Help!!! POOL!!! :D Creative ideas please!

[makka619]

I have a small, plastic above ground pool.

I was hopeing some of you clever people might be able to help me think of a way to make an inside ledge (that sits below the water).

The idea is to let my pup come in, and I would like to make a nice ledge that he can go to, to rest on.

So, I need something that doesn't float to the top, and is stable in it's placement, and sturdy enough to hold my pup.

The pool is about 1 meter deep... not deep at all, but for a puppy very deep.

My ideas so far:

* Cover it with a non-slip bath mat.
* PVC pipe square base... fill the bottom part with sand so that it doesn't float, and drill a flat piece of wood or something to the top for the ledge.
* Get a fish crate and cover the top with a bath mat. (Tried it, it floats. Could tie some type of weights to it.)

*** Anyone have any better ideas, I don't really like mine. I don't think there is anything made for this. I really can't think of what else I could use.

Thanks!!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Perhaps a combo of your ideas?

I dunno what a fish-crate is, but I imagine it's like a baker's crate? ie. A wide, long flattish plastic milk-crate?

I reckon get some PVC pipe with end-caps to make legs, drilling 1/4"(ish) holes every couple of inches and in the middle of the caps to allow water/air in/out. Fasten inside the corners of the crate with gal. coach-bolts & wing nuts and place in pool to see how much flotation it has. Put a plastic bag in it and slowly add washed blue metal, small chunks of masonry, whatever (so long as it's clean!) until the kit'n'kaboodle starts to sink.

Remove, divide the weight up equally and place it into each leg.

Throw on your bath mat et voila!

[seriph1]

ensure the dog cannot get into the pool when you are not there to supervise - like children, a puppy may decide s/he loves the water when mum and dad are around .... so in they go and oops - no mum or dad.....blub blub blub.... I make light of it but it would crush me to think it could happen.

[Bob38S]

I have a small, plastic above ground pool.

......

Thanks!!

Silly question, perhaps - the pool is hard plastic? Isn't it?

Ifnot, or the plastic is thin then I could see the dog's nails being a problem.

A reasonable platform would be similar to a dog's bed [or use one but you will probably have to lenghten the legs] - fill the legs as has already been suggested and the size should be sufficient.

BTW a pool that is frequently emptied should not be a problem but if it was a spa type etc then you could have a bacterial problem letting the dog in.

Hope it helps,
Bob

[masoth]

If you have an unused plastic 'esky' lid (or anything similar) drill a couple of holes to admit water, attach fencing wire hooks to hang over the side of the pool. This device will need to be reasonably steady or the pup will fear it, that's the purpose of holes to admit a water ballast.

soth

[bystander]

Check with your pool shop but I was told that if I let my dog into the pool then all chlorine was ruined and it was a big effort to restore it to normal.

[WillyInBris]

We had the same problem.

I just cut down a old plastic table (one of those kmart plastic ones) down and weighted it down with a sand bag, it worked well.

we now have an inground pool thats has seats that my two dogs sit on so I cant send any pics as it was taken to the tip last year.

As for having dogs in a pool I have never had any problems with ch levels and one of my dogs has hip problems so she has a swim for 30 mins 4 days a week for about six months of the year.

The only time you will get bacteria problems is when you neglect the pool as we all have bacteria on us same with dogs cats, birds and bats pooping in ya pool etc can cause bacteria problems, but if some one has puddle bottom (diarrhoea or a gastrointestinal infection in the previous week) they should not use the pool as well.

I have never had one person or my kids come down sick from being in the pool, but then I do look after it winter and summer and check the level weekly.


Willy

[corbs]

I was going to raise the dogs nails going through the membrane issue but already done. If its just to keep the dog cool in summer then my aunt used to have one of those plastic shells you get for little kids, sand in one side and water in the other for him/her to play in. The dog loved it, just drill some holes in the bottom of the side with the sand if you go down that avenue to let the water and the dog pi55 out of it.

Corbs

[Stuart]

That's exactly what I use for my dogs - they love it. On my third one now (they get brittle after a while in the UV, but the dogs love it too much not to replace it) They splash about for hours (better than a bath too )

I don't use the sand side though - they have the whole backyard to dig up I save that shell for the next time the pool needs replacing.

[makka619]

Nails and teeth could be a problem – Though, I don’t really think he will get that close to the plastic edge for his nails to cause a problem. (I'd say it is thin plastic, not those plastic pools that are held up by metal bars).


It is one of those pools from kmart where the outer rim inflates and then you fill it with water and it rises. So the top is a like a balloon ring; which is perhaps in more danger of getting popped by nails or if he bites it. Any thoughts on how to make a ramp that gets him from inside the pool to outside when the top is a balloon???


It has a filter. But we don’t use any pool chemicals (chlorine). I don’t know what to use, or how important it is (for a fairly small pool). I was thinking if I just changed the water every few weeks or so.
<o></o>
Thanks for all the ideas guys.

**seriph1: Don't worry, I will watch him like a hawk. The pool is fenced in.

***Skew ChiDAMN!! A fish crate (not even sure if that's the name) but I was referring to what I think you described (plastic milk box crate thingo).