DENVER - Colorado may require dogs to wear lifejackets in pools at boarding and day care facilities.

The new rule is proposed by a division of the Colorado Department of Agriculture known as PACFA, which stands for the Pet Animal Care Facilities Act.

In addition to the life jacket regulation, PACFA has proposed that dogs may not swim in pools where the bottom is not clearly visible through the water.

“This is the most absurd government regulation that I have ever heard of,” said James Bertini, owner of Earthdog Denver

The regulation does provide an alternative to wearing life jackets -- if there is a lifeguard.

Existing state regulations already require a dog handler to be with dogs that are swimming, and Bertini said if the new regulation is enacted, it would require two people to supervise dogs when swimming.

Bertini said it is 'simply not a cost we can incur and stay in business.'

7News tried contacting the Colorado Department of Agriculture Monday morning, but no one was available to answer questions about when the proposed law could go into effect.