Written by Clara Paulson

The words “let’s go swimming!” barely escape Angie Young’s lips before her dog bursts across the backyard dock, eyes transfixed on the red toy she just tossed toward the pool. The four-legged athlete soars over the edge, never losing sight of the prize, even as gravity takes hold, sending him back to earth with a refreshing splash.

What resembles an exciting game of fetch is actually deliberate training for an upcoming dock diving competition at Southern Kingdom Diving Dogs. This backyard setup in the suburbs of Soddy Daisy is one of only two training grounds in the state of Tennessee that aims to transform pets into high-flying competitors. 

Angie Young, the business owner, just finished cleaning the pool and is preparing to begin swimming and dock diving lessons throughout April, in which she’ll instruct local dogs to take a leap of faith and jump as far as they can across a pool.

The business itself came to be due to an unexpected leap of faith from Alexa, one of Young’s dogs. 

“I took one of my shepherds to Greenway Farms and accidentally threw a ball off the side of one of those little cliffs,” Young said. “She immediately dove off into the water. 

Young had seen dog dock diving on TV, so when she got home, she looked it up, and there was a mobile doc that was gonna be in the vicinity at a veterinary clinic opening. She immediately drove Alexa to that event, and she placed first overall for the weekend. 

When people learn Young’s dog is a competitive dock diver earning national titles and ribbons, their initial reaction is almost always intrigue and curiosity. What does that mean? they ask. The question that naturally follows her explanation is “Can my dog do that too?”

While Alexa proved to be a natural athlete, not all dogs will be instant dock divers; however, Young endeavors to instruct all breeds and encourages Chattanooga pet owners to try their hand at the sport.

“You have to look, does my dog have enough toy drive to overcome the height of a two-foot drop into the water? 
Once they’ve done that, then we can always schedule a lesson and help teach you the mechanics of how to make it look better.”

The concept sounds simple enough, but several dogs won’t plunge into a pool the first time around, even if the dog has a strong toy drive and is desperately pawing at the toy gradually floating further from the dock.

“Jumping into a pool is different from jumping into a lake or river,” Kate Andrews, a client at Southern Kingdom, said. The clear water of the pool can throw some dogs off.”

Dogs have poorer depth perception than humans, meaning they can’t properly gauge how deep the clear pool water is. This fear often takes the form of a whimpering pet running back and forth across the dock, eyes locked on the floating toy. 

To ease fearful dogs into a swimming pool, Young starts them on a ramp that descends into the water instead of a raised dock. She cheers on year-old puppies as they clumsily step off the ramp, fumbling toward the toy. When they grab it, and they kick and splash back to the ramp as though it were a lifeline, she beams with pride.

“What I get out of training is helping the dogs that I’ve had to work the hardest to get in the water,” Young said, “dogs that will stand at the top of the ramp and refuse to go in the water, dogs that are afraid of swimming and have no desire to do this. It’s not a short time that it usually takes to accomplish that, but then watching these dogs that turn and actually compete for a title is super rewarding.”

Young isn’t the only one who benefits from this largely unknown sport. Pet owners and their pets not only get to spend time together but also learn to work with each other and read each other’s body language.

“Anytime you can spend time with your dog, you build a bond,” Andrews said. “I love watching Z dock dive because you can tell he absolutely loves it! His whole body quivers with excitement when we pull up to the dock.”

There is a benefit for dogs that are either injured or have had an injury, and for dogs with extremely high drive. For this reason, veterinary clinics will sometimes partner with dock diving facilities to host competitions or just to support them.

“Dock diving helps dogs that have had knee surgery, back surgery, or anything that their bodies are rehabbing from because swimming is low impact,” Young said. “So it works really, really well to help them be able to rebuild muscles. It helps dogs that are easily overstimulated, too. Swimming just literally wears them out and is an alternative to disrupting your house.”

No matter the breed or experience level, any dog can become a dock diver as long as they take that initial leap.

“The dock diving community is super friendly and welcoming,” Andrews said. “Everyone truly cheers for each other and celebrates others’ successes. I’d say we are a competitive group, but that competition is about having your dog perform the very best that they can. You and your dog will have a great day — regardless of how far they jump.”

As Southern Kingdom Diving Dogs prepares for training season and the competition in May, Young continues to sit by the pool, encouraging both young dogs to step in and experienced dogs to jump further than they have before.

“It doesn’t matter if they jump 10 feet or 30, they’re still having fun, and it’s time you get to spend with your dog,” Young said.

