How dog friendly is your area?

[Kimmikins]

Yesterday evening we needed to get something from Boots, and so we walked down to your local shopping centre with Sara and Scrumpy Jack. It was later than we'd hoped, so decided to have a quick bite to eat while we were there and went to the american-style diner. All the restaurants down there have outdoor seating, and I've yet to find one that won't allow you sot bring dogs to that part. They both got big bowls of water brought out to them, and the staff all loved having them there. It made me realise how lucky we are to have such a dog friendly place nearby to go to - there's coffee shops, fields and seating areas there too and it means we've got somewhere nice to walk to for a trip out.

How dog friendly is your local area? Do you often take your dogs for a meal, or coffee, or shopping? 

What about if you were to think of moving somewhere new - would the apparent dog-friendliness of an area be a factor in moving somewhere?

[Jordan]

Domino is so excitable and pulls like a train that any trips into town stopped a long time ago. In all fairness he has calmed down a bit since then so he might not be so bad now. But i still wouldnt take him shopping as i wouldnt want to leave him tied outside a shop in case hes stolen and also cause hes too nervous, dont want people stressing him and him biting them. Meals out etc are not on the cards these days so not actually sure how friendly our area is.

[Kimmikins]

That's a shame about him pulling so much...maybe as he grows up (and realises that it's time to be a big, grown up boy, lol!) you'll be able to start taking him more places with you. I know we were lucky with Sara, and we got hr pulling/lunging issues fairly well under control a little while ago, and it's paid dividends to reward that by going lots of different places. It seems to have helped her too, it's broadened her horizons and introduced her to new experiences, which has helped make her more well-rounded as a little bonus.

I'd never tie a dog up outside a shop - me and OH always go together, so if one needs to go into a shop the other one stays outside. And if we know we'll be out for a while amongst crowds, we make sure to take plenty of treats. It doesn't always work, sometimes she'll take a dislike to another dog for no reason that we can fathom...but she's a whole lot better than she used to be. Plus I think she's learned that a trip to the shops invariably means a coffee stop and that means people food!

[kristina]

Feel the same way as you Jordan,can't cope with all the pulling any more,have taken Xena up to local pub and sat outside with her she was ok-ish,just got bored though but lots of people made a fuss of her she was good with that idea.I truly want to take her on the bus as feel thats what we will end up using in the future,if my old car packs up I can get the bus almost to the woods or some of the many little country lanes I walk her to thats when my old joints get really bad too, she still ends up with a good off lead run and I won't have to walk so far or get pulled to bits just getting to these places.I have met a few people now who's dogs are not lead happy and they have just given up on them and drive there dogs every where to let them off so it's good to know we're not on our own here.Kristina

[Kimmikins]

Puppies do get bored easily, I've never managed to teach a dog to "settle" and be happy to just wait while we eat, so even Sara and Scrumpy Jack get ants in their pants if we're too long with dinner!

[Adrianne]

..our local towns are not particuarly dog friendly - Edinburgh pubs and restaurants are good by all accounts but that's not part of my lifestyle, Bathgate is a nice old market town, but the high street despite having some places to have coffee outside etc isn't what I would call dog friendly.. the other town nearby is a 'new town' all indoors and undercover or retail parks. we do have a better than average amount of parks and country parks, woodlands and waters around us - some are child friendly but others remain perfect for dedicated dog walkers.
the best thing is we are close to the coast, close to mountains, close to hill and munro walking, theres always a loch somewhere close by. Scotland has a 'right to roam' which basically means as long as you follow a country code you are not trespassing..you have the right to roam - something like that anyway.

[Kimmikins]

It's such a shame that more places haven't cottoned on to the fact that if you let people in with their dogs, they're more likely to buy stuff! And return as customer...and recommend the place to friends etc.

[Kimmikins]

We've just discovered that our favourite coffee place allows dogs inside which means we can keep our favourite pastime of walking there for coffee and cake with Sara going as the weather cools down. Win!

[Adrianne]

that sounds good, I cant think of anywhere I could take mine inside locally, the more 'touristy' towns seem to be better equipped.
good excuse to stay in, feet up, hot chocolate and marshmallows