Launched: iPhone app with the Fido Factor

‘Staycations’ are all the rage this summer, and a new iPhone app has come to the rescue of thousands of dog owning families who will be faced with the headache of trying to find holidays and day trips where their dog will be welcome too.

The iPhone app, launched this week by Dog Friendly and the Kennel Club, helps dog owners to find all the dog-friendly restaurants, bars and lodgings in the area where they live or are visiting. The app, which lists more than 10,000 dog friendly places, will be welcomed by dog owners who say they struggle to find places that allow them to enjoy a day out or holiday with their four legged friends in tow .

The GPS-enabled app, which can be downloaded for £1.79, also shows dog friendly beaches, suggested days out and veterinary surgeries within the user’s vicinity.

Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the Kennel Club which runs openfordogs.org.uk, a website of dog friendly places, said: “If you are one of the many families choosing to stay at home this summer you will resent having to leave your dog behind or pay out for kennelling fees because you are afraid that you won’t be able to find pubs, cafes or accommodation that will accept them.

“Thankfully, more and more businesses are catching on to how important it is to welcome the country’s 8 million dog owners  and this app contains more than 10,000 places in the UK which will welcome you and your dog with open arms.

“The Kennel Club is currently running an Open for Dogs competition and we have seen many dog owners nominate businesses that welcome their four legged friends, so it really is a service which is appreciated. This app helps dog owners to find those businesses quickly and easily.”

Steve Bennett, co-founder of Dog Friendly which powers openfordogs.org.uk, said: “As a dog owner myself, I know how frustrating it can be when you can’t find anywhere to go that will allow your dog in as well. This iPhone app has long been an ambition of mine and I am glad that we are now able to launch it and help bring together the country’s dog owners and the very many dog friendly businesses that are out there.

“Dog Friendly is the UK’s largest database of places where dogs and their owners can go and we are glad to have joined with the Kennel Club’s openfordogs.org.uk, to offer dog owners a first class website and app that will help to make their lives so much easier.”

And the app could soon be adding more businesses to its 10,000 strong database as more and more businesses realise the economic benefits of reaching out to dog owners in difficult financial times. A survey conducted by Open for Dogs  showed that 78 percent of businesses felt that they were doing more trade as a result of being dog friendly.

And it seems that simply putting up a simple welcome sign is not enough for these doggie minded businesses, who are offering ever more inventive services for our four legged friends. Businesses nominated for the Kennel Club’s Open for Dogs Competition 2010 offer everything from doggie food menus and dog washes to agility equipment and a dog bed turndown service.

For interviews, photographs or case studies, please contact:

The Kennel Club Press Office, 020 7518 1008, press.office@thekennelclub.org.uk

Dog Friendly, Steve Bennett 07908 705188 steve@dogfriendly.co.uk

Notes to editors

iPhone App
•    The Dog Friendly and Open for Dogs app can be downloaded onto your iPhone for £1.79.
Open for Dogs and Dog Friendly
•    The Kennel Club’s strategic objective is to promote in every way the general improvement of dogs. The Kennel Club’s Open for Dogs campaign was launched in 2007 and aims to get more businesses to open their doors to dogs and their owners.
•    Open for Dogs has joined with Dog Friendly, the UK’s largest database of places to go and stay with your dog, to offer dog owners a free search service. The website lists 10,000 dog friendly places in the UK www.openfordogs.org.uk.
•    Members can pay £5.99 annually to upgrade to a full Dog Friendly service, which provides further information about all of the dog friendly venues www.dogfriendly.co.uk.  There are also alternative cost options for receiving the Dog Friendly Out and About magazine and book.
Open for Dogs Competition
•    The Open for Dogs Competition was launched in May 2010.
•    Dog owners can nominate their favourite Open for Dogs places in the Kennel Club Open for Dogs competition by visiting www.openfordogs.org.uk and downloading the application form.
•    The winner in each category will be determined by the number of recommendations received by the Kennel Club by 6th September 2010.
•    All winners will be notified and asked to confirm acceptance of the award.
•    Nominators can nominate in as many categories as they choose, but cannot nominate the same venue more than once. The Kennel Club reserves the right to refuse a recommendation if it is deemed inappropriate or offensive.
•    The winners of the competition in 2009 were:

Somewhere to Sleep: Low Nest Farm B&B, Cumbria.
Provides doggy bags for guests, welcome treats on arrival, dog towels and blankets, and a dog walking service. They also have dog agility equipment and provide packs including information on dog friendly places in the area. A visitor said ‘my dogs were not only accommodated but very much welcomed’.

Somewhere to Eat: Café Cree, Dumfries and Galloway and Highdown Tearooms, West Sussex.
Joint winners:
Café Cree - biscuits and water are provided, as well as a welcoming atmosphere and lots of fuss! Visitors say ‘it’s refreshing to see a ‘food’ place that welcomes dogs’ - which it does with open arms.
Highdown Tearooms – dogs are allowed inside and out, with a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. Described by visitors as a ‘haven in an anti dog area’. Provides bowls that are always full of water, and treats for the dogs.

Somewhere to Drink: The Nightingale, London.
Provides Christmas stockings to all dogs, and biscuits and water, with dogs being able to eat with their owners. It has a great outdoor space and a fireplace which the dogs socialise in front of, described by visitors as ‘a real community asset’. A charity walk takes place every year for people to do with their dogs, at which the dogs receive medals.

Somewhere to Holiday: Helsbury Park, Cornwall.
Provide throws and sofa covers for the dogs, as well as poo bags and portable drinks carriers. It is described by visitors as ‘a real haven for owners and dogs alike’ and has 100 acres of open land to walk dogs off lead. It also provides a welcome pack with details of other dog friendly places and doggy treats.

Somewhere to Visit: Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, Essex.
Provides water bowls, and has an open door policy for all dogs across the whole site. Also runs competitions for dog owners, including a Companion Dog show in September and Scruffts heats in July.

Somewhere to Work: The Crown Inn, Worcestershire.
Staff find the friendly and relaxing atmosphere of welcoming dogs a lovely environment to work in and consider fussing the dogs as part of the job! Customers also highlighted always being made welcome with their dogs as well as having their dogs be able to socialise with other four-legged friends. Drinks are provided for the dogs.

Other: Petstums pet shop, Warwickshire.
Provides great advice to customers, and is described by visitors as somewhere that ‘goes that extra mile’. The owners always provide water and free samples, and are welcoming and love fussing the dogs.