Canine Dip and Dive, Gardeners Farm, Heybridge is a fun, exercise pool for dogs, designed to give dogs and owners the chance to swim together, gain confidence and socialise with other dogs.

The 32ft outdoor swimming pool hosts individual swim sessions, energetic pool parties and breed-specific get-togethers.

Since the Maldon branch opened three years ago, the business has been on the up, with bookings doubling from this time last year.

Aside from an avid returning customer base, the business has made leaps and bounds on social media, enjoying over 80 thousand followers on Facebook and over 45 thousand on TikTok.

The team, couple Jodie and Terry Bruce have been passionate dog lovers since they met over twenty years ago.

Jodie and Terry alongside the 32ft pool. (Photo: Chloe Brewster)

Having always had a lot of dogs, the couple became pet fosterers, helping 76 dogs find their forever home.

After living and working locally for a few years, the couple began looking for a new sustainable venture which could combine their love of dogs with an edge of fun.

"It all started when our Dalmatian was six months old," Jodie tells us.

"I'd always wanted to swim with our dogs but couldn't find anywhere. 

"We randomly found the Ipswich Canine Dip and Dive, which was the main, original pool, and we went there and thought "Oh my god, this is amazing!" and literally fell in love with it."

Behind the scenes at a doggy pool party, featuring four dogs: Buddy, Fellow, Badger, and Lexi. (Photo: Chloe Brewster)

"It is our dream job, we feel really lucky to do something together that we both love."

Jodie, who acts as a social media manager and overall admin for the business, told Nub News they now welcome visitors from all over the UK, with one visitor coming over four hours after seeing videos of the splash pool on TikTok - a short-form video streaming platform.

The Canine dip & dive Maldon TikTok page has over 1.5 million likes and boasts eight videos topping a million views.

"The good thing about it is that it's nice to get the views, and the popularity helps us get bookings, but it's also really nice to get messages from people all over the world telling us how happy our videos make them," Jodie tells us.

"We get comments telling us "this has made my day, I was having a really rubbish day" and it's nice.

"That's something I didn't even consider when I started."

Terry, who grew up in Witham, often features in the business's online videos.

Terry giving Border Collie cross, Badger, a rest. (Photo: Chloe Brewster)

Described by visitors as a "superstar" and "a natural" with dogs, Terry's main role in the pool is to encourage the dogs to play and guide younger or more nervous dogs.

He told Nub News he could never go back to a regular job: "I can't imagine doing anything else now."

One visitor Nub News spoke to came to the pool with her two dogs, Golden Retriever Buddy and mixed breed Fellow.

She told us how Fellow had first come to the pool last year, following a close-call drowning incident which caused the pup to become wary around the water.

She told us that weekly trips to the pool had been "amazing" for the dog's ability and confidence, describing the over two-hour round-trip as "more than worth it".

Border Collie cross Badger and Golden Retriever Buddy enjoy the cool pool as their happy owners watch on. (Photo: Chloe Brewster)

The pool is one of the only fun & exercise dog pools in Essex, with other dip & dive locations including Wymondham in Norfolk and Plymouth in Devon.

Desperate to find out more or browse some more adorable dog content? Check out the Canine Dip & Dive Maldon Facebook page.

Sessions can be booked online here, with special upcoming parties including Chocolate Labrador and Cockapoo meet-ups.