Camping and Exploring with Dogs

Dear stranger in the park....

2015-07-04T23:20:00.001+01:00

Dear stranger in the park,

You don't know me.

You don't know me: so you don't know I'm about to turn 14 years old.

You don't know me: so you don't know that although yes I am limping I still run and bounce and spin when the mood takes me.

You don't know me: so you don't know that when I'm panting and making that odd noise that bothers you so much it's because I have a serious health condition called Larangyl Paralysis which affects the way I breathe and could end my life at any moment. I'm not in pain, it doesn't bother me, I'm happy just to be alive.

You don't know me: so you don't know that I'm not "skinny" or "starved". I'm old now and I have lost muscle from my hips. I use to be extremely muscled and was once referred to as "Hench!" I actually eat more than the recommended amount of calories for my size. I have 2 full meals a day (Once in the morning and once in the afternoon), I also have treats and snacks during the day and you can bet I get left overs too. I get treated to entire cooked breakfasts to myself and always get a special doggy cake on my birthday and at Christmas and sometimes "just because".

You don't know me: so you don't know that almost 3 years ago I was so unwell I wasn't expected to survive the weekend and was given just 6 months to live (maybe) if I was never allowed to run or play or get excited and was only given short on lead walks for the rest of my time. You also don't know that I hate my lead and I hate being restricted in any way, it stresses me and makes me sad so we agreed I would be allowed to play and be happy for however long I had left and so I get to go off lead, I get to bounce and spin on the beach and do all the things that make me happy. I think I'm doing pretty good.

You don't know me: so you don't know that when you see me walking in the rain in town or out during the winter without a coat on it isn't because I'm neglected or unloved. I actually own lots of coats for various weathers. A cool coat for the summer, a rain coat for wet days, 3 fleeces for when it's cold and a lightweight walking out coat for when it's just a little chilly. I'm not wearing my coat because I hate to walk in coats and I struggle to regulate my temperature correctly because of my health condition. I'm also very stubborn so if I don't want to put my coat on, I wont do it. I will put my coat on if I get cold. I know how to ask for it on just like I know how to ask for it to be taken off.

You don't know me: so you don't know that although I'm older and slower than my friends I love to be around them, I love to watch them bouncing and playing and running. You don't know that I love to go on walks and to meet ups just to be part of the fun even if that means just watching from the sidelines and finishing the walk behind everyone else.

You don't know me: so you don't know how far I can walk or when the walk is too long or too steep or too uneven for me. I know how far I can walk, I know when I've had enough. Some days just walking up the road is too much, some days I can walk for miles and do it with enthusiasm even if it is slowly. I'll make it very clear when I don't want to go any further.

You don't know me: so you don't know how I'm feeling, you don't know how tired I am or how much pain I'm in. You don't know when it's time for me to make my journey to rainbow bridge. You don't get to comment on my quality of life, You've just met me. If you knew me you'd know I'm happy, I'm loved, I'm not ready yet. I have so much more I need to do yet!

Hello

I'm Cat.

I'm a greyhound

I am almost 14 years old.

I love liver treats and ice cream

I like to dig holes in the beach and sometimes in the park too. I think it's clever.

I come from Ireland.

I was an athlete until I was 3 years old.

I had 8 puppies (in one litter) I loved being a mummy.

I was adopted when I was 5 years old.

I am retired NOT rescued.

I like to ride in the car, It makes me very excited.

I didn't know how to make friends until I was 10, now I have lots of friends. Even small breeds of dogs. I didn't even know they were dogs for so long.

I once picked a kitten up by it's head. It was fine I let it go.

I am very stubborn, I know my own mind and will sulk if I don't get my own way.

I love children. I always want to say hello.

I was diagnosed with a "pathological anxiety disorder" after someone popped a balloon near me, I got scared and decided I was never leaving the house again. I would shake and pant and freeze when I had to go out. I only felt safe in the car or the house. Even if there was no balloons near me. I worked very hard to get better.

I have a scar on my back left leg because I tried to be cheeky and ignore a command to go for a wee, I tried to jump up a small wall to get back inside. I misjudged the wall and hit my leg on it. I ripped a hole in my skin and had to have it stapled and my whole leg in bandage. My wound got infected and I ended up on anti-biotic for ages.

I only have 4 teeth so my tongue hangs out my mouth.

I like to visit lots of places but especially places with food.

I have been on boats and trains, I love adventures.

I once kissed a horse.

I like black dogs the best although I like to try and tease them too. I learnt this when I was a foster sister to a black lurcher who liked to shout a lot. I liked to annoy her on walks and make her shout and she always obliged. After that I decided to make it my special game. It doesn't always work out well for me.

DONT assume you know me or know what's best for me. If you're interested in learning about me just ask.

The Pier Brewery Tap and Grill - Ilfracombe Harbour

2015-06-12T15:55:00.002+01:00

We had been checking out menu's and signs that said they were dog friendly whilst waiting for our boat ride on the Princess earlier in the day and hooman girl had spotted something interesting she liked the sound of on one of the menu's near the harbour, we went off on our boat trip and then wandered around town for a bit as it was still only around 3pm then we remembered to go check on our parking and decided to go check out other local towns, on the way our of Ilfracombe hooman girl suddenly remembered she had wanted to stay there for dinner and so after a short trip to visit another town and beach we headed back to the pub we had been past earlier. There was a sign about their sun terrace (I dont think that's what they called it but yeah outside area!) and we decided since it was still quite nice out to go have a look, we had to go through the front door in to the pub and were greeted by a hairy retriever and a small hairy rabbity dog (I'm not 100%

certain what type of dog she would of been!) They both had a shout about my arrival but the hoomans in the bar said not to worry they were friendly just shouty and the called the little one "The landlady" which we liked and thought was quite funny. We headed out back to the outside again and chose a bench (There's no grass, just a level courtyard and then up a steep set of steps another little area that over looks the whole bay, it was nice but no way was I going to get up there at my age, with my houndie legs and lack of co-ordination so we stayed down the bottom!), both the dogs followed us out and continued to shout about the food and the view and then the bigger one went off to find something else to do whilst the little one who was called "Honey" I presume because of her colouring sat down across the courtyard to watch us, I took the opportunity to ask for my packed lunch from my bag since I hadn't eaten since I got up that morning and Honey thought what I had looked interesting so she came over and had a sniff, hooman girl offered her a piece of my dinner (what was just samples of 2 different kibbles I won at shows recently) but Honey said no thanks but she stuck around for ear scritches for a while before she decided to go back to shouting and the hoomans from the pub came out to tell her to be quiet and I think she got a time out coz she went inside and I could hear her upstairs after that shouting about being in prison.

A little bit later the hoomans dinner did arrive, Hooman girl had the shrohaloomi burger (probably not how they spelt it) which was a mushroom with haloomi cheese and chedder cheese and salady bits served with chips and salad. Hooman boy had asked for the goat cheese pie coz he was intrigued by it however it was unavailable so he chose the bacon cheese burger instead. Hooman girl was so glad she remembered to come back coz the burger was delicious and the chips were extra delicious; no idea what they did to them but they were scrummy! Hooman boy also said his burger was really nice and was equally enthusiastic about those chips. The food isn't cheap but like they say "you get what you pay for" and the food was good and good sized portions to boot and the views from that deck in the summer would be pretty pawsome too.
We really enjoyed our visit and would love to come back again. Highly recommend a visit to The Pier.

