thirty-nine dogs and a bone-shaped pool

The pool belongs to Brenda Langley, the 60-year-old who owns the place. It started with her own above-ground pool. She swam in it with the dogs, and they loved it so much that she had to replace the liner more than once. So she built them a pool of their own.

This one is set in the ground, 20 by 40 feet, with a shallow end for small dogs and the ones who don't swim. Green grass and trees ring it, and a wooden pergola hung with string lights stands close by. The dogs can spend up to four hours a day in the water.

How each dog gets in is half the fun. Some walk down the steps with great care, like a guest at a fancy hotel. Others skip the steps and land belly first. A few like to keep a toy in their mouths while they swim, and more than one can bark and paddle at the same time.

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The dogs on the edge don't stay dry for long. They seem to urge each other in, and when one dog barks at the others, another jumps in right after. A viewer who spent years as a lifeguard said these swimmers behave better than most people at a city pool. They take turns, and they're careful not to land on each other.

Thirty-nine wet dogs make a mess, so the pool takes work. Each morning the staff spend an hour sweeping it, and strong filters run day and night. During every swim, someone stands by with a net to scoop out anything that turns up. One fan summed it up in four words. That poor pool filter.

The pool isn't the only perk. Lucky Puppy also has two three-acre play yards and seven acres of trails, and Langley thinks swimming is good for a dog's body and mind. When the day winds down, the dogs rest in their own bedrooms, with blankets and soft music playing on CD.