In a college town like Bloomington, many people see the influx of thousands of students as summer's end.
For others, it's the city's Drool in the Pool event that signals autumn is nigh.
This year, dozens of dogs — purebred and mutt — gathered at Mills Pool the evenings of Aug.
7 and 8 for communal canine swims in clear waters that up until these special nights had been reserved for humans only.
Mabel, the Rev.
Jimmy Moore's black labrador retriever, enjoyed the Wednesday night swim so much that they returned Thursday for more laps.
Mabel spent much of her time with a pull toy in her mouth, hoping another dog, or even a person, would grab hold for a tug-of war.
On Thursday, Mayor Kerry Thomson brought along her black lab, Riley, a graceful jumper and avid swimmer.
The dog had been with Thomson the previous day as well, greeting Fairview Elementary School students on the first day of class.
Besides all of the swimming, splashing and barking, Thursday night's event included three contests for dogs and their owners.
Mad 4 My Dog in Ellettsville provided prize bags for winners.
A gray mottled dog called Bailee and owner Christina Swanson, a longtime Bloomington veterinarian, won the Dog/Owner Look Alike event.
"She's got gray hair and freckles.
I have gray hair and freckles." All three judges concurred on the similarity.
A sweet little dog called Beignet won first place for Best Pet Trick after a brief prance-and-dance performance.
No.
1 in the Most Athletic Dog contest was a 160-pound strong-as-an-ox St.
Bernard called Parker, a favorite among the judges.
Parker displayed his strength by standing his ground and refusing, no matter how hard a boy named Alexander pulled on his leash, to go into the water.
The evening's grand prize went to 8-year-old Audrey Bullman and her pet whippet, Scout.
The spindly dog had placed second in the most-athletic category by gracefully jumping over Audrey's mom as she sat on the poolside pavement.
When asked why her pet deserved grand champion status, the girl described how hard she and Scout train for 4-H and how loving Scout is, cuddling with Audrey when she's sick.
"I don't care if she wins or not cause I love her and she's the best dog."
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.