WORCESTER – Regatta Point has a new lifeguard, and he has four paws, fur, and an adorable face.
Bentley, an 8-year-old Goldendoodle, is busy keeping Regatta Point visitors safe.
“My wife said, ‘Let’s just go look at puppies.’ We went to the first puppy place we found,” Regatta Point Executive Director Casey Duva told the Community Advocate. “I met Bentley, and I fell in love. So, I said ‘How much is he?’ They gave me a price and I said ‘OK.’ They’re like ‘You don’t want to negotiate a little lower?’ I said, ‘I don’t want to take the chance of not getting him.’ They actually talked me down in price,” he said.
Bentley learned to swim on Lake Quinsigamond and has been in the water ever since.
And Bentley has proved to be an extremely diligent worker.
“He goes in, makes sure that everybody is safe. He does it all on his own. He’ll swim up to each person and you have to hold your hand out in front of him and say, ‘I’m OK.’ Then, he heads to the next person,” Duva said. “He just loves to be in the water.”
Dogs are always welcome at Regatta Point, and dog life-jackets are available. Regatta Point — located on the shores of Lake Quinsigamond — seeks to “create adventures for all people to learn and grow through recreational and competitive boating,” according to the organization’s website.
The organization offers kayaking, rowing, sailing and more water-based activities.
“We’re community boating with the mission of getting people on the water: sailing, rowing, crew, and kayaking. Our goal is to let no barrier stop us,” said Duva.
“It’s not about the money. It’s about people,” he said. “And dogs.”
More information on Regatta Point is available at https://regattapoint.org/
