Dog at the Presidential Suite
KENNEL CLUB REVEALS TOP BUSINESSES THAT ARE PAW-FECT FOR POOCHES
From Bulldogs in the boozer to Old English Sheepdogs in the office and Beagles in the bank, the Kennel Club has revealed Britain’s most pup-ular businesses that are dog friendly in its annual Open for Dogs competition.
The competition is now in its fourth year and operates entirely on the views of the public aiming to break down barriers for man’s best friend by encouraging more businesses to be dog friendly. The value of an open for dogs policy is supported by research released today by the Kennel Club that shows that dog owners are more likely to splash the cash than cat owners and those who own neither.
The research has shown that dog owners are almost twice as likely as those without a dog to regularly visit their local shops, with a quarter saying that they regularly visit them and half saying that they would use them even more if their dog could go too. It's not only businesses that benefit from dog owner’s generosity, it's also their friends, as dog owners are more likely than cat owners to buy the rounds in at the pub and almost twice as likely to buy in the rounds as people who own neither pet
Since the launch of the competition in May, nominations from the public came flooding in, to support pubs, restaurants, charities, hotels, offices, visitor attractions and high street businesses, in their efforts to be canine-savvy.
Metro Bank – the dog-friendly high street bank – has proved it is top dog by winning the ‘High Street’ category this year, beating other well-known high street businesses to scoop this top award.
The bank, which leads the way in its approach to welcoming dog-loving customers into its stores, received hundreds of nominations as its attitude to customers and their dogs impressed the voting public. One member of the public who nominated Metro Bank commented on its ‘refreshing way of doing business’.
The bank joined businesses up and down the country to compete for an accolade in this year’s competition, and with over 10,000 canine-canny businesses listed on the Open for Dogs website – powered by Dog Friendly – the competition was fiercely fought.
The winners of the Open for Dogs competition – including those who will be awarded a ‘Special Recognition’ prize for pulling out all the stops for man’s best friend, will be presented with their awards at the Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event at Earls Court, London on 12th-13thNovember.
Craig Donaldson, CEO of Metro Bank, said: “We are thrilled to have won a Kennel Club Open for Dogs Award! At Metro Bank our mantra is ‘Dogs Rule’ and we always provide water bowls and dog treats for man’s best friend in all of our branches, as we appreciate that the millions of dog owners in the UK are looking for places where dogs will be welcome. We are looking forward to collecting the award at Discover Dogs in November.”
Caroline Kisko, Communications Director at the Kennel Club, said: “Congratulations to every one of this year’s winners. The winners of these awards are determined by the public, who recognise that businesses are willing to go above and beyond for their customers and that dog-friendly businesses are an important part of the British marketplace. These winners are fine examples of the many companies and organisations that are reaping the benefits of a dog-friendly door policy in terms of creating a welcoming atmosphere, as well as helping to secure themselves financially by widening their customer base.”
The Kennel Club has found that 95 percent of people think more businesses and locations should be Open for Dogs, and that dogs improve the atmosphere of a place, and 77 percent think that dogs help to reduce stress.
The Open for Dogs Competition invited the public to nominate places that they thought were pulling out the stops to accommodate our canine companions with innovative services or simply a bowl of clean water and the promise of a friendly smile. The categories were: Somewhere on the HIGH STREET; Somewhere to SLEEP; Somewhere to DRINK; Somewhere to EAT; Somewhere to VISIT; Somewhere to WORK; Somewhere to HOLIDAY and CARE HOMES.