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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Holidays with the dog

27 replies

BeeBawBabbity · 08/01/2013 19:00

We really missed our dog on our family holiday last year, so we' d love to take her with us this time. She' s not a great traveller, so I'm thinking North Cornwall or maybe Dorset are about as far as we' d like to go.

There are countless dog friendly cottages online, but generally you can't leave your dog alone in them. We plan on having lots of lovely dog walks/bike rides/days playing with the dog at the beach Grin. But I also really love to eat out when on holiday, so I would probably want leave the dog in the cottage some evenings.

Can anyone recommend cottages where dogs are allowed to be left for a bit now and then? She's well trained and has never been a chewer.

OP posts:
mrsjay · 08/01/2013 20:03

my friend and her mum took their dog to dorset last year to a cottage and left the dog sometimes I wil text her and ask Smile

rubyrubyruby · 08/01/2013 20:06

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Aquelven · 08/01/2013 20:09

Eat in a pub & take her with you, that's what we do.
In fact, we never even stay in a cottage, always hotels or pubs. Never ever been refused a welcome, even in ones who don't advertise as pets welcome. We take their crates to sleep in & when I mention that it clinches it.

mrsjay · 08/01/2013 20:10

we havnt taken our new dog away yet but last dog used to sit in the car with the window cracked open a little bit, or we would leave her a few hours in the caravan

BadRoly · 08/01/2013 20:13

If you find a cottage, check the local beaches too. The ones nearest to us (West Cornwall) don't allow dogs from Easter to October/November time. The ones that do allow dogs tend to be a bit more inaccessible so can be tricky if you are bogged down with small children and their paraphernalia Wink

Original poster
BeeBawBabbity · 08/01/2013 20:56

I've never left her in the car before, but she does generally dislike the car so wouldn't really want to. I didn't realise we could take her into pubs, that would be great. She does get very excited if anyone pays her any attention though, so I'd need to see how she behaves.

Thanks Mrsjay, it as be great to know where your Mum stayed, or even what rental agency she used.

I will check the beaches, thanks. It's the same here in South Wales in the summer.

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mrsjay · 08/01/2013 21:02

was my friend and her mum I am waiting on her texting back , if you google holidays with dogs ( i think it is called) they will come up with places, tbh if you are nipping out for a meal and the cottage owners know you have a dog id just leave her in her bed in the kitchen or hallway and go out,

rubyrubyruby · 08/01/2013 21:05

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Original poster
BeeBawBabbity · 08/01/2013 21:19

They're 10 and 8 so we don't have buggies or anything like that.

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rubyrubyruby · 08/01/2013 21:59

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laptopcomputer · 08/01/2013 22:05

I have always found Dorset and Wales much more dog friendly when it comes to beaches etc than Devon or Cornwall. In particular the Jurassic coast, all around Lulworth etc, I lived there for a few years and all the pubs are dog welcoming as well as the beaches.

DreamingOfTheMaldives · 08/01/2013 22:09

We found that Devon was very dog friendly (hopefully Cornwall is too as we're probably going there this year) - most pubs would let us in with our dog. We would have liked to try the restaurants but they're not so accommodating and we can't leave our dog in the caravan as without his playpen of security he can get a little anxious and may just chew everything the odd thing. I would leave him in a cottage as while we went out for a couple of hours, as long as we had the playpen.

LoveDogs · 08/01/2013 22:20

We go to Cornwall every year with our two dogs, we normally find that the places we go to eat have outside seating areas so we sit outside with our dogs sitting under the table most of the time (when it's not raining - the great British weather!) most cafes are dog friendly too!

MagratGarlik · 08/01/2013 23:00

We stayed at a lovely cottage in Dorset a couple of years ago, directly in front of a dog friendly beach. Dorset is better than Devon or Cornwall for dog friendly beaches ime

Scuttlebutter · 08/01/2013 23:06

I'd recommend Pembrokeshire - there are masses of wonderful dog and child friendly beaches with so much space and very few summer dog restrictions. We lived in Plymouth for many years so got to know Cornwall well, and because of the sheer number of visitors in the summer there are far greater dog restrictions. Pembs also has lots of nice pubs, various attractions and is far enough to feel you've gone away without feeling like you've been stuck in a traffic jam for hours. There are loads of dog friendly cottages, caravans etc.

Aquelven · 08/01/2013 23:26

If you're willing to consider other areas,here in the north round Cumbria & the Lakes, it's amazingly dog friendly. Never had any problems in Northumbria either & the beaches are stunning.

laptopcomputer · 08/01/2013 23:47

Ye, we went to Pembrokeshire last summer and I think the only beach were dogs weren't allowed wa the one owned by the National trust

mrsjay · 09/01/2013 09:03

we are going to dorset this year with new dog and its great to read that it is dog friendly and newdog wil be able to plod along with us,

Labradorwhisperer · 09/01/2013 09:44

We have been away to the Lakes with our big lab on his own once, and more recently with him and the pup, who was only 4 months. We managed a few evenings out by tiring them out and then using separate crates. I would be surprised if any cottage owner would take issue with a dog left securely in a crate to be honest, and if your dog is tired out, has water (maybe a coop cup?) and a "safe" treat (frozen biscuits in a Kong, not a choke hazard if unsupervised like rawhide), you should be fine for a few hours.

On our trip away with both dogs, we actually couldn't fit the big dog's crate in the car. He was so sad! Kept squeezing himself into the puppy's, which was 1/3 of the size. We had to buy him one on the second day of the holiday to make him feel better!

Original poster
BeeBawBabbity · 10/01/2013 07:37

Thanks for the feedback folks. Good to know we should be able to either leave her for a bit or take her out with us.

OP posts:
SouthernPolish · 10/01/2013 10:02

We take ours out with us and just go to dog-friendly pubs and restaurants. She is usually better behaved than the kids! There are a surprising amount of places you CAN take dogs to, see: www.dogfriendly.co.uk
It's always worth calling ahead just to check, if places aren't listed. I have even found a few teashops and 'proper' restaurants locally to me (Brighton)

gymmummy64 · 10/01/2013 10:13

Dogs Trust has a link to dog-friendly rental cottages on its website, not sure if it covers leaving the dog or not.

Aquelven · 10/01/2013 17:59

This is a very good site for finding pubs & hotels you can eat in or stay with your dog.

www.doggiepubs.org.uk/

topbannana · 10/01/2013 21:00

TBH the rules about not leaving dogs are to protect the furniture from chewing and the neighbours from noise. If your dog is used to being left and will not cause a fuss (we use a crate if necessary) then pop out for dinner for an hour or so.
The chances are that the dog will be so shattered (particularly a couple days into the holiday) that they will appreciate the peace and quiet. Ours have always been more than happy to flop down in bed after a day at the beach :)

rubyrubyruby · 10/01/2013 21:03

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