Whether or not you voted Brexit one thing that will remain is the concern of your dog if you are planning a holiday or shopping break, and you will be making travel choices based on the demands of your furry friend to be cared for in the fashion set by your own high standards.
If this is really determining your plans then why not travel with your doggie in the many pet friendly hotels and outlets across the UK that will welcome you both with open arms.
Did you know that even Harrods and Selfridges are open to well behaved dogs as long as you carry them. Harrods insist on vaccination certificates and you have to go in by door 3, but if you really want to shop they even provide a crèche so that you can browse at your leisure. Liberty’s too are dog friendly, and again you must carry your pooch, and this old traditional store provide a great browsing adventure if you like their retro designs and iconic patterns.
There are many hotels that also welcome dogs and are at great holiday destinations with nearby walks. They even provide doggie sitting so that you are free go out for a meal in the evening if you want to.
Pubs are particularly welcoming for dogs and many provide ‘doggie bags’ for them in the way of treats and bowls of water so that they don’t become hungry or thirsty while you are sipping at your wine or beer or snacking on the bar food.
The most popular pet friendly holiday of course is a cottage break, and one that springs to mind is http://www.watersidebreaks.com/ which has a variety of options for pet minded people. It is a family run business whose owner Tim Wells is hands on with advice and hands on experience with pets and children as they often go hand in hand.
The other ideal way to holiday or travel with a pet of course is in a caravan, and the caravan holiday has taken an upsurge in popularity in recent years, with the endorsement of celebrities such as Helen Mirren and Jamie Oliver to name but a few. Check out www.thecaravanclub.co.uk to find your options. This is another fabulous organisation who are customer friendly and will go to the end of the earth to tick all the boxes to meet your needs.
It does warm my heart that we consider our pets important in the UK. After all a dog is a man’s (or woman’s) best friend, and this was again confirmed with the beautiful story of Gobi the dog who followed marathon runner Dion Leonard, 80 miles across the desert in China, only to be lost at the last minute before the athlete’s return to the UK.
For those of you who are not familiar with the story, he has now been reunited with his owner through a social media campaign, and is now safely back in his care in the UK.