Where are the best dog-friendly businesses in Edinburgh?

KENNEL CLUB LAUNCHES AWARDS TO FIND SCOTLAND’S BEST DOG FRIENDLY BUSINESSES

The search is on to find Scotland’s most dog friendly places, as the Kennel Club launches its Be Dog Friendly Awards 2014.

Even though we are regarded as a nation of pet lovers, many dog owners struggle to find shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels and even beaches that welcome their four-legged friends. That is why the Kennel Club has launched the 2014 Be Dog Friendly Awards to reward and encourage businesses and public places across the UK that adopt a dog friendly attitude.

The awards are being held in association with Dog Friendly, the UK’s leading directory with over 32,000 carefully selected dog friendly entries in 19 categories.

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 Discover Dogs Show, to be held at Earls Court, London on 8 – 9 November 2014.

Speaking about this year’s awards, Kennel Club Secretary, Caroline Kisko said: “With over 8 million dogs in the UK, now is the perfect time to encourage more non–pet businesses in Scotland to adopt a dog-friendly attitude.

“Our research has shown that four out of five businesses with a dog-friendly policy say it has helped them attract more customers and has had a beneficial effect on staff. Taking dogs out and about, particularly as puppies, gets them used to being around people and dogs and leads to a dog friendly nation.”

Steve Bennett from Dog Friendly comments: “We are delighted to be part of the Kennel Club Be Dog Friendly campaign.  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 10th October.  To recommend and vote for your favourite dog friendly places or businesses, click here. Everyone who makes a nomination or votes will be entered into a free prize draw to win a £1,000 voucher towards a dog-friendly holiday, with runner up prizes of ten pairs of tickets to Crufts and Discover Dogs.