Dog Friendly wildlife cruise - Ilfracombe

2015-06-12T15:11:00.000+01:00

The Ilfracombe Princess @ Ilfracombe Harbour. We went for a day trip to Ilfracombe recently and thought we would check out the wildlife cruises they have on offer. We had to telephone in advance to check if/when they would be running due to recent bad weather. We called up in the morning and were told that they were in fact running today and so we set off with our bags for a day in North Devon. The drive there was uneventful and it didn't take long at all to reach our destination. We stopped for lunch on the way to the boat but there are lots of lovely shops, pubs and cafes where we can grab some lunch or a snack in Ilfracombe itself. There is plenty of parking in Ilfracombe, both short and long stay, we decided to go for long stay and park a little bit further away from the harbour itself which tells us it's a short stay car park, so we had to walk 5 - 10 mins through part of the town to reach the harbour where we spoke to one the men running the boat cruises and paid for our pre-booked tickets (The cruise lasts 1.5 hours although it

was closer to 2 hours by time we got back and costs 12 pounds for adult hoomans, 6 pounds for hooman puppies and under 4's and dogs go free). We had to meet at a designated point on the pier around 15 mins before sailing off time and then we walked down to the boat all together where we lined up beside Verity (she's a huge pregnant lady statue with no skin on one side) , Access on to the princess is via several steps and a small hop to land on board although they do say that they welcome disabled visitors and wheelchair users and were going to help me get off the boat but hooman girl said it was OK and she hoiked me in the air by my coat so I didn't fall between the boat and the wall (which wouldn't of been good at all!). We got on and took our seats , it took me a little while to settle 1) coz I was excited and 2) coz I wasn't sure where to lie down but everyone was very nice and after my hoomans swapped seats with each other so I could lie down easier I settled down to enjoy the ride (on a mans foot - sorry to him if my cool coat got you wet, it was very nice of you not to complain about me sitting on you for 2 hours). We went around the coast and looked at lots of

building, rocks and beaches and a man spoke to us all about what we were looking at and then we went a bit further to look for some wildlife, we spotted some seals on the rocks and some in the water but they get a bit scared of the boat engines and so some were hiding. We didn't see dolphin or porpoise this time but rumour has it that these are also spottable on trips. After we had seen everything and heard all the history the boat went out further away from the rocks and we had a faster more splashy ride back to the harbour. It was a lovely sunny day and the breeze on the boat was nice and refreshing although we took on some water at times and a few hoomans had wet feet everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The boat has a covered area if you need get out of the sun or if rain appears, a toilet for the hoomans and I do believe "refreshments" were mentioned. Oh and life jackets for the hoomans are available too. I took my own on board incase of emergency too though luckily we didn't need to wear it.

Holiday to Cornwall - March 2015

2015-04-29T10:32:00.001+01:00

Heywo fwends and followers.

I thought it had been quite along time since I have written some bloggy posts and I recently got back from a few days in Cornwall with the hoomans. So here's some of the things we got up to.

Me on Porthmeor beach in st ives

We went to St Ives when we 1st arrived and walked down from the car park across the beach at Porthmeor (its dog friendly "out of season" from like October until Easter) and then went around town looking in all the shop windows. We stopped in the town overlooking another of the towns beaches and ordered lunch from a takeaway (I cant remember it's name but it was the fish and chip shop that also sale fresh fish and has all the fish laid out like in a fish market.) We had fish and chips and more chips whilst looking at the sea and then as we were finishing we spotted a houndie coming, as we were walking across the road I said I was going over to say hi to him and the hoomans said I could (as long as I cross the road sensibly with them ofcourse!!!) This is Stewie! ---->
I know that coz it says so on hims coat! we did sniffs and then I got fusses from his hoomans and he got fusses from mine hoomans. We talked lots about all things hounds. Stewie doesn't have a very nice start to hims life though, he wasn't one the lucky ones! Once we had finished with our chat we went separate ways and I walked back through town, we stopped and bought cake and fudge from some the shops and then walked back across Porthmeor beach and the long way back to the car park before going to find our home for the week.

The next day we went off for a visit to The Minack Theatre we have been here before last year (although apparently I never got around to writing to you about it, so I'll tell you some things now!) The Minack is near Penzance and it's an open air theatre thats around 80 years old and was owned by Rowena Cade. and it has had 100's of plays there and still does in the summer and evenings. We went during the day just for a look , you can see really good views from here.

After we had spent some time looking at the Theatre we got ice creams / lollys . We also went to The Watermill for dinner one evening. We sat out in the garden as it was quite a nice evening when we went (I did wear my fleece ofcourse!) We ordered a sweet potato and chickpea lasagne and a chicken pie. The lasagne was nice but it was quite a dry one, it didn't really have any sauce in it. The Watermill allows dogs inside too but the garden is a really nice one with benches and a nice river and loads of space so if it's not too cold out then it's greyt to sit outside on the grass. We made a return visit to The Sand Bar at Praa Sands for breakfast and we witnessed the solar eclipse there too. We also bumped in to a houndie on the beach and guess who it was.....it was Stewie the boy we had met at the beginning of the week.

We also visited a new park called Tehidy country park , it was quite nice but it was quite tricky to find where we were going. We found the car park easily but when we got inside the park we couldn't find the bit where dogs are allowed. We had to get some help, so you walk from the car park straight up past the cafe and toilets and dont turn left , go straight and you get to a road with a golf course to your right, walk up the road until you come to a gate and go through that and there you'll find the rest of the park where we can walk around.

Ofcourse we also visited some beaches whilst we were away too.

The Grove Exmouth

2015-02-13T15:58:00.001+00:00

The Esplanade
Exmouth
Devon
EX8 1BJ
http://www.youngs.co.uk/pubs/grove

We visited The Grove on the 12th of February at lunch time whilst in Exmouth for a playdate with friends (my sisfur Tilly and Ontie Claire to be precise!). It was very quiet when we got there, we were the only ones there and we took up residence at a table that was next to the log fire (although it wasn't lit at the time!) and it had a lovely rug in front of it that looked perfect for 2 houndies to snooze on.

The part of the pub we sat in with the rug infront the fire

We all settled down to look at the menu's and ordered drinks. The hoomans took ages looking at the menu and picking what they wanted to have for lunch; in the end they decided on the mushroom and Camembert burger (for my vegetarian girl) , the cod cheek scampi (for my hooman boy) and the stuffed pumpkin (for Ontie Claire). Myself and Tilly had bought our own snacks so we settled down to munch those and then took a short nap.

When the food came out; which it did pretty quickly, it was all HUGE portions! The mushroom burger was a portabello mushroom, a inch thick piece of Camembert cheese , caramalised onions and spinach in a bun and it was served with chips (in a cute little bucket!) , the stuffed pumpkin was again huge, it was stuffed with risotto and vegetables and haloumi cheese and it came served with potato's and salad and the cod cheek scampi was a good sized portion and was served with chips. All the food was amazing, very good quality, amazing sized portions, hot and well cooked and a decent price (most meals were between 9 GBP and 12 GBP but for the portion sizes that's a good value meal!)

There are dog bowls throughout (Although these were all empty at the time of our visit I imagine they will be well filled in summer months!) and dog biscuits on the bar (We didn't try these as we had brought our own snacks as I previously mentioned!) The signs outside indicate in several places that The Grove is dog friendly throughout (They are also hooman pup friendly if you have one of those!) The Grove no doubt gets extremely busy in summer months (You can book a table on their website or by telephoning them!), it has an outside seating area, is directly opposite Exmouth beach (although the entrance to the beach is a few mins walk up the road!) and a short walk from the main area of Exmouth with its shops, cafes and attractions.

We had a very nice visit and would highly recommend you pop in for a drink or some lunch. We will definitely be returning in the future!

Looking back on 2014 ...

2014-12-06T22:55:00.001+00:00

... Like any year 2014 has had its up and downs, its pawsome days and its sad days, its been filled with fun and zooming and snoozing and nomming and lots of luffs. So here we shall look back at some of the things we got up to in 2014.

Well the start of the year was a wet and windy one here in Devon and as most of you would of heard our railway line fell down and was washed in to the sea. Unfortunately my hooman girl duz live in one of the flats that stand on the road that was washed away and so she came home to stay with me for a couple of weeks and then she went and stayed in a caravan in a local holiday park until she was allowed to move back in to the flat once the important hoomans were more convinced it wasn't going to fall down and she got some electricity back. Alot of our friends were very helpy and sended money and clothes and things so that hooman girl and her neighbours could have some clean clothes and food and things and dat wuz soopa nice and makes us happy, These are some foto's from when the road fell down in February!

I got to attend a few southwest sighthound walkies with friends and got to watch some playful lurchers zoom and wrestle; I even tried to join in occasionally. I made new friends and got to spend time with some old friends and checked out a new dog friendly cafe/pub.

