So today (now I am in real time again :) we ventured to Wales. Wednesday in Wales. I love Wales. Beautiful countryside, some nice castles, nice people, lots of sheep and of course some lovely country pubs. We met with Caroline and Harry (the fabulous tibetan terrier).
Caroline and Harry have been nominated for Friends for Life and wow what another inspirational and amazing story.
When we first arrived Harry bounded out the front door to greet us and he is the LOVELIEST TT (tibetan terrier) that I have had the pleasure to interview! What a real sweetie and his coat was sooo soft.
We managed to get in a lovely walk in the woods near Caroline's house where we met up with three pedigree golden retrievers (all of different ages) who were frolicking in the welsh countryside. I took some great pictures which I will upload to my flickr account later this weekend. Unfortunately with my on the move wifi connection I can't really upload too much as it is sooo slow.
But the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day in the welsh countryside. I had so much fun taking pictures of Harry and his mates.
We went to the little village near by and I thought it would be nice to kill two birds with one stone by finding a lovely pub to film in AND eat lunch. Hmmm... I quickly discovered that not all pubs and restaurants in Wales are not "Open for Dogs" sadly. I was a bit dismayed that this lovely old Welsh pub said they only allowed service dogs and only if they call ahead (!) The manager was quick to tell me the "dog law" and share with me that it's completely illegal to have a dog in an eating establishment for health reasons. The Dog Reporter© rarely gets a bit prickly in dog matters but when it comes to fighting for dog rights (which the KC do so much of anyway) I had my hackles up. I quickly retorted back in my lovely American accent that actually it is completely LEGAL to have a dog in an eating establishment as long as its not in the food preparation area. He was shaking his head at me and arguing that he knew the dog law and that it was not true. I didn't want to argue (well I really did but knew I had to get back to filming) so I politely said it was a shame that we couldn't have lunch here (missing out on business Welsh dude) because of your pub policy. I said good day and we got back in the car. I was a bit fuming (again no one sees the Dog Reporter© with hackles!) Our lovely star today, Caroline, then suggested an old pub further down the road.
It was hard to imagine there was the most lovely and quaint old pub called "The Quarry" hidden behind some residential streets but there it was shining there with all its glory. Caroline popped in to check with the owners if it was "Open for Dogs" and sure enough they gladly let us in with Harry. We sat down and although we were the only customers we (and Harry) were treated like kings and queens. We had the best service (including a nice big water bowl for Harry) and ordered some homemade real British pub lunch. I had steak and guinness pie and the ladies had fresh homemade lasagna right out of the oven. It was one of the best pub lunches I have had in ages. It was such a pleasant treat after visiting a pub that refused us because we had a dog.
We managed to get our shots for filming and also have a bit of lunch which was well needed after some hard work.
Harry was the most well behaved dog as he basically fell asleep under the table after all his strutting for the camera!
So here here for Harry and here here for pubs that are "Open for Dogs" and remember whether you live in the UK or visit the UK it is LEGAL for dogs to be in restaurants, pubs, cafes and hotels IF the owners agree. I always suggest you ask nicely before you barge in with a pooch but most places will accommodate if they are dog friendly. Let's get Britain and other EU countries on board with "Open for Dogs!" www.thekennelclub.org.uk/openfordogs
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/2052
The Dog Reporter©
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