Dogs dive into a pool to compete, and cool off, at first festival for canines in Port Jefferson

Like many Long Islanders trying to beat the heat, dozens of dogs cooled off by diving into a Port Jefferson pool on Saturday.

The dive into the pool by about 140 assorted canines was part of Port Jefferson’s first Port Paws Dog Festival at Joe Erland Field on Caroline Avenue.

The village hosted the festival for dogs and their owners from Long Island and beyond, and it featured the pool, vendors and food trucks on Saturday and Sunday.

The village estimated it cost $15,000 to put on the event and organizers expected to make about $25,000 — netting about $10,000 for the Port Jefferson Harbor Education and Arts Conservancy, economic development director Kevin Wood said.

Although the original concept was hard to fathom, Wood said, his vision and the village’s effort brought the festival to Port Jefferson on one of the hottest weekends of the year. The village hired the Ohio-based operator DockDogs, backed by local sponsors.

“It’s crazy I know,” Wood said. “When I presented the idea in November, the first thing I said was I need to put a 30,000-gallon pool in the middle of the baseball field. Here we are and now it’s a reality in July.”

The dogs lined up, waiting to run down a 40-foot dock before diving into the above-ground pool after their owners threw a toy into the water. The dogs are rated by the length and speed of their jump.

Emma Byldenburgh, 28, of Westhampton Beach, came to the competition with her silver lab Skyee and her co-workers from an animal hospital.

“It looked fun. She loves to jump off the deck into the pool and loves swimming,” Byldenburgh said. “It’s a little hot, but she’s starting to cool off. It’s not too serious of a competition and we’re having a great time.”

In between dives, the festival provided a tent where dogs and their owners could cool off under misting sprinklers.

Kristen Bence, 38, of Port Jefferson, and her yellow lab Ghost where cooling off in the tent before the dog was scheduled to compete.

“He absolutely loves swimming and jumps right in swimming after the tennis ball in the pool,” Bence said as Ghost started barking toward the pool. “It’s hot, but I don’t think he realizes it. He’s too excited and might be getting impatient.”

The festival included an adoption event and service dog operators with the Medford-based Canine Companions.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.