Here is a Dog friendly guest house in the Yorkshire Dales with nine delightful en suite bedrooms, in the heart of an excellent walking area. The house – Eastfield lodge -is just minutes from the market square in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. This pretty small town is seens as a gateway to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The area has dozens of beautiful walks, quaint stone-built villages and numerous places of historical and cultural interest.

Accommodation
The atmosphere is warm and informal. Every morning you will be able to choose a hearty home cooked breakfast, and in the evening an informal homecooked dinner. Or you can eat in a local pub or restaurant.

There is Private parking, drying room, secure storage for bikes, box cutter, wifi, digital flatscreen TV with DVD in each bedroom. Double, twin, triple rooms, plus a family room. All en suite bedrooms are newly refurbished. Prices – approx. £72 per double or twin. Well behaved owners and their dogs are welcome to stay at the lodge and explore the area together.

http://www.eastfieldlodge.co.uk/

We invited members of the congregation to attend our wedding, and stay for drinks afterwards. One of them kindly brought along Sadie, this beautiful Parsons Jack Russell terrier, who was rescued less than a year ago. She also wore a large cream bow, which looked even bigger on such a small dog. As the priest announced that the ceremoney was complete the congregation applauded. The little dog joined in, barking loudly, to the delight of all concerned. She then posed patiently for dozens of photos.

her owners work in call center outsourcing, and they work shifts to fit in their dog care responsibilities.

As I have been dog sitting for our vicar’s dog recently, it was agreed that she should act as doggie maid of honour, and also represent our own dear departed Kev. On the day, Primrose appeared, resplendent with a beautiful cream bow tied to her collar. True to form the Standard Poodle took the proceedings in her stride and posed graciously for photos with the happy couple and guests. Some might say the ceremony was rather camp but any bereaved dog owner will understand that the presence of primrose and the other dogs helped to ease our grief that our own dog could not be with us on the happy day.

After the service we escaped to a Stratosphere hotel, something we could not have done while he was alive. But I would be very happy to trade holidays abroad for the companionship of my dog again.

One thing that was really annoying as a dog owner was the fact that so many pubs, bars and restaurants were suddenly off limits.  Here in the UK most catering outlets believe (mistakenly) that it is against the law to allow dogs in restaurants.  This is not true – obviously they should not be roaming around the kitchens sniffing the food, but dogs can accompany their families for an enjoyable meal inside the restaurant.  I mentioned in an earlier article that we met a delightful pug called Betty in an Amsterdam restaurant earlier this year.  Betty’s owner told me that Amsterdam is a very dog friendly city, and they do not have to leave their dog at home when enjoying an evening out.  Who knows – if Betty the Pug applies some anti wrinkle eye cream she might be able to bluff her way in to an English eatery until a similar approach to pet friendly venues prevails in the UK.

We have just come back from a short break in Amsterdam, one of the trips that is easier to take while we do not own a dog.  A few more trips are planned before the happy day when I can adopt another rescue dog!  One surprise on this trip was the fantastic relaxed dog friendly policy that applies over there.  Dog ownership seems to be quite high in Holland, and there were plenty of cute dogs shopping with their owners.  A big surprise for me came one evening when we were dining in a wine bar/restaurant and I realised that the couple at a nearby table had their Pug dog sitting beside them while they ate.  The Pug, named Betty, was only six months old and she was very well behaved. Nobody was bothered by her presence, in fact they probably didn’t notice she was there.  I, of course, went over to meet her and she graciously accepted some chips as a small treat.

I wish we had more restaurants in the UK where dogs are welcom: at present dog owners eating out are made to feel like pariahs as the staff barcode scanner cannot cope with welcoming a dog on the premises.

Dog friendly places to eat in London are rare, and usually they are pubs or separate rooms in cafes. More often than not, the term ‘dog friendly’ simply means you can eat at an outside table – not much use in January!

Now a new pub/restaurant, The Commander, in Hereford Grove, is in the heart of trendy Notting Hill – London W2. It has been well known as a gastro pub but when it reopens next week there will be a dog friendly bar & restaurant, deli, market area and a butcher on-site. So after sitting down for a nice relaxing meal with your pet, you can buy some delicious sausages for the dog – in case he is hungry again by the time you get home.

I think this is an excellent development and hope other places follow suit. remember when a restaurant would ask your preference -  ‘smoking or non-smoking’? Well now the choice could be dogs or no dogs? Would-be dog owners will also get a chance to sit near some lovely well-behaved dogs and if they ask nicely they might be able to give them a tit bit.

Plenty of independent eateries understand there is nothing to prevent dogs entering restaurants, unfortunately the big chains and pubs tend to be anti-dog as a rule, citing non-existent hygiene restrictions in their defence.