The first impression of Parker's annual “Barker Days” event is pandemonium. Dogs of every size and shape, hundreds of them, indulged in a sensory overload of things to fetch and chase in the water of the H2O'Brien water park in downtown Parker Sept. 8, and the result was nothing short of anarchy with the overwhelming scent of wet dog.

The 2018 Barker Days allowed dogs the chance to swim around at H2O'Brien Pool before the town drains the pool at the end of summer. The retrievers overtook the deep pool and fetched tennis balls and Frisbees while the huskies and St. Bernards splashed around in the kiddie pool. Many of the smaller dogs, some donning custom life jackets, stayed at the water's edge, barely dipping a paw before retreating to dry land.

To take a break from the swimming and splashing, the O'Brien baseball field opened to the dogs to play and dry off. An agility course and a dozen booths of different kinds of treats left no shortage of interest for the dog's day of summer.

“It's chaos,” said Shane Druckenmiller. This was the first time he and his dog Moose, a white Labrador retriever, turned out to Barker Days. “But it's awesome.”