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Man’s Best Friend

Written by Sydney Banks

Inside Play Dog Excellent’s agility ring on a bright and early Saturday morning, handlers rehearse an obstacle course with invisible dogs at their sides. Behind them lies a small village of dog crates, hosting a range of breeds of every size and color. Barks and yips echo in the air with every new arrival of a competitor. Handlers and spectators alike greet each other and their furry friends in passing. Each greeting is filled with a sense of encouragement and anticipation for a long day of competition ahead. 

Mornings like this have defined the Chattanooga Dog Agility Club (CDAC) for nearly 30 years. 

“We do dog events. It’s not just agility, where all the dogs run through all the obstacles like the tunnels, the jumps, and A-frames,” said CDAC president Debbie Tuthill. “We also have Fast CAT, we have rally, we have scent class. We’ve expanded because so many of our members have multiple dogs in multiple sports.” 

What began as an extension of the Obedience Club of Chattanooga in Flintstone, Georgia, has now become the city’s hub for all American Kennel Club-recognized dog sports. Supporting over 50 members, the club offers a wide range of canine events, all while providing a sense of community for those with “a mutual love of dog.” 

While agility remains the club’s foundation, the organization supports multiple sports that test different canine strengths. Traditional agility requires dogs to sprint through timed obstacle courses, relying on speed and their handler’s verbal and physical cues. Rally blends obedience and communication skills as dogs navigate through a course with signs of different commands, while scent work challenges them to locate various hidden odors by following scent patterns. Fast CAT brings the speed, as dogs chase a lure in a timed 100-yard straightaway run. 

Tuthill has participated with her dogs in multiple dog agility sports, both locally and nationally. She has been involved in dog agility competitions for 25 years, and currently competes with her Brittany Spaniels, three-year old Skyy and 10-year old Ginger. 

“I was just looking for something different to do with my dog,” Tuthill explained. 

Animals provide a sense of comfort and joy to any pet owner. But unlike most pets, dogs that compete in agility double as both companion and competitor. Many of them train multiple times a week in classes with their handlers, and consume protein-rich diets that sustain them throughout the competition season. 

“They’re so active, and protein and omega-3s keep their joints good. They’re athletes. And I always try to warm them up a little and stretch them out after I’ve just taken them out of the crate, just like an athlete would,” Tuthill said. 

When Tuthill traveled to an invitational Fast CAT competition with her Brittany spaniel, Skyy, she felt their bond manifest the moment Skyy won Best of Breed at only two years of age. 

“When Skyy was released, I couldn’t see the time. Renee saw the time come up on the screen. She literally starts running down the course and screaming, ‘She did it! She did it!’ It’s just one of those ‘aha’ kind of moments that you have, and you work so hard to get there,” Tuthill said. 

Dee Rice, the secretary for the CDAC, experienced similar sentiments after her 8-year-old Italian greyhound, Blu, won a championship with the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA). 

“You’re a team with your dog. It’s like ‘Team did it!’ We did it together. When you have that moment after a good run, and you’re like, ‘Wow, we were really communicating.’ It’s just a high,” Rice said. 

Even at their most competitive, the team partnership between handler and dog is rooted in something deeper than sport. 

“It’s an unbelievable bond,” said Rice. “I’ve had pets my whole life. But adding in that training, your dog is just glued to you. And one thing you will not see is anyone being mean to their dog.” 

The partnership never loses its everyday simplicity. Amidst the stress of a stiff competition season, handlers ensure they are able to enjoy the same downtime with their dogs as any pet owner. 

“They’re still our pets, they’re at home, they’re with us. We still play catch. We take them for walks,” Rice said. 

While the deep bond between owner and dog might be the driving force behind a successful dog agility trial run, the connection between club members is what fosters CDAC’s tight-knit community. 

“Since I retired, all my friends are dog friends. We have so much in common. It’s very, very giving, and very loving,” said Rice. “We support each other, we cheer for each other, we cry with each other. Sometimes it’s more crying than not,” she joked. 

The emotional investment is what makes the club so tight-knit. Aside from reviewing the important agenda at meetings, club members make supporting each other the top priority. 

“At our meetings, we open it up for brags, and people are always saying all this stuff they accomplished with their dog. We’re all cheering each other on. You kind of become one, is what you really do” said Tuthill. 

This culture of support extends beyond the competition ring. Many handlers in the CDAC are also involved in pet therapy with the Scenic City Chapter of Love on a Leash and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping veterans recover from post-traumatic stress. 

“We enjoy being together and working together. We don’t have trouble getting volunteers to do anything,” Rice said. 

For members of the CDAC, ribbons and titles are meaningful, but are only a small part of what makes being in the club worthwhile. The group has built a lasting community for dog lovers in Chattanooga and extends a shared pride and compassion to those around them. For handlers who return week after week and year after year, it is true partnership and a sense of belonging that make every early Saturday morning worth it.

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