Me and my friends the Vincent Hounds went to a doggy show ; well we went to a few actually but at this one in particular we had a really nice time. Me and Georgie entered two classes for similar doggies and got placed in both, I won a rosette for veteran and Shadie got placed 2nd in his class too.

Sadly a few days after this show Shadie made his journey to Rainbow Bridge after being poorly for a long time. here's the tribute video we made for him.<3

I had a very wet walkies with my pointy nosed friends in Goodrington - it was soopa soopa fun with lots of bitey face and zoomies.

We went up to Newmarket for the RGT Greyhound extravaganza and had a really soopa day, we saw friends, entered the show, did some shopping and tried some foods from the stalls. It was a reeeeeally long way to travel for the day but it was worth it to say I've been to the extravaganza and to see so many luffly friends. My friends Orla and Dixie are real life littlemates and they entered best pair and came 1st so they got to go in BIS and .... they won!!!! :)

I had a little birthday party with some friends; we went to a dog friendly pub and the hoomans had dinner and we had cake and my friends brought me presents and we shared treats and fusses.

I had to go visit my dogtors quite a few times this year as I am now 13 years old and I have a growing list of medical issues. I was feeling very old, slow and in pain by the autumn this year, I couldn't walk far and when I did walk I did it really slowly. I couldn't zoom or bounce any more even when I really wanted to play. We went to talk to the dogtor and see if we could get some medicines to make me less owey. Whilst I was at the dogtors we talked about some other issues, my breathing, my eyes and some wee wee issues. So below is what I have everyday now to help me feel less old. I take 2g of Seraquin to help keep my joints healthy, 40mg of Onsior (Robenacoxib) its an NSAID , it stops my legs and hips and wrists hurting so much so I can run and play. 1 scoop of "hold-it" to help stop me doing wee-wee's in my sleep and I have 1-2 drops of artificial tears 2-3 times a day to help my dry eyes. The dogtor thinks I have Larangyl Paralysis which we have thought for a long time any way but we have decided not to formally diagnose or treat it as it would involve anaesthetic and surgery and pain and at the moment it isn't causing me much trouble, I still cough and wheeze and I do sometimes choke and need help to not choke so I need be watched when I have food or treats but *paws crossed* I'm doing OK. I had blood tests taken from my arm and they listened to my heart and lungs and poked and prodded at my tummy and took my temperature so I had a full MOT and they all came back clear so I dont have any underlying illnesses like cancer or kidney disease but I need to have 6 monthly blood tests now to keep an eye on my kidneys and liver because of my medicines can affect that. So I need collect my pawket money up so I can afford to pay for my tablets and tests.

After my visits to the dogtors and starting my new medicine I took my legs for a test run.

As you can see the medicine is helping me get my bouncing legs back on (This was 4 days after starting my medicine.) I also did a spot of squirrel spotting / stalking at Stover.

I have managed to squeeze in a few dog show classes this year too and managed to add to my rosette collection.

We visited some new dog friendly pubs and cafe's - our new favourite is The Ship in Weymouth.

We went on a 2 week tour of UK, 1st we went to woofstockuk, then to Southampton, Then to Nottingham for GGG and then we went to Weymouth. It was soopa fun but soopa hexorsting. We camped with other pointy noses in Nottingham and I won a rosette at GGG. Woofstock was my 1st festival/concert and I enjoyed listening to some moosic wiff mine hoomans.

I even did a spot of swimming ...

I took part in Dogs Unite - a sponsored walk for guide dogs and we walked 5 miles. Thank Dog fur mine new medicine. We raised 140 pounds ;)

Unfortunately some of my good friends have had to go to rainbow bridge this year and I miss them lots but I also have met new friends; although they dont replace my friends now at the bridge they are becoming greyt friends themselves.

There's been so many memories to talk about I cant cover them all but I look forward to many more soopa memories to complete 2014 and in to 2015 too.

Here's me with my friends and are hoomans recently at a pre-Christmas walkies and lunch in Stroud, Here you can see some of my newest friends. Bella the lurcher in the orange bandanna on the left of the picture and Teddie the black greyhound just behind her and the over on the right next to me is Lucy the moo greyhound who is Elfie's new sisfur.

Wordless Wednesday - West Wittering zoomies and swimming

2014-12-03T08:00:00.000+00:00

The Ship Inn – Custom House Quay Weymouth

2014-09-27T14:10:00.001+01:00

The Ship Inn – Custom House Quay Weymouth

We had been looking for somewhere to eat whilst staying in Weymouth as part of our dog friendly two week adventure around the country. We happened upon the Ship mentioned on another dog friendly website and enquired with them if they were infact dog friendly; they informed us they were but advised we book a table if we wished a dog to join them for dinner. It was several months before we were actually due to be in the area but a quick message via facebook to them the evening before our visit secured us a booking for 7pm for 2 people and 1 greyhound (The message was infact sent via the greyhounds own facebook page and so the table was reserved in the name of “Cat the Greyhound”.

We parked up in the local pay and display (Free after 6pm so no need to either pay or display!) and walked up the road to “The Ship”; upon arrival we were greeted by one of the staff who instantly recognised his guest as “Cat the Greyhound” (I dont suppose he gets a lot of table reservations for a dog) and we were shown to our table – complete with reserved sign and a bowl of water ready and waiting for their guest!

Drinks and menu's were provided for the human guests and orders placed at the table. We ordered the mezze board, the ham hock terrine, hand crumbed mushrooms and a side of skin on fries (2 starters, a sharing board and a side order!) We didn't have to wait too long for the food to be ready and as requested it was all served together. The mezze board consisted of 3 falafel bites, a pitta bread, 2 slices of garlic flat bread, 2 faccacia bread sticks, a salsa, a houmous, a tzatziki and some olives in olive oil and as the name suggests it was served on a board (A board that kinda looked like a piece of driftwood!). The “Hand crumbed mushrooms” were amazing; slices of mushroom in a breadcrumb served with a garlic dip. Really nice, so much better than any “Garlic mushroom” starter we have ever eaten before. The ham hock terrine was very nice too, served in a jar with some foccacia bread sticks on the side. There wasn't a crumb left at the end. Very nice meal, would definitely recommend to any one in the area and especially to fellow hounds and their humans as we were made very welcome by all the staff and the other customers. And we will 100% be paying the ship another visit next time we are in the area.

The Ship is right next to the water so lovely views over the harbour of the boats coming and going, a short walk from the main town and beach (Beach has a dog friendly section all year round nearest end to the fair and sea life tower!) so a greyt place for a visit for lunch or dinner whilst enjoying a day out in the area. Parking is near by but all pay and display (except after 6pm when the car parks are free!) The Ship also supports charity by doing fundraising and has collection boxes dotted around so that gets them an extra point in our books.

We cant say anything negative about the Ship following our visit so dont let any negative reviews you have seen put you off of a visit, get down and see for yourselves. We did and are very happy we visited. 5 out of 5.

Second visit - more greyt food!

