In the News

These swimming pools cater to an exclusive pack: Dogs only

By Karin Brulliard, March 6 2018

An unusual aquatic center inside a suburban Maryland strip mall has five narrow pools and several swimmers of varying abilities, but only one stroke: the dog paddle.

At the edge of the largest pool, a 9-year-old bear of a pooch named Bosley reluctantly inched down a tiled ramp into the 87-degree water, then languidly swam one length with the aid of a yellow life jacket and a human coach who walked alongside him. Bosley had taken a two-week break from his weekly session, and his fatigue showed.

“Oh, he hates it,” said his owner, Kandee Zitelman, who watched from a bench. “But he’s down from 81 pounds to 70 pounds,” which, she added with a smirk, “is his goal weight.”

Zitelman credited Bosley’s slimmer physique both to a new diet that includes steamed veggies and to this canine-only swimming facility, which opened in 2016 to fill “a need that people were not aware of,” according to the facility’s owner, Dominique Darcis. K9 Aquatic Center, wedged near a wine bar and a nail salon in posh Potomac, now has some 900 dog clients regularly booked for 30- or 45-minute sessions of fun, exercise or help with injury recovery.

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Potomac Aquatic Center Specializes in Lessons for Dogs

By Joe Zimmermann, March 2018

K9 Aquatic Center, on 12948 Travilah Road, has about 900 clients—all of them furry, four-legged and with varying levels of interest in the water. The center is one of an increasing number in the country that offers swim sessions for dogs, with small, thin pools the dogs can use for fun, exercise or help with injury recovery. Owner Dominique Darcis opened after she got tired of bringing her water-happy dogs to a faraway pool for horses.

It’s a Dog’s Life

By Bill Bronrott, May 2018

One in three Maryland households have a dog, and most are considered a member of the family. Little wonder the buzz about a modest storefront on Travilah Road that is home to pools built exclusively to exercise and entertain our canine kids in Montgomery County and beyond. Upon walking through the doors with my seven-year-old Spinone Italiano, Carmella, we were greeted by Dominique Darcis. An admitted “Lab addict,” the Parisienne transplant was inspired by her Labrador retrievers to “build the pools they were dreaming of.” And, thus was born the K9 Aquatic and Wellness Center, which celebrates its two year anniversary this month.

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Pool Therapy Is the Big New Thing for Dogs in Recovery

By Amber King, February 2018

Wedged between a nail salon and a wine bar in a Maryland strip mall, there’s an aquatic facility that’s turning heads. K9 Aquatic Center, owned by Dominique Darcis, has over 900 regular clients, but none of them are the type of swimmers you’d expect. They’re furry, swim with four legs, and are most often referred to as man’s best friend. That’s right, K9 Aquatic Center is all about dogs.

While the suburban facility isn’t the first of its kind, the idea of using pool therapy to help dogs have fun, lose weight, and recover from injury is relatively new. Veterinary science is only recently realizing the benefits of swimming used as physical therapy for canine rehabilitation. Water serves as healthy resistance to help build muscle and burn fat. It’s a low-impact, non-weight bearing workout that can help treat medical health conditions like arthritis in older dogs and help combat obesity, and best of all, dogs seem to love it.

At K9 Aquatic Center, there are five narrow lap pools complete with tiled ramps and clean water. When the canine clientele arrives for their session, they’re met by a trained swim coach who guides their workout based on the dog’s individual needs, whether it’s joint pain, tight muscles, or to upkeep their body condition.

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Dog Pools: They’re a Thing Now

June 2018

This is not a story about dogs in pools — we’ve covered that on the Waterfront before. This is a story about dog pools moving mainstream. About entrepreneurs opening up commercial pools for dogs just like they do for humans, and getting the dogs (or perhaps their owners) to pay for the privilege of using the pool the same as you’d expect at LA Fitness or Gold’s Gym.

A google search using the keywords “dog pool” in major metro areas brings up a slew of businesses with names like “Wet Wags” and the “The Rex Center,” all with top-flight swimming facilities dedicated exclusively to canines.

One such dog swimming facility is the K9 Aquatic Center in posh Potomac, Md., which opened two years ago to fill “a need that people were not aware of,” so the owner, Dominique Darcis, told the Washington Post. The business has flourished with some 900 current clients making regular bookings for swim sessions. The Center charges $44 for a half-hour swim, $390 for a 10-swim pass and makes special arrangements for dog birthday parties.

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Dog Pools: They’re a Thing Now

June 2018

This is not a story about dogs in pools — we’ve covered that on the Waterfront before. This is a story about dog pools moving mainstream. About entrepreneurs opening up commercial pools for dogs just like they do for humans, and getting the dogs (or perhaps their owners) to pay for the privilege of using the pool the same as you’d expect at LA Fitness or Gold’s Gym.

A google search using the keywords “dog pool” in major metro areas brings up a slew of businesses with names like “Wet Wags” and the “The Rex Center,” all with top-flight swimming facilities dedicated exclusively to canines.

One such dog swimming facility is the K9 Aquatic Center in posh Potomac, Md., which opened two years ago to fill “a need that people were not aware of,” so the owner, Dominique Darcis, told the Washington Post. The business has flourished with some 900 current clients making regular bookings for swim sessions. The Center charges $44 for a half-hour swim, $390 for a 10-swim pass and makes special arrangements for dog birthday parties.

This place is the first—and so far, only—multi-pool swimming facility for dogs in Washington. Dominique Darcis, a former French Embassy staffer and antiques dealer, opened it just over a year ago. Burnt out on antiques, Darcis had no experience in pet care, just a lifelong love of dogs and, she says, a belief that “swimming is the best exercise for them, as with humans.”

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