BEATRICE – Tuesday night was one for the dogs, at the closing of the Big Blue Water Park season in Beatrice.
The Beatrice Humane Society, partnering with the City of Beatrice and public properties department, held their annual Doggy Dip fundraiser. Dog owners, for a small donation, could bring their pooches to the pool for a dip with lots of canine friends.


"This event usually raises about fifteen hundred dollars, which for an organization like ours, means that we can save the life of another animal with emergent surgery. We just had one today that came in and probably is going to need an amputation of a leg. This allows us to potentially get that amputation of that leg and get that animal the care that it needs. It's a good way for us to be able to give back to our community to get them out here and see some of our adopted dogs....but also it's a way for us to give something back to the shelter animals."


Humane Society Executive Director Carlee Fiddes says the event has been going on for about fifteen years. Tuesday night’s swim was split into two parts…..one for the more active….and maybe less easy to handle animals……and a second stage for the quieter canines.


Fiddes says summer is a busy time for the local animal shelter, and this year is no different.  "We're operating at high capacity as we usually are during the summertime. It's our busiest time of the year and we're feeling it. There are days we have three different litters of kittens come in a day and we do one or two adoptions. So, the numbers on some days really go the wrong direction. But, we're here for our animals, we're here to give them the care that they need. We've got an amazing foster care program. At any point in time, we have anywhere between 50 and almost 100 kittens out in foster care. Right now, I've got six puppies out in foster care. It's just allowing us to provide them the best care that they can have, while they're waiting to get to adoption. I'm super thankful for all of the help we have to do what we do....because it's a rough time of the year."


Among the larger dogs, a huge Newfoundland….and a Great Dane. Many of the pet owners now have dogs that were adopted from the shelter.  Beatrice Mayor Bob Morgan and his wife Kelly brought their Golden Retriever for a dip in the pool.


The swim season at the park has finished for the year, with school back in session.