Do you know a bona fide dog friendly business? (From Smallholder)

Do you know a bona fide dog friendly business?

4:30pm Sunday 5th July 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

THE SEARCH IS ON FOR THE MOST BONA FIDE DOG FRIENDLY BUSINESS!

Have you ever looked longingly into a tasty looking restaurant or beautiful shop window when out with your dog to be hailed with a welcoming “come inside!” despite being with your canine companion?

The Kennel Club is looking to honour those places that go above and beyond to make owners and their four-legged friends welcome and today begins its nationwide search for such businesses. The Open for Dogs Awards 2009 are looking for the most dog friendly establishments across the UK. Whether this is a hotel, office space, caravan park, diner or coffee shop we want to know about it!

Customers of all businesses are now able to nominate those places that they think are pulling out the stops to accommodate our doggie friends, with innovative services or simply a bowl of clean water and the promise of a friendly smile. The categories are: Somewhere to SLEEP; Somewhere to EAT; Somewhere to DRINK; Somewhere to VISIT; Somewhere you WORK; Somewhere you HOLIDAY.

‘Open for Dogs’ is the Kennel Club’s campaign to break down barriers for dogs and their owners and aims to encourage more businesses to open their doors to dogs. The benefit of this being a rise in the number of places people can visit with their dogs as well as an increase in business traffic for companies finding it tough in these difficult economic times. Caroline Kisko, spokesperson for the Kennel Club, said: “There are hundreds of places that are now willing to welcome dogs and dog owners with open arms and this competition has been launched to recognise these.

“Of course there are still places that refuse to allow dogs inside and we want to change that mentality. This is particularly true of places that serve and sell food and believe it is illegal to allow dogs in – this is completely false and only applies to food preparation areas.”

As the summer holidays approach, businesses are looking for ways to reach out to cash-strapped 'staycationers' who are spending their family holidays in the UK. And it seems the answer comes in shape of four-legged friends as more and more businesses are seeing the advantages of expanding their customer base and reaching out to the nation's 8 million dog owners.

Amongst the winners of last year’s Open for Dogs competition were Haslemere Pet Company in Surrey, a pet shop that offers customised collar fittings and Hedley Wood Caravan Park in Devon, which offered ‘dog-sitting’ services and a and a dog-friendly nature trail.

Café Cree in Dumfries and Galloway, winner of the ‘Somewhere to EAT’ category was recognised for providing their canine customers with their own food and drink, while their owners tuck in from the normal menu. Co-owner Jan Cole said, “As dog owners ourselves, we know how awful it is when you are forced to eat outside because your dog is not allowed in with you, or even banned altogether. Our business is always packed to capacity because people simply love having the dogs around. In today’s difficult climate businesses should be doing all they can to appeal to the widest possible client base.”

The winners of the competition will receive national recognition and be announced in September, when they will receive winners’ certificates and a Champion Dog Bowl, and all recommended venues will receive an Open for Dogs certificate and sticker.

For more information on the competition including the nomination form, or to find dog friendly businesses in your area visit: www.openfordogs.org.uk.

ENDS 1st July 2009 [206.09] For further press information, images or interview requests please contact: The Kennel Club Press Office 020 7518 1008 press.office@thekennelclub.org.uk www.thekennelclub.org.uk Notes to editors You can nominate your favourite Open for Dogs places by visiting www.openfordogs.org.uk and downloading the application form.

The winner in each category will be determined by the number of recommendations received by the Kennel Club by 1st September 2009.

All winners will be notified and asked to confirm acceptance of the award.

Nominators can nominate in as many categories as they choose, but cannot nominate the same venue more than once. The Kennel Club reserves the right to refuse a recommendation if it is deemed inappropriate or offensive.

The competition is part of the Kennel Club’s Open for Dogs campaign, which aims to break down barriers for dogs and dog owners.

The winners of the 2008 competition, voted as most dog-friendly in seven different categories - Somewhere to Eat, Somewhere to Sleep, Somewhere to Drink, Somewhere to Visit, Self-catering holidays, Offices and ‘other’ – were: Somewhere to Sleep: The Old Cider House, Somerset - Services on offer: A welcome pack with details of local walks and dog friendly activities, home-made dog biscuits, a collar tag.

Somewhere to Eat: Café Cree, Dumfries and Galloway - Dog biscuits, water bowls and the promise of a friendly smile for all canine customers.

Somewhere to drink: Talaton Inn, Devon – biscuits, water, chews and a friendly smile.

Self-catering accommodation: Hedley Wood, Devon – ‘dog-sitting service’ for owners in local area and a dog-friendly nature trail.

Somewhere to visit: Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, Essex. Water bowls, open door policy for all dogs across the whole site. Also runs competitions for dog-owners including a Companion Dog show in September and Scruffts in July.

Other: Haslemere Pet Company, Surrey - Customised collar fittings by trained staff and an ethical policy to ensure that no products are ever sold that will cause dogs distress, such as electric shock collars or check chains.

Office: The Kennel Club’s Aylesbury Office - has been nominated in the most dog-friendly office category and is setting an example for other offices to follow by welcoming the staff’s dogs to come to work with their owners.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)