There’s a new kind of dog day out in South Australia, and it might just be one of the most wholesome concepts to open here in a while.
Jame Dog Dacation’s new aquatic centre has officially opened in the last month, giving dogs a purpose-built space to swim, learn, recover, play and, in some cases, launch themselves off a dock at speed.
But this is not only a fun new pool for water-loving pups. The Kanmantoo facility is also the only DockDogs Australia sanctioned venue in South Australia, meaning it can host official events and competitions right here in the state.
Owner Teagan Jame says the idea grew naturally from the business she and her husband Kobi had already built.
“Myself and my husband started our daycare business, Jame Dog Dacation. We started that about seven years ago,” she said.
The couple spent more than a year bringing the aquatic centre to life, and Teagan says dog owners have been quick to embrace it.
“The response has been really good,” she said. “This weekend is almost booked out. Last Saturday was pretty much the same.”
The centre was originally imagined as a hydrotherapy pool for the Adelaide Hills, filling a local gap for dog owners who would otherwise have to travel further for that kind of support.
“We had the idea of creating a hydrotherapy pool for the Adelaide Hills, just because it’s not something the Hills really has. You have to go quite far to do hydrotherapy,” she said.
Then came dock diving, the high-energy dog sport where dogs leap from a dock into water and compete for distance.
“I came across dock diving, which is a sport for dogs where they jump off this massive dock. Nobody does it in South Australia, so if you want to compete, you have to go interstate,” she said.
That discovery shaped the size and scale of the pool, which was built to competition standard. Teagan is also the only certified DockDogs Australia coach in the state, and the centre’s first dock diving competition is set for the end of May, with interstate visitors expected to attend.
Beyond the sport side, the aquatic centre is designed for all kinds of dogs, from nervous beginners to confident swimmers. There are one-on-one Swim School sessions to help first-timers build confidence, hydrotherapy sessions focused on recovery and mobility, AquaPlay sessions for dogs keen to burn energy and socialise, and private hire for pups who need a quieter, more controlled environment.
For those ready to take things further, the centre also offers coached DockDogs sessions, owner practice time, group classes, casual come-and-try days, and club meetups for dogs with a taste for launching off the dock.
There’s also magnesium water, solar heating, change room facilities, an enclosed outdoor area, and a shop stocked with treats and toys for post-swim rewards.
What first set Jame Dog Dacation apart, even before the aquatic centre, was its ability to give dogs more room to simply be dogs. Rather than following the more common indoor doggy daycare model, Teagan and Kobi made certain there was plentiful outdoor space, creating an environment where dogs could run, sniff, play and properly unwind.
“We could see the benefits of the dog just being able to run around, use trees, zoomies, and just enjoy their day outdoors,” Teagan said. “It’s much more aligned with who they are naturally.”
At home, Teagan and Kobi have five dogs of their own: kelpies Keith, Levi and Marley, Poppy the rare English Toy Terrier, and their youngest, a Newfoundland named Oh. Teagan says Oh is already taking to the dock diving side of the centre and may become one of the first Newfoundlands in Australia to try the sport.
For Teagan, though, the reason behind it all comes back to something simple.
“We’re going the whole nine yards to make sure that we provide the dogs the best sort of care and experience, because that’s literally the only reason why we did it,” she said.
“What’s better than making dogs happy? Not much.”
Jame Dog Aquatic Centre
Where: Kanmantoo, South Australia
For more info, click here.
