Seneca Hill Pet Aquatic Center in Great Falls, VA

Temperature-Controlled Fun for Your Furry Family Member

Since opening our new state-of-the-art facility, the Seneca Hill Aquatic Center has been a popular center of activity – and with good reason. Even initially reluctant swimmers soon become comfortable in the 80-degree water with our in-pool instructors. At the end of each session, every swimmer is also blow-dried to add to that feeling of well-being.

Call (703) 420-7083 to schedule your pet’s next visit to our pet aquatic center.

The pool—4 feet deep, 7 feet wide, and 30 feet long—gives our swimmers plenty of room to increase their strength, flexibility, and endurance through non-weight bearing exercise.

Swimming in the pool’s warm water is particularly helpful:

• For rehabilitation after surgery or an injury
• As exercise for older or infirm dogs
• To improve conditioning and fitness for athletic dogs
• To alleviate boredom and stress

Of course, one of the biggest benefits of swimming is that it is just fun!

Individual Swim Programs

Seneca Hill in-pool instructors develop individual programs for each of our swimmers. Some dogs do well swimming in place with the instructor, while other dogs prefer to swim laps and circuits around the pool. Individual programs make each session enjoyable for every swimmer and help them get the maximum benefit from their session.

Our instructors also follow special guidelines for novice swimmers. Each dog is gently introduced to the pool to be sure they feel secure and confident before swimming. Novice swimmers wear life jackets that make them feel more secure by increasing buoyancy and allowing better control by the instructor.

For athletes, Seneca Hill instructors take advantage of the resistance jets in the pool. These jets create a current for dogs to swim against, which increases the work-out benefit of the swim session.

If a swimmer is in a rehabilitation program, our instructors follow the directions from the veterinarian or physical therapist so that the swimmer gets the maximum benefit of the non-weight bearing therapeutic exercise.

Pool Safety & Comfort

The Seneca Hill pool also has a number of special features designed to make swimming more enjoyable for every dog.

To help assure the safety and well-being of each Seneca Hill swimmer, all swim sessions are supervised by an in-pool instructor. All dogs must wear life jackets unless a dog is a proven swimmer.

Our pool offers the following features:

• Temperature controlled at a comfortable 80 degrees
• Instead of chlorine, our pool contains bromine, which is kinder to a dog’s skin, eyes, and coat
• A gently sloping ramp and easy grip stairs are particularly helpful for novice swimmers and senior pets

Pool Health Requirements

Along with meeting certain health requirements, we recommend that swimmers be on a monthly heartworm prevention regimen and be treated with a monthly flea and tick control product. Please let us know if your dog has special circumstances, such as medical reasons why they cannot be vaccinated, so that we can accommodate your special situation.

In order to enter the pool, all dogs must:

• Receive a rabies vaccine at least two weeks before your swim appointment and it must be current per the manufacturer. If your dog is less than one month overdue, Seneca Hill can administer the vaccine. Puppies must be vaccinated by 16 weeks, but it is not necessary to have a two-week waiting period.
• Receive a DHPP vaccine at least two weeks before your swim appointment and have it be current per your veterinarian. If your dog is less than one month overdue, Seneca Hill can administer a DHPP vaccine. Puppies must be current in their series of vaccine injections. Vaccination titers done within the past year showing protective immunity for Distemper and Parvovirus are also acceptable.
• Receive a Bordetella vaccine at least five days, but not more than six months, before your swim appointment. This also applies to puppies. If your dog is less than one month overdue, Seneca Hill can administer a Bordetella vaccine.
• Undergo a fecal examination with negative test results within one year of the swim appointment and at least 48 hours before the swim appointment.

Swim Rates

The cost for a 20-minute swim session is $38.00. Swim sessions are by appointment.

Call (703) 420-7083 now to get started.