Search on to find top dog friendly business

The search is on to find the most dog-friendly places in the South West as the Kennel Club launches its Be Dog Friendly Awards 2015.

The competition, now in its ninth year, is part of the Be Dog Friendly campaign which aims to break down barriers for man’s best friend by encouraging more businesses and public spaces to welcome dogs through their doors.

With over 9 million dogs in the UK, and around one in four households owning a dog, the great British public are always on the lookout for places where their four-legged family members are also welcome, and the Be Dog Friendly awards recognise businesses and places to visit that go the extra mile for our canine companions.

The Be Dog Friendly Awards 2015 are held in association with Dog Friendly, the UK’s leading directory with over 32,000 entries including dog-friendly hotels, cottages, pubs, beaches, camping and caravan sites.

There will be ten Be Dog Friendly Awards for excellence:

Hotel / Hostel
Pub / Bar
Day out
High Street
Beach
Café / Restaurant
Camping / Caravanning
Town / City
Great Outdoors
Large Organisation

The winners in all categories will be determined by public recommendation and vote. In addition to the category awards, a Special Recognition prize will be awarded to a place or business that the Kennel Club identifies as pulling out all the stops for its canine customers.

The awards will be presented at the Eukanuba Discover Dogs Show, to be held at ExCeL, London on 17-18 October 2015.

Speaking about this year’s awards, Kennel Club Secretary, Caroline Kisko said: “We are regarded as a nation of pet lovers, yet many dog owners still struggle to find shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels and even beaches that welcome their four-legged friends. The Be Dog Friendly Awards is the perfect opportunity for dog owners to reward and encourage businesses and public places in the South West that adopt a dog-friendly attitude.

“Last year, over 1,000 businesses were nominated and the competition received almost 12,000 votes. We hope that even more people take part this year and help encourage more businesses to become dog-friendly.”

Steve Bennett from Dog Friendly comments: “We are delighted to be part of the Kennel Club Be Dog Friendly campaign once again.  Our customers are always looking for more businesses and locations and are keen to share their favourites.

“The Be Dog Friendly Awards are the perfect opportunity for businesses to sign up to the campaign and become more accessible to dogs and their owners.”

The competition runs until 15th September.  To recommend and vote for your favourite dog friendly places or businesses, please go to www.bedogfriendlyawards.co.uk.  Everyone who makes a nomination or votes will be entered into a free prize draw to win a Samsung camera and Amazon vouchers, with runner up prizes of ten pairs of tickets to Crufts and Eukanuba Discover Dogs.