Eddie Chance is a 7-year-old golden retriever. That’s 49 years old in human years. He’s not afraid to be pampered.

The golden retriever usually gets a bath about once a month, said his owner, Juliet Pohlmann, 16, of Bowling Green. The rising junior at South Warren High School had a better idea Saturday.

With the bright sunshine and heat surrounding 815 Hunters Run Ave. and Hannah Chaney’s annual summer dog wash to benefit the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society in full swing, Eddie Chance got his chance to beat the heat with a spritz, a toweling, some dog treats and lots of attention.

Chaney,18, said she’s never had a rainout at her dog wash.

“We haven’t had a bad day in nine years,” Chaney said. 

Cheri Chaney, Hannah’s mom, said her daughter has always had a love for animals. As the dog wash years progressed, she was able to use the event in the service projects required in her studies. Hannah works for Dr. Jerry Smith at the ByPass Animal Clinic in Bowling Green. Her mother teaches third-, fourth- and fifth- graders at Dishman-McGinnis Elementary School.

Hannah said the event helps make dogs that don’t have owners have support, or as Pohlmann put it, “animals without families.”

The light blue T-shirts the girls wore Saturday said it all. Sporting a picture of a large sitting dog and the word Volunteer at the top, the T-shirt tag line said, “Help those who can’t help themselves.”

Eddie Chance is a substantial and picturesque dog. Weighing more than 100 pounds, he sported wet hair and a turquoise- and orange-colored bandana tied around his neck. Of course, he was also wearing a huge dog smile.

Hannah’s annual dog wash moved into its ninth year Saturday. Pohlmann said she heard about it from a friend. The goal was to raise $1,200, eclipsing last year’s event by $200. When Hannah began holding the event, she was still waiting to enter high school. Now she’s a rising sophomore at Western Kentucky University majoring in biology in the pre-veterinarian track.

She had five people to assist her in the Chaneys’ front lawn and driveway, an assembly line of blue buckets with shampoo and water and towels.

The dog wash was also a time for dog owners to chat and the dogs to nuzzle and explore each other. Amazingly, the dog leashes didn’t tangle when the little dogs made acquaintance.

Kami Whitehouse, 15, of Bowling Green, also a rising junior at SWHS, lives near the Chaneys and has been coming to the dog wash for seven years. The group had raised $200 before the first dog got wet, she said. The number of dogs at the dog wash reaches about 50.

Many people just stop by to donate money or supplies for the humane society, Whitehouse said.

Shelby Higginbotham, 19, of Bowling Green, a rising sophomore in business management at WKU, said people need to remember some simple steps in keeping their pets safe in hot weather.

“If the ground is too hot for your feet, it’s too hot for your dog,” Higginbotham said. 

Cheri Chaney added the dogs should be provided plenty of water and kept in the cool inside if possible.

“And, never leave a dog in a car,” she said.

— Follow education reporter Chuck Mason on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnschools or visit bgdailynews.com.