We first visited the ship in September as part of a 2 week tour reviewing dog friendly places for out blog (and a nice holiday too!), We had a lovely visit and so decided to visit again whilst we were near by for a few days. We popped in one lunch time and requested to book a table for the following evening, this was no problem and we were even able to request a specific table (We sat in same seat as last time!) Again a very nice visit, friendly and helpful staff and a lovely meal, We had handcrumbed mushrooms, sweet potato burger and mini pie and mash. Very tasty food and a decent price. There was less mushrooms this time than the first visit (Not a complaint just an observation, and I really like them so would eat a whole bowl of these!). The burger was served with fries and salad - all so tasty I would highly recomend the sweet potato burger to any one but especially if you are looking for a nice vegetarian burger, it was a bit soft and moist as it appears to be freshly made but I just did the civilised thing and used my knife and fork to eat it and it was no problem. I noticed a few people commenting on the way they serve their meals, they come on a wooden board/platter and chips come in a tin can (Like an empty bean tin). It is a little quirky but I dont see how thats a bad thing and it doesnt effect the quality of the meal so I say let them be different. The mini pie and mash was 2 smaller versions of their "normal" pies. There was steak and tanglefoot ale and chicken and ham hock and they came with two piles of mash, a gravy and a cheese sauce; plus vegetables. My brother assures me these were very nice pies, with a good amount of filling and crispy pastry. So after this we decided we should try a pudding so settled for a salted caramel sundae and a mini mulled winter fruit crumble (My brother obviously in a miniture mood!) So the sundae was layers of toffee and vanilla ice cream, salted pretzul and salted popcorn and toffee sauce. As the ship themselves say "It shouldn't work but it does!" it was a nice dessert , definitely different and even my greyhound went a little obsessive over the pretzul and ice cream combo (she told her blog followers she was hoping for some meat pie and ice cream so she got her wish!) Once we had all cleared our plates (boards, bean tins etc) we paid the bill and headed for a quick walk on the beach to finish up the evening.
The next day we decided to stop back in the ship for lunch as we wanted to inspect their subs. We had to sit in a different seat this time (I know how shocking!) but we soon settled down and ordered the Philli cheese steak sub and the houmous and falafel sub, Both come served with skin on fries (In a bean tin ofcourse!) and a side salad. I absolutely loved the falafel and houmous sub, I'd go as far as to say it was better than the chain store that sales sub sandwiches as it's speciality (No free advertising here!) again every tiny morsal was eaten up and enjoyed. The only complaint I have from either visit was the fact there was too much ice in my cola on the lunch visit and it made drinking it pretty impossible unless I wanted numb lips and a brain freeze. Never mind. I will let them off for serving absolutely delicious food and being nice to boot. No one even minded that my dog isn't a tiny squeeze under the table dog and likes to stretch out on her blanket and spill her bowl of water everywhere when drinking (well they did give her the water!) . Dont go changing now The Ship, We'll be back next year I am sure!

Hunters moon Sherbourne Dorset

2014-09-24T19:48:00.000+01:00

We went to Hunters Moon whilst we were camping in the local area for WoofstockUk and needed somewhere to eat on the Sunday evening, we found Hunters Moon on the internet and sent them a message to confirm that they were in fact dog friendly, the landlord confirmed they were and booked us a table for the whole evening, we arrived to have dinner around 7pm. We were able to choose a table ourselves as they weren't busy at that time. We sat down and ordered and I settled down on my blanket next to the table. Food was served promptly and was very nice food. Hooman boy had the pie of the day with chips (although it turned out to be a different flavour than what the lady at the bar said it was!) and hooman girl had the vegetarian option (was some kind of spinach and mushroom thing in a pastry) which came with vegetables!

Hunters moon is on the main road running through the area and so is a good place to stop off at on the way to or from days out as well as a good place for food and drink if you are in the area already. Hunters moon also has accommodation on site if people need a place to stay overnight, large car park and outside seating too idea for the summer or a warm evening.

Toomer farm campsite

2014-09-24T17:57:00.002+01:00

We stayed at Toomer farm on the "campsite" when we visited the local area for woofstockuk, we had some trouble organising staying there as we couldn't get an answer on the phone and when we emailed we got some confusing replies about horses and couldn't get a clear answer on how much it would cost to stay here , etc. Anyway we spoke to someone the week before our stay to ask if we could come a day early and they said yes but didn't take any details on who we were or anything and seemed eager to get off the phone. We arrived as intended on the Friday afternoon ready for Woofstock the next day and after some searching found someone to point us to where we could camp ( they pointed out a window to a small field next to the stables and surrounded by other fields with horses (and broken down cars, bits of rubbish and the like) in! We went ahead and set up the tent and the lady at the site told us that they would find us later for payment. We didn't see her (or anyone else again until the evening of the Sunday (we left Monday morning) when we went to the main house/ B&B to find them so we could pay the bill. The bill was pretty average really (can't remember exactly now buy think was £45.50 or something similar.)

The facilities weren't very good, they had a toilet block with a shower, a sink and 2 toilets in each one (one for male and one for female!) but the water in the sink was cold, the shower only had a curtain (no lockable door) and the main toilet block door in men's didn't shut (the ladies was just sticky to open and close but did close if you pulled it hard!) The toilet block did at least have heating which was a small bonus!

The camping field is adjacent to a field with an old caravan and a rather large horse and the giant horse was determined to escape and spent a lot of his time banging against the gate that was only secured with a rope (until he removed the rope with his mouth!) and stamping his hoofs on the floor and making lots of angry horse noises! He was a bit scary and we was worried he would get out and hurt us (Hooman girl did go talk to him before she saw his behaviours and he tried headbutt her away so we left him to it!)

It is a pretty good area for visiting in Somerset or Dorset (it's right on the border between the two counties) and it had an impressive agility field for the horses to use so if you are a horse you may enjoy a visit! We won't be going back though!

WoofstockUK

2014-09-24T17:20:00.003+01:00

The day finally arrived for woofstock UK in Marnhull (that's in Dorset!).

Our friend Harry Spaniel had been telling us all about it for months and months and we had been getting really excited. Harry told us there would be stalls, a dog show, food and music ... What more could a dog ask for?

We decided we'd go camp at a local farm for the weekend of woofstockuk (more about that in another post!) so that we could spend the whole day at the event field, we arrived right at the start too whilst they we're still finishing with setting up. It was a little tricky finding the field and we missed the entrance (Twice!) once we found the gate we parked up next to Drum and Chewy (them the farms horsies!) and wandered over to the stalls.

Drum and Chewy looking very happy
with the goings on in their field

Harry with his mum and the 2 judges at Woofstockuk

We had a chat to some the stall holders, played some tombolla and did a spot of shopping whilst we awaited the dog show! I scored a new blanket bed, some kibbles, some natures diet,TWO new leads, and some dried liver and wabbit luggs. The hoomans had some coffee and cakes and tried some chilli and chutneys from one the stalls; then we registered to enter the dog show. I entered two classes ; best pedigree and best veteran, but the judges didn't think I was good enough to get a ribbon (They were quite nice hoomans though i suppose).

We watched a bit more dog show and the hoomans ate some lunch, hooman girl had a jacket potato with cheese and hooman boy had a hot dog (a snozzage thing not one the contestants from the show!) and then us looked around and talked to fwends some more! Once the dog show was finished there was some kind of funny agility that giant anipals did (though i think there was hoomans inside suits pretending to be anipals really!)

After that the music part of the day started so we wandered over to the other part the field to sit and listen to it! There was more food and some cider and other drinks to be had in to the evening and there was about 5 or 6 music acts performing lots of different types of music and songs and a very odd hooman talking and playing harmonica (apparently he was on " the voice" on TV or something!)

We had a pawsome time, made some new friends and met some old friends, ate some nice food, bought lots of cool stuff , and listened to some pretty pawsome music too. It was a tad cold though especially by 11pm when we headed back to our campsite. Can't wait for next years WoofstockUK

Housedean Farm Campsite Brighton BN7 3JW

2014-06-27T13:01:00.001+01:00

Sunday 22nd June 2014 was the 5th annual GBGW. I begged the hooman for months to book time off from work so we could go to it and I wished and wished for us to go to West Wittering to do walkies as I luff the beach there and I haff fwends in the area to sniff and bark with.

Finally hooman girl came to tell me we were going to GBGW and not only that but she had scored a whole 10 days off work. So I set about organising a road trip for us; I looked around at different campsites, some we have camped at before and some new ones we've not been to before. We settled on Housedean farm.
Housedean farm is a farm and a campsite on the A27 between Brighton and Lewes and their website looks really amazing. They have bigger pitches than most campsites so lots of people can camp on one pitch together and every pitch has its own firepit for campfires.They have toilets and showers for the hoomans and most importantly they allow dogs. So we decided it looked like a soopa place and in a good area for all our plans and so we sent an enquiry email to the site to ask about vacancies - we weren't holding out much hope as it's summer time and the site looked like it might be popular - we heard back quite quickly and they told us they did have space and how to book/pay (There was a link to a clever payment website - very modern of them!)

Eventually the day arrived for our camping trip. We arrived at the campsite at 1430, it was the most easy to find / best signposted campsite we have ever stayed on. We pulled in and went to reception - it was closed but not to panic a note said for new arrivals to take a leaflet , choose a pitch and come back to book in once you are set up. The leaflets had directions to the camping field - it was straight ahead past the barn - with a map of the pitches, details about taxi and buses, information on the local walking routes on south down ways and the site rules (Though the rules on the leaflet and the rules on the website aren't the same!).

