Quiet zones, sandpits and paddling pools: the paw-some evolution of Australia’s state-of-the-art dog parks

David Davis throws a ball for his dogs Como and Mika at Thomas Oval dog park in South Yarra, Melbourne. He describes the park as ‘a sensory wonderland’ for his pups. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/The Guardian

It’s a balmy Saturday not far from Melbourne’s Yarra River when a handful of people with their pooches arrive at the Thomas Oval dog park, trying to avoid the heat.

David Davis and his husband, Jen Tan, are here with their two dogs – Mika (a six-year-old groodle) and Como (a five-year-old cavoodle) – who sniff and dart around this South Yarra gathering place. The dogs move with abandon, with Como squeezing her shaggy head between my legs as her owners chat.