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!

dog friendly cafe

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 the ask nicely they might be able to give them a tit bit. Read more »

Since we moved to Arundel, West Sussex, we have found plenty of dog friendly pubs as well as shops, and it makes life a lot easier for Mum and Dad. This week we paid our second visit to the Swan Hotel Arundel, where I can go anywhere except the restaurant section. This is fine, as they serve food in the bar as well so we get everything we want. Mum and Dad can have a meal in the pub while I entertain my fans. On Monday we took part in the weekly quiz, of course they hardly knew any answers. While they were struggling, my employment was to distract the other contestants as much as possible!

Dog Games to Play Indoors

During the cold, rainy or snowy winters, we and our pets may start to go a little stir-crazy. While for some, a walk in the rain with a healthy dog may be invigorating, for others it not so enticing. So if you just don’t relish getting wet, or your dog’s health is not the best, here are some games that can be played indoors.

Some of you may have been told never to play tug of war with a dog. The fear is that it might make a dog aggressive or aggravate any possessive tendencies. Other trainers feel that there is nothing wrong with the game, as long as you follow certain rules: 1)The tug toy you used should be long enough to prevent accidental bites. A thick rope with knots in the middle is good. Read more »

The weather has finally got really hot over here, which gives us the problem of how to keep cool when we are driving, and also when the car is parked. You have to be really careful if you are going to leave a dog in a parked car and Mum has bought all sorts of accessories to make sure the car does not overheat if she has to leave me there for a few minutes. First she ordered a sun visor which goes across the front windscreen. These help keep temperatures down inside the car, and they also protect against uv damage, which could fade the dashboard and leather seats. Second, we now have a gadget that fits inside the open rear window so that it can be left open but secure and nobody can get inside the car but plenty of fresh air can flow. With two of these on the back windows there is a good flow of air through the car, and we always park in the shade if I need to stay in the vehicle. Mum got all these things from http://www.corvetteguys.com/corvette-accessories.html – you know how she loves to shop online! Apparently by shopping from home she does not need to take me to the shops so much, and I get more time to lounge around in the house!

We went to a shop called ‘Queens’ at Spitalfields which is really dog friendly. They sell ornaments and OTT decorations, as you can see. The owner’ s dog, Dukesie, was snoozing in a dog basket at the back of the shop, Mum took me over to meet him, we got on very well and Dukesie’s Dad was really pleased. Mum gave Dukesie some treats cos she said he is one of the best behaved dogs she’s met. We stayed there for ages – Mum was looking at the Christmas decorations, she said they were ‘fab’. There were loads of doggie decorations, mainly cute poodles, almost everything in pink. How she finds these places I don’t know. Mum bought some flying horses for the christmas tree, plus a secret present 9not for me, I think). If we had not been able to go in together she would not have bought anything: some other shops don’t seem to understand this!

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You probably remember that Spitalfields is one of our favourite dog friendly places to go. We can get a cup of tea and a cake together in the covered market, and I can see all the food stalls, where I usually get a sample of sausage or cheese. It was really crowded this week and Dad had to carry me through the busiest bits. He loves that, cos young girls go by and say how cute I look. Dad thinks they are chatting him up: sorry Dad, it is me they admire!
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