We read the leaflet and chose a pitch - it was as expected crazy busy on site. We chose pitch one because it was close to the facilities so it would be easier for me to be left when hooman girl needed to use them (plus you know it was one of the few still available at the time!) Hooman girl wrestled with the tent until it was standing up and looking like a tent should look whilst I sunbathed and watched the world go by. A couple of hours later just as the tent was erected and we getting things set up the campsite owner dropped by and said hi. He told us where to go to book in and pay the rest the money - he seemed nice and friendly , doesn't say much but that is fine by us (who wants to go camping and be pestered by the owners of the site the whole time? not us that is for sure!) So we walked down to pay and bought myself an ice cream whilst we were there.

Reception / Shop

The reception and shop is open in the morning and the afternoon for a few hours each. The shop stocks some camping essential food items, logs, ice creams and ofcourse marshmallows for toasting on your campfire.

Facilities

Toilets - individual cabins, each with a toilet, basin, heater and a bin. Each one has soap, paper hand towels and a mirror. Water a good temp (it's set to 35c on the dial - a note in one the cabins said not to change it)

Showers - showers are a good temperature and good water pressure and temperature controllable also (There's a note in the showers explaining how this works) 3 showers - one of which is "open air" basically it's a roofless cubicle but it's quite nice to shower outside with no roof especially on a hot day - it was even almost enjoyable on a not so warm evening once you get over the initial shock of coldness. Though remove clothing before turning on tap or you will just have wet clothing.

Both the toilets and shower cubicles were cleaned and products refreshed / bins emptied regularly .

Washing up area - several sinks with VERY hot water, communal fridge and freezer and bins

Water points - several cold water basins/taps around site

Price

The site charge per person and not per pitch (as they allow lots of people to camp on each pitch), it cost 10 pounds per night per person and we had to pay half upfront and half on arrival.
We think this is good value for money and a better way of charging for those who dont camp in the pre-set way - some campsites charge a certain amount per night and state it's inclusive of 2 adults and a medium tent and it gets complicated when you are 1 adult, 1 dog, 1 large tent and 1 car. This way it's much simpler as you are charged per person regardless of what sort of tent you are bringing and so much better value over all for single campers.

High Paws (Good Points!)

Allows groups
Good price
Close to main A road and public transport links
Easy to find and well signposted
Allows/encourages campfire and BBQ
Communal fridge and freezer
Good clean facilities
Lots of nature

Bad Doggy (Bad points!)

A27 can be heard from campsite as it is right outside gate
Ground is hard so bring spare tent pegs and a good mallet
Main supermarkets and takeaways are quite a distance away so either need bring supplies for whole stay or go out in car to get food (There's a garage just up road on A27 which stocks your basics)
Can get busy/noisy especially on weekends
No EHU (not an issue for us as we never use but for some this would be a problem!)
Site's own dogs running loose (Again no issue for us but could be an issue if your own dog is more nervous/reactive or if you have small children. Although they predominantly stayed away from the tents they did occasionally come over and do #pooclub by our tent.
Couldn't get our tie out stake in the hard ground and there was no mention of if dogs are suppose be on lead or not (The website states we do for reference!)

Things we would of liked

Recycling bins
To be able to see the farm animals - our favourite camping spots integrate the farm and campsite together
There are no doggy rules signposted on site or on site rules on leaflet, the only place dogs are mentioned is on the website. Would be helpful if dogs need be on lead if this was mentioned on the site itself.
Pitch bounderies - it's a little hard to work out where one pitch ends and one begins and we ended up with a minivan parked touching our ropes on one night (Not helped by fact they did this at 3am)

We recommend you go to housedean farm for a visit unless you dont like nature or are a very light sleeper as there is always a degree of background noise from A27 and the wildlife never shut up . We liked hearing the birds and chirping bugs though as it feels like real camping when you are side by side with nature and living next to a busy railway we are use to traffic noise at all hours so the road didn't bother us. We seen a fox cub, birds or prey and more breeds of birds than we could name, crickets and grasshoppers (I'm not sure of the difference!) beetles, spiders and squillians of ants (and have the bites to prove it!) Plus a few horses through a gap in the hedge.

Note to self - Group doggy holiday at Housedean farm?

The Boathouse Dawlish Warren

2014-06-03T18:29:00.000+01:00

We heard that the Boathouse in Dawlish Warren had a new menu and so we decided to pop down one afternoon (we only live 5 mins from here!) the website says that main meals are 2 for 1 on weekdays but this turned out not to be entirely true (some are, not all of them!) we ordered burgers and nachos.

Nachos

The nachos were suppose to come with cheese sauce and cheese grated on top however they were just tortillas with cheese and salsa on and so were really dry and not that nice really - and you know not at all what the menu said they were going to be!

Burgers

Hooman girl being a vegtablist she had the "Hippy Burger" which is a vegetable patty with Jack cheese topped with salad in a Brioche bun and served with chips. It was pretty good and the meal was a good size for the price of it. Hooman girl was relatively happy with her choice.
Hooman boy had the "Hickory Burger" but this again wasn't quite how it was described on the menu. It was missing some vital components. Firstly it was served in a seeded burger bun NOT a Brioche bun and was without the onion rosti.
Even so it was an alright burger but obviously would of been improved with its intended ingredients and when we go out to lunch we like the food served to be what we actually ordered really!
We spoke to the manager hooman after, well he came over to clear the table and so we took the opportunity to inform him of the issues with the meal. He apologised (but looked confused!) and offered us free dessert (we didn't want free dessert though!). It was the 1st week they had the menu available and so possible the chef didn't know it perfectly yet and maybe they didn't have all the necessary bits available. So we will let them off for now and revisit later in the year to see if they have improved their selection!

We followed up the visit to the pub with a visit to Dawlish Warren beach which has 2 dog friendly area's ; one is just to the right of the pub and the other you have to walk across a bit of the nature reserve (also dog friendly!) to access. Dawlish Warren a really lovely area and well worth a visit! And if you are in the area then keep your eyes peeled for mahself :)

The new look Victoria Inn Salcombe TQ8 8BU

2014-04-06T12:03:00.001+01:00

We made a return trip to The Victoria Inn at Salcombe a couple of weeks ago to check out their new look establishment following the big refurbishment recently and since we had enjoyed our previous visits so much we were all very very excited!

We arrived around 12 midday and luckily found a parking space in the car park opposite the pub and headed inside. We were lucky as there wasn't many people in at the time so we got to choose where to sit (we chose the window seat) we were given menu's (They even do a doggy menu now! It has piggy luggs and Bonio's and rawhide chews on. My own self thinks dem shud add snozzages and hams to the doggy menu!). Any ways, my hoomans did looking (at the hooman menu!) and chose dems noms (or more chose lots of noms as they didn't wish to decide on one option!) Hooman boy had the pulled pork roll and hooman girl had the bubble and sqweek (without the egg!) they also had the Camembert to share and then they had Marmite chips because they were curious about them!

Hooman boy was as usual not very committal in his review "it was alright" is about as good as it gets with him, so I grilled him for some more descriptive words and hooman girl is my fussy hooman (not only is she vegetarian but she's also fussy about textures and tastes and how "clean" food is) so she told me much more about the foods.

Here goes...

Pulled Pork
The meat was nice and cooked well. It came with apple sauce which was good as hooman boy found the meat a bit dry and in need of something to make it less so. The apple sauce did that. But maybe it should be cooked in more of a sauce and have some of it left on the meat to make it more moist on serving.

Bubble and Sqweek

OK now hooman girl changed the meal so maybe it's better in its original format but like I say she's fussy. The bubble and sqweek comes in a cider cream sauce with a pouched egg on top. Hooman girl didn't want the egg so asked for it without but that meant her whole meal was one flavour (she doesn't like one flavour meals as she gets bored easily) Mostly the bubble and sqweek tasted like potato; think it needed more greenery. It was nice though and like I said probably better with the egg on top.

Camembert
The camembert was a winner, both hoomans eatted it and there was none of it left at the end. It was flavoured with rosemary and came with a nice bread roll thing for dipping. I have no negatives to report about this one. It was 5/5 paws soopa!

