Keswick wins in "Be Dog Friendly" Awards

Kennel Club's Be Dog Friendly is a campaign run by the Kennel Club which aims to encourage non-pet businesses and public places across the UK to adopt a dog friendly attitude for the benefit of the nation's 8m dogs and their owners. They've just announced the 2014 winners and Keswick is the winner in the Town/City category (for the third time).

Here's some of the comments from people who nominated Keswick:

It was the best place I have ever been with my dog for being made welcome and much more so than my last holiday there 20 years ago! Dogs were welcome almost everywhere. Water bowls on the streets. Special doggy menus in many pubs. The best [pet] shop I have been into.

Throughout my week I saw many dogs of all shapes and sizes. All were relaxed and enjoying being with their owners. There was NO dog poo anywhere! Amazing and impressive. If you are going on holiday with your dog I cannot recommend Keswick highly enough.

Lovely walks and friendly shopkeepers and pub owners mean you will both be happy.

I have the good fortune to live in Keswick and would probably find it easier to list places where my dog would not be welcome than the vast majority which are.

So dog friendly the humans are in danger of feeling left out!! Wonderful place - so welcoming.

We're not surprised that Keswick has won. As dog owners ourselves we've always found it the most inviting place. Shops typically have no problem with you taking your dog in, and they generally get fuss from staff.

And of course some shops have their own dogs. Take Chick, the customer services manager at the Keswick Boot Company, who can usually be found at the entrance watching the world go by. She's a german shepherd/collie cross and she likes a chin tickle (but don't stroke her on the head as she doesn't like that).

Just across the way there's Zak, the border collie, at Cherrydidi who's a lovely lad (see their blog for photos of him in the shop) and there's another collie on the market whose name we really must discover.

Photo of Chick by Alex of Keswick Boot Company and is used with permission.

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