How to Build the Perfect Pool for Your Pup
With the warm weather, balmy evenings, and longer days of summer, our husky mutts tend to get a bit hot! While we love our summer lake plunges and paddle boarding adventures, sometimes our pups need a way to cool off closer to home. We’ve tried a plastic kiddie pool, but the dogs chewed and punctured it. The dogs, especially Luna, tried to find their own swimming holes, a cow trough (yuck) and Linus tried to turn his water bowl into his own mini splash pond. We knew there had to be something better. So we researched stock tank pools, and it turned out to be the perfect solution for Linus and Luna.
It is possible to just fill a stock tank with water and let the dogs have their fun, but we wanted to add the pump/filter to be able to keep the water somewhat clean without having to empty and refill the tank. The whole process of setting up the tank and adding a pump took a couple hours. Here’s what we used:
Stock Tank (we got a round 4 ft tank at a local livestock supply store)
There are many resources for making a stock tank pool online. Here are our steps:
Find a flat surface near a plug and water hose
Drill 2 holes to fit the inlet and outflow components. We made two 2 3/4” holes (but check to see what size hole your components require) a quarter of the way around the pool from each other to help with water circulation. The hole for the inlet (water into the pump) is closer to the bottom of the pool, and the outflow hole we put higher up, but still under the water line.
The plunge valves are not necessary, but it gives us the option to shut off water to the pump when needed and to disconnect the pump without all the water leaking out.
We then connected everything per the pump instruction manual.
We didn’t need to use silicone sealant around any of our fittings as all of the components came with rubber gaskets, and so far have been water tight.
Lastly, fill with water and let the fun begin!
Some of the modifications we made to make the pool more dog friendly are:
Since our dogs like to drink the water, we haven't been using chlorine. We've had the pool for a year and algae has not been too much of an issue. Additionally, since the water is free of chemicals, we can pump it out to water the plants in the yard.
The pump helps with filtering out bugs and debris, but for a little extra protection against mosquitos, we use mosquito dunks which are safe for pets and humans.
Finally, we installed a sun shade sail, which helps keep some of the leaves out and cools the pool a bit.
We have had the pool for about a year now, and it proven to be a refreshing escape from the summer heat for Linus and Luna. HAPPY SPLASHING!