Marmite Chips

Now this was an odd item that hooman girl had seen on the menu and wanted to try so she had them as a sort of dessert (yes she is odd!) They were literally a portion of chips in a bowl with a marmite sauce sqweezed over the top like you would kethup. Neither hooman actually likes Marmite so not sure why we got them but we all tried some. I dont like Marmite either. I did sniff it, then I did lick it. Then I said . Yuck! Hooman boy tried them and said Yuck. Hooman girl liked them and wants more. Odd right?

Ontie Liz the landlady came over to say Hi, give me some fusses and some Ham from the kitchen (dont tell chef!) but she was soopa soopa busy serving customers and answering phones and talking to the chef and the other staff and helping customers find things and all those other important things. The Victoria Inn is always busy when we go there, no matter what time of day it is. We've been weekends and week days and it's always been buzzing in there. If you dont want to be disappointed I recommend as always that you call ahead and book a table.

They still have a fabaroony garden with chickens and other birds and a kiddy play park, and a patio area and a grassed area (but it was being closed when we visited!) They also now have an upstairs area with HUGE patio doors so loads more seating.
So I am glad to say we definitely still recommend a visit to the Victoria Inn Salcombe. Hoomans definitely recommend the Camembert and I definitely recommend the ham!

Iz such a rebel!

Salt Bar Hayle

2014-03-23T18:39:00.001+00:00

Whilst we were in Hayle for a week recently we decided to check out "Salt". We had been told it was dog friendly and checked out the menu online already. We planned to visit twice; once for lunch and once for dinner. First we headed for an evening dinner, the hooman working at Salt suggested we sit in the corner (I dont think he was being mean but salt is quite small and I am a larger breed of dog!) So we sat where he had pointed and ordered our food. Whilst we waited another customer came over and fussed me and chatted to my girl; he was saying how he wanted a greyhound too so that was soopa and I hope he does get one coz he gives PAWSOME fusses! Soon dinner arrived. Hooman boy had "monkfish scampi" and hooman girl had
"Mushroom and Hullumi burger" The food was really really good, tasted GREYT and good value - not cheap, Salt isn't your average pub but not expensive either and the food was well worth the price.

We went back for lunch 2 days later and the hoomans ordered the "club sandwich" and a "Mediterranean vegetable melt" again the food was extremely nommy and everyone was really nice and friendly.

5 / 5 paws for SALT!

Tolroy Manor (John Fowler) Hayle TR27 6HG

2014-03-23T17:43:00.003+00:00

We stayed at Tolroy manor for a week in March 2014 for hooman boys burfday (hes old now!) The site was quite easy to find (with the sat nav!) but the entrance sneaks up on you a bit and we had to spin the car around and come back (there is a sign at the entrance so it is easy to spot for those observant enough!). We parked up and I sent my hooman slave in to announce our arrival, her went to reception and the receptionist told her where the bungalow was and gave her a map and a key and a pass for the club. We set about finding the "bungalow" and unpacking the car and settled in for the evening and I set about compiling my report of the site!

Accommodation!

Small and cold.
We stayed in Tudor Court. Our "bungalow" sleeps 4 - 6 hoomans but is really small; the main bedroom only just fits a double bed in it and although has a chest of drawers in the room you cant actually open them as the bed is in the way. The second bedroom has 2 single beds in - one of those was blocking the wardrobe/cupboard and the other was in front of an external door so that this could not be opened. The windows/doors are single glazed and so it is really cold in the bungalow 99% of the time and you can hear people walking past chatting. Also the beds are very hard so the hoomans had sore backs by the end of the week. There is a microwave, fridge/freezer, kettle and cooker which were all working well and the shower was very nice temperature/pressure wise.
Bedding isn't included in the price of the booking so you can either pay extra or take your own (we took sleeping bags) and dogs "aren't allowed on furniture" (I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's called FURniture!) so take your bed or blankie with you on holiday!

Entertainment!

The site has a main club/bar/amusements type area (no dogs in here though!) the amusements are very basic and obviously aimed at very small children, a few of the machines weren't working that well. There's a soft play area in the reception (again obviously aimed at pre-school children!) The "Stripey coats" were a little too attentive and kept talking to the hoomans when they didn't really want to be bothered (it was VERY quiet in the bar!).
The swimming pool was broken (Storm damage - and we all know what that is like here in Dawlish!) so we didn't get to investigate that. There is a shop on site although it did see to have odd opening times it stocked all the "essential" items like tea and coffee and milk.

The site is located in a good central location for visiting other places for adventures. Just a few miles from a HOOOOOGE beach at Hayle Towans and close to Penzance, Praa sands, St Ives, the Lizard and Lands end and not far from Falmouth , Newquay and Redruth so there is alot you can do in the area or near by!

Places to visit in Hayle!

Mr B's Ice Cream
Salt Bar
Hayle Towans Beach
Philps Pasties

We give Tolroy manor 3/5 paws - The accommodation in Tudor Court needs updating and the entertainment team could do with not pestering guests so much even if they are bored because there's only a pawful of people in the bar. but the site has plenty to do - especially for families with children and it is in a good central location.

Harbour House Cafe - Kingsbridge TQ7

2014-01-23T16:17:00.001+00:00

Harbour House Cafe

1st Floor, Harbour House, The Promenade
Kingsbridge, Devon TQ7 1JD
Tel: 01548 855666

Today we paid a visit to the Harbour House Cafe in Kingsbridge which is inside of the Harbour House Gallery for Art and Yoga.

It's a really nice building with a nice art gallery on the bottom floor and the cafe on the 2nd floor and lots of other rooms that has "classes" for hoomans like yoga, meditation, shiatsu, kung fu, tai chi and pilates. (I had a look in some of the rooms on my way out!)

A weekly schedule for the "house"

So we headed on in and had to go up some stairs to get to the cafe, these were quite steep and I didn't like them (and liked them even less on way out!) but apparently you can enter via the garden instead - I didn't see any lifts for hoomans with pawly legs! As soon as we entered the cafe som hoomans did saying heywo to mahself and admired my coat. There was 2 little Iggys (Italian Greyhounds) sat in a corner with their hoomans haffing lunch so we headed over to say hi to them first thing before finding a seat and choosing our own lunch - There was plenty of space today as they weren't very busy.

My girl chose Vegetable bake with a walnut crumble topping and a raspberry crush drink and my boy chose falafel with humus and pitta and a coffee (Did I mention it was a vegetarian cafe?) The service was quite quick and the food was good. The vegetable bake was soopa tasty and had lots different vegetables in and you could taste them all individually (There was parsnip and carrots and potatoes and tomatoes and sweet potato plus more too) it came with a roll - well half a roll technically - which was very nice too and a salad. The falafel was a little dry but still very tasty and it did come with dips and things so that helped lots.

After lunch the hoomans did some looking at the photography canvas' that were on the walls and mostly did noting down the names of the places featured in them for future research and then they decided on some cake.

"We encourage our visitors to eat well but we also see no wrong in the occasional indulgence of a carrot cake or chocolate torte!"

We had the coffee cake and the lemon drizzle cake to share - I got to try both and they were very nommy indeed!

Then we headed out - Once I had checked out the room at the top the stairs - It was a soopa visit. We finished up our trip with a walk around the town (very steep hill), a trip to the pet shop and a walk by the harbour.

Brighton All Shapes and Sizes Dog Meet

2014-01-05T21:01:00.005+00:00

When we went camping back in May we visited my friend Casey and his hooman Pete and they told me about their doggy social group which meets oncea month in Brighton and since we wear quite near on what happened to be the day their November meet fell on I decided to pay them a visit and see what all the fuss is about!

Here's some hightlights!

You can find out more info on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AllShapeSizesBrightonDogMeet

Playdate with Broocie and Co at Shellness Beach - Isle of Sheppey !

2014-01-05T20:31:00.001+00:00

Shellness Beach

For a long time now we have been saying we want to go meet Broocie and hims famlee up in Kent and it just so happened hooman girl had time orf werk so us booked up a weeks holibobs in nearby Hastings and then arranged a playdate with Broocie, orlso us fwend Buddy (the muddy!) did attend wiff hims pack. Us did go to Shellness beach what is a noodie beach in Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey.

