View source for Dog Friendly Hotels by www.dogfriendly.co.uk

{{infobox1 
|title= Dog Friendly Hotels
|author= www.dogfriendly.co.uk
|reviewer= Sue Magee
|genre=Pets 
|summary= Excellent information for the dog owner wanting to take their pet away with them, but let down by poor organisation of the entries.	
|rating=3.5 
|buy= Maybe
|borrow= Yes
|pages=397 
|publisher= Dog Friendly Ltd
|date= October 2008
|isbn=978-0956045928  
|website=http://www.dogfriendly.co.uk
|cover=0956045928
|aznuk=0956045928
|aznus=0956045928
}}

I have two big dogs.  They're Rhodesian Ridgebacks – quiet, well-behaved and friendly dogs – and they're family.  I've no wish to put them in kennels so that I can go on holiday any more than most families would want to put the children in kennels for the same purpose.  But finding somewhere which doesn't just tolerate my dogs but actively makes them welcome is not easy.  I've found hotels which say 'Dogs Welcome' but when you enquire they actually mean that you can bring one small dog which must never be left alone and for which they'll make a charge.  That's why this book is such a relief.

Hotels are sorted by county and you're given the name of the establishment, address and website.  So far, so normal.  We then move on to the interesting stuff for dog owners. There's a clear statement about the maximum number of dogs a guest may take (and I presume that it's per room rather than per guest although I can't find any specific statement to this effect) and whether or not there's any limitation on the size of the dog.  You're told if there's a charge for the dog and if there is, the amount is given along with any conditions which apply.

I love having my dogs with me but I don't necessarily want to have them with me every moment of the day.  It's good to be able to go into a restaurant and know that the dogs are safe elsewhere and ''Hotels'' tells you if the proprietor is happy for the dogs to be left unattended.  I quite understand if they're not – but this is something which it's good to know in advance.

Exercise is also important and details of whether or not there is a nearby dog exercise are given – along with information about whether or not the proprietor owns a dog.  I always find the answer to that very enlightening! The final piece of information given is whether or not there are facilities for the disabled.

There's a wealth of information in the book and you'll be able to make up your own mind whether or not any establishment is really going to be suitable for your dog.  At one end of the scale there are places which require a substantial deposit against any damage done by the dog (I wonder if they do the same with children?) or require that a dog is caged if left unattended.  At the other end are the wonderful places where they're happy to feed your dog or take them for a walk.

I do have a quibble with the book and that's down to the way in which the entries are organised.  Take Yorkshire – it's quite a big county, but there are some rather odd sub-divisions.  We begin with a selection of hotels from the city of York and then hotels in Grassington, Gargrave and Carperby – all deep in the Yorkshire Dales.  These are followed by a hotel in Beverley in East Yorkshire and then a hotel in the centre of Leeds and another in Knaresborough (in North Yorkshire).   After this there's a sub-heading – ''Yorkshire Dales'' where there is apparently only one hotel and there's no mention of the three we've already seen.  ''East Riding of Yorkshire'' (or ''East Yorkshire'' as it's been since 1974) covers Beverley again but not the hotel which has already been mentioned.  It's all very confusing and as there's no index of place names to guide you it's virtually impossible to know if you've seen all the choices which might be available.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

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