Monday marks the first Labor Day Dog Paddle in Madison. You could say it was a howling good time. People were still showing up with their dogs an hour before it ended.

The dog paddle cost $10 per dog, and within an hour and a half of opening, hundreds of people had unleashed their best friends to play in the pool.

"When I drove by and saw all of the dogs, said this is perfect for her," Trisha Knaack says of her chocolate lab, Bailey.

Goodman Pool opened its gates Labor Day to swimmers of the four-legged variety. But it's hard to tell who's happier with the idea of a doggie paddle -- the people or their canine companions.
"I was excited because dogs don't get too much of a chance to swim in clean water around here," Louis Olson says with young Soldier on his lap.
But this tail-wagging good time also serves a purpose.
"If I need him to find some drugs, he does that. He's very focused, you couldn't ask for better," Madison Police K9 Officer Henry Wilson says.
Wilson says you could ask for more dogs like Ivan.
"Instead of sending officers in an unsafe warehouse, can send in the dog to do a nice, quicker job of searching the building," he says.
Ivan's one of five K9s with MPD. Each costs up to $60, 000 for officer training, a K9 squad and the dog itself. This Dog Paddle will fetch more dollars for the program.

Back poolside, good behavior was the rule, but dogs will be dogs.
"So far it's been a lot of dashing around, going into the water, coming back out," Olson says.
"Oh, what else did he do though," Lisa Imhoff says.
Still, Soldier the Puggle was a trooper after his accident. He went on to watch the first round of the biggest splash contest, enjoying what is after all, a dog's life.
"He doesn't know his size. He thinks he's a big dog. So he takes what he can get and gets what he can take," Olson says.

A sergeant with Madison's K9 unit came up with idea after reading an article about other communities doing it. Animart sponsored the event, but Capital K9s rented the pool, which staff say, will be drained and closed after Labor Day. Early estimates show about 450 dogs paddled their way through the day.