Ok, this is SERIOUSLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION if you live in the DC area and have a dog.
STAY AWAY from ponds or lakes that contain blue/green algae. IT IS TOXIC AND CAN KILL YOUR DOG.
Sorry for the all-caps but I'm pretty shook by this news.
Several dogs have DIED after swimming in algae-infested waters in NC, GA and TX and NOW the algae is being reported in Lake Anna in VA and Lake Needwood and Lake Frank in Montgomery County, MD.
The algae can cause liver damage in both pets and humans so DO NOT LET YOUR DOG swim (nor swim yourself) in any of the above bodies of water or ANY water where you see blue/green algae.