It's quite easy to find but once you get to what looks like the end of the road dont stop just keep driving along the bumpy road until you get to the real end!

Mahself wiff Broocie running free

Once you arrive you have go under/over a fence to get to the walkies and then there was lots of mud (Should tell the hoomans to take wellies or good walking boots be bestest!) tiz a nice walkies by like a nature reserve so lots of grass and sand and wabbit holes to hexplore. Then us went on to the beach which is shelly but still nice.

We had soopa fun. Orl together there was mahself (Cat!), Broocie, Amy, Alfie, Dennis, Flossiefostadog (now Flossiefurevadog!), Buddy (The muddy!), Barney (Digger), Archie and Albut (Puppeh!). Ten dogs (9 pointys and a terror!) plus hoomans (5 of dem!) It was like being in a HUGE pack!

Some of us playing chase da hooman!

Meeting Barney Digger

Flossie

Buddy the Muddy showing his zoomie skills

We did lots of zooming and jumping and bouncing - Wuz soopa!

Then after walkies us went back to Broocies house and had dindins and snoozes.

Dennis (he's cute for a Terror)

Flossie feeling brave

Barney Digger

Archie had to get a baff coz him rolled in pooclub

Camber Sands - Rye East Sussex

2013-11-24T12:16:00.000+00:00

We did meet up with our friends Gina (GG) , Ted and Bill for walkies at Camber Sands in East Sussex followed by lunch in the local pub (The Green Owl!) It was a very wet and windy day but we braved the weather and had a luffly walkies. Bill even did some paddling.

Braving the weather

<3 Gina Greyhound <3

The Gang

Bill doing some paddling with his mummy

Myself with Bill

Camber sands is a soopa beach however it is only dog friendly out of season so unfortunately we have to brave the bad weather; however it is HUGE with loads of space to run around and hexplore and ofcourse the sea to paddle in (Like Bill did!) Only negative of it is its right off the car park so if you tend to be a wanderer it isn't the best for you. But with it being out of season there wasn't many cars in the car park any way!

After walkies we headed up the road a little to the Green Owl for some lunch and to warm ourselves by the fire.

Me getting comfortable

GG and Ted settling in

Bill found a comfy spot

We all perused the menu and chose our food and drinks. The grown up hoomans chose coffee whilst my girl had a lemonade and everyone chose sandwiches and chips which ofcourse the hounds all got a taste of too.

Once everyone was fed, watered and dry we all got our coats and leads back on and headed back up the road to the car park where much fussing and treat sharing happened.

Was a soopa walk and luffly to see GG again and to meet Bill and Ted for the 1st time in the fur!

This post is dedicated to the memory of Gina (GG) who went to rainbow bridge shortly after our adventure!

Run Free GG xxx

Warmwell Holiday Park - DT2 8JE

2013-09-27T21:59:00.001+01:00

We decided we needed a break in Dorset to visit some more of the Dorset dog friendly attractions that we have been planning for a while so we booked in to stay at Warmwell Holiday Park near Weymouth on the way back from Nottingham for the GGG. Warmwell is ran by Parkdean and is way more than just a holiday park.
The site has lots and lots right there on the door step. Warmwell has a pool with wave machine and flume, sauna, ski slope, roller rink, arcade, ten pin bowling, crazy golf, fishing lakes, nature trails, playgrounds, sports fields/courts, soft play, Costa coffee, take away, cafe, restaurant, shop and entertainment complex.

All the accommodation onsite are lodges (either terraced or detached) and sleep between 4 and 8 people each.

We stayed in the Wareham 2 bed lodge which was really nice and big too. It had 2 bedrooms (and a sofa bed!), a kitchen/dining room with oven and microwave (we used the microwave to warm my dinner up but didn't use the oven!), it was really warm too unlike alot places we stayed in the past - I didn't even have to wear my jimjams to bed at night!

The site is really nice too and quite spacious so lots places to walk and sniff. Ofcourse the park has some rules like everywhere (boring!) The site has a speed limit (for the cars not the hounds) but I dont remember what it was probably like 5mph and they dont allow dogs inside any the buildings (so we cant go swimming or watch a rock show but I dont know if we would be allowed to ski since that is outside BOL) There's little signs around saying they hope the dogs are enjoying their holiday but please clean up after them and keep on lead when on walkies (but that's fine coz all responsible hoomans clean up after us dont they?). Also they ask that dogs dont go on the furniture (they obviously dont know its called FURniture for a reason!) or in the bedrooms so take your own beds along. They do have some breeds that are banned from the site but these are just the breeds that are illegal in UK under the DDA (personal feelings about DDA aside)!
The lodge was really good and had everything we needed. We were a bit confused by the no dogs in bedrooms rule (though expected the not on furniture part!) as I'm much more likely to make a mess or cause trouble when left alone all night than when I know I'm being watched or could be caught! Parkdean are okay about dogs being left in the lodges whist you go out as long as its not for long periods of time which was good as most places say not to do that!
The sofa's are a bit old and saggy and not soopa comfy so perhaps they need some updating and the seal on our main door was falling off (minor problem didn't cause an issue!).

We know how important it is to be able to enjoy your holiday or short break with your beloved four-pawed friend. That's why at Parkdean we offer dog-friendly accommodation at 21 of our award winning holiday parks, including Warmwell.

Our pet friendly accommodation comes with all the comforts and furnishings you'd expect from a Parkdean holiday home, allowing you to enjoy your holiday or short break in comfort and style with your pet.

So I'll tell you about some of the inside things that the hoomans checked out like the food and entertainment.

The site has an entertainment building which has the arcade, swimming pool, soft play, bar, restaurant and club inside and my hoomans spent the past few evenings and early mornings over there. (we went off site during the day coz like I said we had plans to check out the dog friendly attractions which I will tell you about later!)

The arcade

This has a good selection of games to play on and a range to suit all age groups from little children who want to play 2p slots or ride the mini horsey, the older children who play car racing, dance games and shooting games and the adults who like a more serious gamble on the grown up machines, there's also the usual grabby cuddly toy machines and games you can win tickets on and exchange for prizes at the end the week. Ofcourse hooman girl spent a great deal of time and money winning tickets on the various games and exchanged them for ... ummm....some children's jigsaws and a flashing puffer ball (yeah!). There's also mini bowling and pool tables here too! We give the arcade top points 5/5 as it has a good range of machines, was clean and the machines were regularly maintained and topped up with tickets/change (they did run out of tickets a couple times but were refilled quickly!) and the staff were nice too. If you get lots and lots points you can win an xbox arcade version which apparently they dont make any more so its like rare or something - the prize hooman was telling mine hoomans about it this morning!

The food

We used the take away and Hardy's restaurant during our stay. The take away was okay but everything just cook from frozen and put in a different box (Pizzas out of freezer in to cooker in well known company box, out and in to a generic box!!!) but it's not bad food and prices are OK, portion sizes aren't bad either! So it's useful if you just want grab something quick after a day out or dont feel like eating in the restaurant or cooking your own dinner! 4/5 for the take away as it could be better but was fine for what we wanted it for and there are other options for food on site!

Hardy's restaurant was nice and has an outside seating area too. They do breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a good selection of food available including vegetarian options and children's menu (though they do a meat sausage and mash and a children's vegetarian sausage and mash but dont have the vegetarian sausage option on the adult main menu which was a little odd!). The hoomans had dinner on Wednesday night and then breakfast on Thursday and Friday mornings and said that the food was very nice. You can pay for half board or full board options when you book so you get your meals included in the price but we didn't do that as we like to go to other dog friendly places and review those too but the prices are fine either way.
The staff in Hardy's were friendly and helpful too and it was nice and clean with plenty of space for everyone and you didn't have to wait too long for food either which was good! 5/5 for Hardy's (only thing I would liked is if there was a covered grassy area that dogs could go and sit too outside Hardy's - there is an outside area and a grass bit which I believe dogs were allowed on just not covered so not really warm/dry enough to be an option).

The bar/club

The alpine bar is nice and has some tv's if you want to have a quiet drink whilst the children watch the giant characters dance and sing or dont feel like sitting in the noisy club area. The staff were a little slow serving at times but it did get busy and there was sometimes only 1 or 2 staff behind the bar. On Thursday night they kept running out of things and having to run off to get more from the store room or offer alternatives but the staff again were nice and friendly and it wasn't a huge problem (unless you are really inpatient!).

