Dog holidays

[tinks30]

I was wondering where people go on holiday with there dogs or what they do with them if they don`t take them? I have four dogs and they have never been in to kennels, they are 9, 8, 2yrs and 18mths.

[vonnie]

Well we only got Nika in November, and then were given a prezzie of a weekend away at Center Parcs by the in-laws at christmas.

We wanted to take her with us. She was adopted from the pound having been a stray and is very clingy. I don't think I could put her through kennels. She was terrified by all the noise and cowering in a corner when we chose her. But the lodges that accept dogs must all get booked up really quickly and we couldn't get one.

So we've ended up asking friends to look after her for the weekend (paying them the extra it would have cost to take her with us). They have a dog we know she gets on with and there will be someone at home virtually the entire time, so I'm much happier with that. I think if she'd gone to kennels I'd have had a miserable holiday worrying about her!

In future we'll probably stick with self-catering cottages which accept dogs. If it's a family holiday she's part of the family and I want her to enjoy it with us!

[feorag]

My husband refuses point blank to put any of our animals in kennels or catteries, so we have always taken our dogs on holiday with us and now that we have cats, we take them as well (as many as 10 of them!) but they are our family and we enjoy their company so why would we want to leave them behind?

We love the west coast of Scotland and so always head there, renting a self catering cottage or chalet. Our Germans Shepherds went as far as the outer hedbridean Isle of Barra, the Isles of Islay and Arran, but mainly nowadays we stay on the mainland, but always at the coast.

We've also had weekends away at hotels with the dogs, without any problems, but self catering in your own cottage is much easier.

I just decided which area I wanted to visit, phoned the nearest town's Tourist Information Office and asked for their Accommodation Register. Then I would go through it picking out the ones that had the little dog for "pets welcome", then look at the prices and work out what I liked the look of and the situation of and the price I could afford and ring up and book.

Truly, I've never had a problem with the dogs and only ever been refused the cats once in 30 years of taking animals away with me.

This is my GSD, Leo, taken during a walk in the hills above Ardfern



And here are 2 of our cats on the windowsill of the chalet we rented on Ardnamurchan in 2007

[tinks30]

I am so glad someone has said they haven`t had much trouble finding a holiday! I am struggling abit, but with kids aging from 3 - 15 with two girls and a boy i guess you can`t please everyone¬

[feorag]

Well, when we had the 2 GSDs we also had 2 children (1 boy, 1 girl) aged 7 and 10 and onwards, and we just found any cottages near a beach where the kids and dogs could run on the beaches and be outside in freedom suited them and as long as I was away somewhere, preferably in Scotland near the Atlantic Ocean I was happy!

I would have hated to go away and leave my dogs behind to be honest and I think the dogs loved it too!

We;re going back to the same chalet at Ardnamurchan again as we like that area so much and the chalet is nice and big with a huge garden.

[SilverSteno]

Camping!
That's what I'll be doing with my dog, heading off to the west coast of Scotland for a camping expedition. Going abroad this year as well but my aunt is taking care of my dog - she's arranged her holidays to co-incide with when we are going away

There are plenty of cottages/hotels/B&B's in Scotland that do allow dogs as well so there should be no trouble finding somewhere to stay with your dogs. I have seen guides that list places to stay with your dog as well which should narrow down the options.