It's not every day that you wake up and find that a town which is
virtually on your doorstep is launching a bid to be the dog-friendliest
town in Britain, but that's what happened to me this morning.
Bridgnorth, a very picturesque town in Shropshire, is setting out to
dethrone Keswick in the Lake District as being the most dog friendly UK
town. And since this is a place I can, and do, visit with my dog, it
caught my interest.
I don't know about you, but I've been turned away from shops, garages
and cafes when I've tried to enter them accompanied by Buddy. I
wouldn't mind so much if these establishments had the courage of their
convictions, and declared loudly that they had taken the step of
banning dogs from their premises. However, in almost every
case, they take the cowardly and mistaken stance of claiming, "It's the
law!"
Well, do you know what - in the UK at least - it is not the law that
dogs aren't allowed access to shops, garages or even cafes, restaurants
or pubs. True, the law does not allow them access to food preparation
areas, but to be honest, this is only a problem if your dog
wishes to carve out a career as a chef. Which is not often the case,
and if your dog is trying to do that, get in touch because I want an
interview!
So it's refreshing that a town has recognised the fact that dog owners
like to give their custom to venues which welcome them and their dog.
It's wonderful to go out and about with your dog, and with the risk of
dog theft on the rise, it's simply not safe to leave them outside of
shops or cafes - or even in the car. The choice is clear for
shopkeepers, that if you want the custom of dog owners, you must
welcome our dogs as well as us. And for the vast majority of shops,
this should present no problem at all.
Here's an article in the Shropshire Star about
Bridgnorth's bid to be dog friendly.
Buddy and I will be off to explore Bridgnorth in the next few days.
We'll let you know how warm a welcome we find in Bridgnorth.
Take care,
Julie xx