If you’re hunting for dog friendly places near you, looking for the pawfect doggy gift, a hound friendly holiday or are in need of dog care, let me introduce the one stop shop for all things dog!
Let’s face it, us Brits are a nation of dog lovers. Whether it’s a day out at the beach or a staycation in the countryside, life is better when you have your furry friend in tow.
A Directory Dedicated To Dog Friendly Places
Five years ago, I set up Dotty4Paws, a directory dedicated to our canine companions. A ‘one stop shop for all things dog.’ An online resource for dog owners to sniff out dog friendly places in their local vicinity.
The website is designed so that wherever you are in the country; visiting relatives, attending a wedding or on holiday, you can locate dog friendly places and services nearby.
What started as a hobby, (a bit of a pipe dream, if I’m being honest) has now turned into my full time job. For someone who is completely dog-obsessed it’s my dream career.
I spend my days promoting the amazing dog friendly listings we have on the website, blogging about dog related products and taking a zillion photos of my girls for pet brands to use in their advertising.
Now and again we are invited to stay in dog friendly cottages and hotels and write reviews about them. It really is a dream come true. That Sunday night feeling is a thing of the past!
The One Stop Shop for Dogs
The directory has grown into so more much than I ever envisaged. We now advertise not just dog friendly places, but a whole host of dog related services.
We have a complete section dedicated to dog accessories and gifts. Stylish leads, collars and bandanas to make your pup the envy of every pooch in the park.
Luxury doggy hampers to make birthdays and Christmas even more special for your pampered pooch.
Herbal remedies and natural supplements for when your pup is feeling under the weather.
With doggy day care centres, dog walkers and wedding chaperones listed on the website, we even cater for those times when you can’t be with your dog.
Dotty4Paws is a website dedicated to living life with your furry friend. Giving them the best possible existence during their short time on earth with us.
Dog Friendly Places are on the increase
In the last few years, society’s attitude to dogs has changed. Far more places are dog friendly and welcome our canine companions with open paws.
Businesses have realised that allowing dogs into their premises is an effective way to generate revenue and encourage their customers to spend more money. And I’m all for it, providing it means that me and my girls are welcome in more places.
I’m more than happy to pay an extra £10 per night to stay somewhere, or treat them to a puppuccino when we’re out and about. Even if it is an extortionate price and costs more than my Latte!
For those of us lucky enough to be owned by dogs [let’s to be honest, it’s usually that way around], they are part of our family. They are not a ‘pet,’ but an important family member that we want to include in our lives as much as possible.
If you’re anything like me, holidays are so much more enjoyable when your dog comes too. A pub lunch is so much more leisurely because you don’t have to rush home for your dog. Life is generally just much more pleasurable in my opinion.
Dogs Are Becoming Child Substitutes
Dogs Are Becoming Child SubstitutesFor many couples (like my husband and I), our dogs are our children. I’ll shamelessly admit that I regard Pops and Gertie as my fur babies.
It wasn’t by choice that we didn’t have human children, but life doesn’t always turn out as you planned it. A few curved balls have been thrown our way, [in fact they felt like huge boulders at the time]. However, after years of torment, I’ve learnt to embrace life with my girls. Appreciate what I have and make the most of it.
Live and let live I say. Life is about what makes you happy. If that’s children (and you’re lucky enough to be blessed with them) that is great. Equally if that’s a dog (or two or three), then why should you be denied the privileges granted to traditional ‘parents?’
How Dog Friendly Can we Expect Places to be?
How Dog Friendly Can we Expect Places to be?As a self confessed crazy dog lady, places cannot be dog friendly enough in my opinion. I’d have my girls sat next to me at the table, eating only the finest doggy delights served from the A La Bark Menu given the choice!
There’s been many a time when Pops and I have been sat quietly in a cafe, whilst a family with out of control children have been causing chaos and ruining everyone’s peace and quiet!
As long as dogs behave well and are clean (ie not leaving a trail of muddy paw prints behind them and shedding their fur all over fellow customers) why shouldn’t they be welcome?
However, I accept that not everyone shares my love for dogs! [Although why not is completely beyond me!]
Rules are not there to be broken!
Every dog friendly establishment has it’s own rules and I truly respect those. As a fellow dog owner reading this, I’d encourage you to do the same.
We want our dogs to be welcome in more and more places. If we adhere to the rules, more businesses will be inclined to open their doors to paws!
I’d rather be able to take my girls with me than not at all. Okay, so places might not allow them on the furniture, or invite them to snuggle up under the duvet with you, but they are with me and that’s what counts.
We’ve stayed in dog friendly places before where Pops wasn’t even welcome to join us for breakfast. Now, I would argue they were far from dog friendly. In fact they were barely dog tolerant.
You can’t expect a dog to stay in an unfamiliar hotel room and not freak out! No matter how much I treat Poppy and Gertie like my children and talk to them constantly, even I don’t expect them to understand why they’ve been left alone in a strange place!
Providing establishments make allowances and provide provisions for dogs I’m happy.
So have a little pawruse of our website. Find that pawfect place and don’t be shy.
If you know of somewhere that we should include in our directory please get in touch. The more dog friendly places we can sniff out as a nation, the merrier!
If you are a fellow dog crazy person, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line or get in touch on social media.
Woofs and Wags
Kate, Pops and Gertie
xox
I totally agree with the kids in cafe/restaurants paragraph! I waitress pt at a pub most weekends and the chaos some families leave in their wake… Carnage! The dogs in the bar are better behaved than most!
Haha! Yes, I cringe at the way some families behave! As long as all customers are polite – albeit dogs, children or adults, I think everyone should be welcome in public places (within reason obviously!) x
Kate, this is lovely.
Blessed with two boys, they are all grown up and now and have lives of their own. Delilah is my new (fur) baby, the daughter I never had, and following a marital break-up, the ‘baby’ which has cemented my new relationship with Chris. We love to take her everywhere possible with us and massively appreciate dog friendly facilities. Taking her and paying a little extra, is much cheaper than taking the children! (We have five between us!).
It’s funny how I’d never imagined that owning a dog could bring so much love, laughter and joy. Having Delilah makes us get out, visit new places and go on wonderful adventures. We do it for us, but also for her…because who doesn’t want their ‘baby’ to live life to the full and enjoy new experiences.
Owning a dog really is wonderful and they really are an amazing family addition. As a mum and a fur mum, they absolutely require the same love, thought and consideration as children… and you certainly ‘reap what you sow’ with your dog, just as you do with children.
Hi Lucy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. I can tell from your photos just what a strong bond you and Delilah have – she’s such a beautiful dog. They really do bring so much joy and unconditional love don’t they.
Woofs and Wags
Kate, Pops and Gerts xx