Have you heard the news? Canine Cottages is turning 5 years old!
We're thrilled that we get to celebrate our milestone birthday this year with you all and are so excited for what the future may bring - hopefully more travel, more events, and more time spent with our pets!
Since first launching in 2017, we've sent thousands of dogs on cottage holidays with their families and friends, employed more than 30 furballs to rate and review the UK's dog-friendly places, and created a wonderful community of dog-lovers with access to discounts, tips and advice.
Check out what the Canine Cottages team has been up to over the last 5 years - we've been a busy bunch!
We've doubled our number of dog-friendly properties
Our collection of dog-friendly cottages on offer has grown and grown - we began in 2017 with around 2,000 properties in our collection, and now have over 4,800 pet-friendly holiday cottages for you and your waggy-tailed pal to discover.
You can find these cottages the length and breadth of the UK too. Travel to the magical Lake District, discover secret corners of the Scottish Borders, explore the sun-drenched shores of Cornwall, navigate the chic Cotswolds, or get lost in the flats of wild Northumberland - no matter where you go, your dog can join you on your next UK adventure.
We've employed over 30 Canine Critics
A few of our 2021 Canine Critic winners from left to right: Bailey, Ember and Bandit, Queenie, and Abby
We've employed a host of fantastic Canine Critics (38 so far to be exact!) that have travelled far and wide to investigate and showcase amazing pet-friendly places across the UK.
Poppy was our first ever Canine Critic in 2018!
When Poppy, our first ever Canine Critic, took on the role all the way back in 2018, she was our only reviewer on the road. Today, we have a whole pack of Critics to tackle UK travel and they've adventured far and wide!
Our Canine Critics have made it to places as far-reaching as Scotland's magical Isle of Skye, the valleys and mountains of the Brecon Beacons, and the award-winning beaches of the Isle of Wight.
They'll lead you all over - read our Canine Critic reviews here and check out this year's winning cohort of Critics - all ready and raring to head out and discover new places and new experiences.
Does your adventurous doggo fancy themselves as one of our next Canine Critics? Sign up to receive an email when applications open for 2022.
We went to Crufts!
We've met big bears, little mutts, fancy canines, and scruffy pups at the biggest celebration of all things canine: Crufts!
It was so much fun to chat with our fellow dog-lovers about everything that goes on in the world of pets - from holidays to dog shampoos and everything in between. You may have been part of the big event or watched all the goings-on as we posted them to our stories on Instagram and Facebook.
Nothing beats seeing collies fly over hurdles in the arena, watching scent hounds showcasing their skills for sniffing out treats, and meeting chow chows that have been clipped, washed and brushed, primed for judging - and we can't wait to go back!
Headline sponsors of Bring Your Dog to Work Day
Any chance to spend more time with our dogs - we'll take it! Bring Your Dog to Work Day is always so much fun and supports a wide range of charities doing great work behind the scenes.
Thousands of dog owners and businesses have joined in by welcoming their four-legged friends into the workplace and every year, it is always amazing to see these special creatures join us in the office. Over the last couple of years many of us humans have had to work from home but that has only meant more time spent entertaining and welcoming our canine pals into our working world.
We love sponsoring this fine annual event that brings owners and their pets together, and can't wait to see more photos of your pets lending a helping paw around the office this year.
Getting together our Canine Crew
We've recruited a few canine employees internally, giving the whole Travel Chapter team a chance to lend a helping paw where they're needed. Our Canine Crew began with 36 members and is quickly growing as more of our waggy-tailed pals join.
These important pups give invaluable help and support to our marketing team on all things canine. They offer advice and insider knowledge on the world of the dog, they provide guidance on what's 'of the moment', and provide us with plenty of inspiration every single day!
Bringing dog owners together with Canine Club
We introduced our exclusive Canine Club, which has grown and evolved to become what it is today: a community of like-minded pup-parents who can share handy tips, talk about the trials of caring for a pup, and get to know pet-friendly brands dedicated to making it a dog's life.
Canine Club connects everyone who's barking mad about dogs, with discounts, deals, and expert advice. Join our VIP club over on Facebook or sign up to the Canine Club newsletter to be the first to know about any special offers and discounts.
Supporting Battersea as sponsors of The Battersea Way
We're incredibly proud to be sponsoring Battersea’s pet advice email series, The Battersea Way, bursting with a host of tips, tricks and advice on how to care for our best four-legged pals. These fortnightly emails spread awareness about how to look after and treat these wonderful animals; they are filled with everything from health advice to fun ways to spoil your pampered pup! Sign up to The Battersea Way to receive their fantastic newsletter and keep up-to-date with the wellbeing of your family dog.
They have also provided us with useful pet-friendly resources that we get to share with you lovely lot! They can be found in our own article series called Canine Care - providing advice for all canine-lovers out there so you can look out for your pet and ensure they are always happy and healthy.
Your one-stop shop for all things dog friendly
As well as offering thousands of dog-friendly cottages, our site is packed with tips on how to spend your dog-friendly holiday, with guides to dog-friendly places to visit, eat, walk and more.
Whether you're hunting down the perfect dog-friendly beach near you, in need of ideas for your dog's birthday party, want some support with recall training or wondering what food is safe for dogs to eat, our guides and other articles cover a wide range of wonderful topics - all dog-related of course!
We have even created a host of guides to places around the UK detailing dog-friendly attractions to visit, places to eat and things to do - covering everywhere from Edinburgh to Penzance. Begin browsing our dog-friendly UK guides for holiday 'inspo'.
Meanwhile, one of our favourite projects we've been working on is our wide-ranging index of dog-friendly places throughout the UK. It's always tricky finding a place to take your dog for a day out or an evening meal, but you'll never be short of places to go with our Dog-Friendly Index - we hope you love it as much as we do!
Let Fido trot alongside you on coastal pathways or join you on a cosy dinner out, bring your pup on a mountain excursion or city getaway - wherever you're off to next, with our cottages you're sure to have a 'fur-nominal' getaway alongside your four-pawed, waggy-tailed best friend.
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of writing,
please ensure you check carefully before making any decisions based on the contents within this article.