The club/family entertainment room or whatever they are calling it was nice too, a good size, clean and they cleared the tables regularly so you weren't sitting around with lots empty glasses on tables.
There was a security person there to make sure everyone behaved and followed the rules (like not going on the stage or not sitting on the dance floor when they were using it for entertainment/shows)
The "troupers" (the entertainment team!) were really nice to everyone and talked to and interacted with everyone who wanted to join in but didn't force themselves on people who just wanted to watch (sometimes they do that at some parks force people to interact and join in and dance - yuk!). They did "parkdean live" at 9 O'clock (after bingo) which is some kind of live entertainment either from the troupers or somebody who comes especially to entertain you live. The hoomans saw "Rock Tower" which the troupers did where they had to "rock out" or be locked in Rock Tower forever and they watched the trouper Vici do some singing followed by the other trouper Chris doing some Rock and Pop singing (hooman boy said he preferred his version of James Arthur's Impossible to the original, hooman girl liked watching his funky dancing to the backstreet boys larger than life!)

They also have kids entertainment from 6pm - 8pm which we didn't see but heard good things about and bingo/quiz. There's entertainment every night and throughout the season so there is always something to watch even in non peak season.

Shop

There is a nisa onsite which has all the necessary things like food, drinks, cakes, sweets, souvenirs, toys and essential items (shampoo, soap, tea, coffee, bread, ice cream). The shop has everything you would need really and is close by to all the accommodation so you can easily pop over if you run out of something or have a craving for sugar! The prices are reasonable too for on a holiday park as often prices can be high.

Other

We didn't use any of the other facilities as were only there for 4 nights and had things planned offsite for most the time. The swimming pool looked good and wasn't over crowded, it's lifeguard attended too so no need to worry about drowning. They also sale swimming costumes, goggles, floatation aids and toys in the reception so if you forgot something its fine you are good to go - apparently the changing rooms are unisex though which some people dont like!

The ski slope looked fun although wasn't busy the few times we went past (maybe as it isn't peak season any more I am sure the park was busy during school holidays!) there were a few people using it (I think it was the entertainment team though!) and the instructor guy sounded nice and patient with them when they were falling over so that's good - don't like bossy people!

Kids soft play looks good on the photo's we seen.

The site has a cashpoint/ATM by the shop/takeaway although there is a small charge for this.

Launderette on site.

There's a family of deer that visit the park and on our 1st day they came really close to the lodge whilst I was napping on the terrace #scary - they seemed sort of friendly but did stamp their feet at me later but she had a young deer with her so was most likely protecting him for me (he was smaller than I am!)

All in all we love Warmwell, you ideally need more than 5 days on the park if you want to actually take part in everything they have to offer and see the local area so if we visit again (which we hopefully will *paws crossed*) we will atleast do a week maybe 10 - 14 days so that we can check out more of the site and area. The staff are all very friendly and helpful but dont force their presence on you so if you want to just relax and not take part in activities you can do but if you want to engage and do things they are ready and waiting to help you. The site is dog friendly as long as we dont go inside any the buildings (other than our own lodge) and we stay on leads but it's ok if we sit outside or walk around we're not forced offsite like on some sites. The foods nice, good prices, the whole site is clean (on the day we checked out they were in cleaning by 9am, getting clean bedding put outside all the lodges ready for the next guests and blowing leaves off the terraces). It's an ideal site for families as there are activities for everyone and plenty of space and enough staff to make sure everyone has a greyt time. There is a little room with leaflets in the main bar and it also has information like maps, where the local petrol stations are and even a sheet especially for dog owners with info on local vets, dog wardens, etc incase anything goes wrong during your stay!

Thank You Warmwell and Parkdean - it's been GREYT!!!

1000 Sighthounds

2013-09-10T22:07:00.000+01:00

We attended the 1000 sighthounds event at Escot last Sunday and had a soopa time!

We saw lots of other pointy noses including some good friends of ours. There was Poppy, Pixie and George with Ontie Jo, Ernie with Ontie Amanda, The whippet clan with Ontie Dawn, Bran with the hairy hooman, my fwend Tink from twitter, Mick wiff Ontie Sue, Gin wiff Ontie Kim, Ontie Jenny wiff Georgie and Shadie, Ellie and Bill, Sara and Callie with Ontie Kathryn from Milgi Coats, Rolo and Star, Little Joe (who was adopted after last years 1000 greyhound event), Elvis (he's not got a pointy nose though!), the 2lukis and my Ontie Claire and George hooman wiff Ellie and Tilly (you'll all remember Tilly from when she was Chrissy and we fostered her over Christmas last year!) It was soopa luffly to see orl mine fwends but especially soopa to see Miss Lurcha (Tilly) again!
I am soopa proud of Tilly, her has been werking very hard to be more sociable with other dogs and not do shout shout lunge or snap snap grrr at everyone. Her had a tough start in life but her in a luffly home now with luffly hoomans and a pretty sisfur and lots of luff! Luff yoo sis! <3

Tilly Lurcher in the show ring! Gorgeous girl. x

Me during my slow walk after everyone had already finished

Unfortunately I had a baddy leg after I got a little over hexcited during the week and snapped mine dew claw right by the skin, it was very owey coz it didn't come all off and I had to wear a silly bandage to protect it which meant a) I looked like a pillock and b) I had a silly hop hop limp going on. I still had a nice time and did the whole walk (was about 1.5 miles apparently!) but I did it verrrrrry slowly and came last. by the time I got back everyone was sitting down to lunch and no one was there to greet me on my return.

but luckily the downpour of rain waited until I was back atleast.

Hi, I'm a bit wet!

There was also lots of stalls to look around, things to buy and treats to try. I had some snozzages from the hounds first sighthound rescue stall that Ontie Jo was helping with and some bizkits from the Groomed to Pawfection stall, I also got a new bandanna from the greyhound sanctuary stall and the hoomans got a pile of t-shirts from last years event (apparently George hooman had said he wasn't taking anything home so I kept hearing throughout the day from various people!).

Then there was the dog show, there was a nice selection of classes and we sponsored one of them (Best veteran) and then entered it (didn't win though BOL) My friend Shadie got a special rosette though for being joint oldest in the class at 14. There was so many soopa hounds (and other breeds too) that it must of been a soopa tough decision to pick the winners in the classes.

Little Joe in the ring.

Some more hi-lites from the day!

Once everything was done we walked around and said bye to everyone that was left and then hopped back to the car and headed home!

Mini Cartoon Cat Greyhound

2013-09-10T20:41:00.000+01:00

So if you follow our page on facebook you would of already seen this but our friends Mollie and Alfie make some pawsome personalised items such as ornaments and drawings and necklaces and keychains and our other friend Gizmo is always talking about the cool things he's got from them so I went ahead and ordered a cartoon me ornament. Mollie did emailing me back and asked fur some photos of mahself so her could plan what to make me look like.

A few days later I got another email telling me I was being boxed up and was on my way - soopa!!!

Then a box did arriving (The postie left it outside the house!) Inside was ....

Me!

Here's the back of me so you can see too

I really like my mini cartoon me and I think I will get a mini Eddie Roo made too and we can sit on hooman girls bedside table or some where her can admire us!

You can see their full range of products on their website just tell them Cat Greyhound sent you!!

Thanks Mollie and Alfie xxxx

Happy Birthday Cat Greyhound! 12 years old and still has the moves

2013-08-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

Old Hound Still has IT!!!

2013-08-15T20:54:00.003+01:00

As some of you will know I will be turning 12 in a couple of weeks ... yes 12 years old!

The other day me and my girl decided to go for a ride in the car and spend some quality time just chilling, we finished up our drive at my bestest beach (Goodrington!) and I showed all my fans and friends at the beach that this old hound still has the moves!

OK here I am lying down!

Cooling off in the shallows

Going for a dip!

Dodge,Dodge , Zooooom

Boing! doing it like Tigger

Bouncing around I am so HAPPY!

Goofy play face...

Another goofy play face

Cant catch me!