Last week we spent a few days in the Yorkshire dales. We were very lucky with the weather and had a great time. It is a wonderful and unique area. No amount of watching Emmerdale and back programmes of All Creatures Great and Small prepare one for the beauty and variety of the place itself.
Rendle the Lurcher accompanied us and we were very struck by the genuinely dog friendly character of the area. On more than one occasion the request to bring in the dog was met with the response ‘We like dogs here’. The pub in which we stayed, the George and Dragon at Aysgarth, made him particularly welcome. The only place from which he was banned, in common with the pub’s own dog, Duke the Alsatian, was the dining room. On the first night we were able to eat in the bar while Rendle slept under the table. The policy was attracting plenty of customers and there were no fights or other problems (at least as far as the dogs were concerned). Apart from food shops, it turned out that Rendle was very welcome in the local shops too. Nick bought a new shirt from an establishment with a large ‘Dog’s Welcome’ sign in the window.
We shall certainly return to the Dales and the dog friendly attitude doubles our resolve. So often in Suffolk these days dogs are banned entirely from pubs and other places. This seems counter-productive when more people are taking their holidays at home and more people than ever, apparently, keep dogs. Weak excuses about ‘health and safety’ are, for once, quite misguided. The rules about dogs are not as strict as some landlords would like you to believe. It is also true to say that a socialised dog that is used to going out and about tends to be a better behaved and socially acceptable one.
I am pleased to say that at Gainsborough’s House dogs are always welcome to wait in the garden while their owners view the collection and a water bowl is available for canine refreshment.
I personally don’t think an establishment deserves to survive if it cannot accommodate man’s best friend!
