Most
Dog Friendly Town Award 2005
Church
Stretton, Shropshire
The
competition to find the most dog friendly town in Britain
started early in the year with questionnaires being filled
in at Crufts and online at the Burns web site.
What
we were looking for was a town or village that a dog owner
could feel at home in, where retailers allow pets into their
stores, pubs and hotels are dog-friendly, and facilities exist
for owners and their pets to enjoy their leisure time together.
We also looked at towns where pet-related charities are supported
and where volunteers organise fund-raising dog shows and the
like.
Top
of the pops turned out to be Church Stretton, in Shropshire
where retail premises as diverse as the bank and beautician
welcome owners and their dogs.
To
quote the town web site:'The town of Church Stretton,
with its Norman Church, access road to the Long Mynd, Gliding
and Golf Clubs, recreational and riding facilities, together
with a main line railway station, forms an excellent base
in all seasons for the walker, naturalist, sportsman or country
lover to combine tranquility with Marcher Country History
and good food.
The
idyllic Little and All Strettons, with their welcoming inns
and hotels, provide access and starting points for many more
quiet valleys of the Long Mynd.'
 Hosting
the event was the Long Mynd hotel, and the Mayor of Church
Stretton accepted the award on behalf of the town. In the
afternoon a fun dog show was held in the grounds of the hotel
and all competitors enjoyed the event and the sunshine
As
well as the award going to the town, we were pleased to award
a year's free dog food for the lucky nominee drawn out of
the hat, and a half tonne of food to her designated animal
rescue centre (Animal Samaritans, based at Horderley, near
Craven Arms, Shropshire.)
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