Taking your dog on holiday as part of the family is great fun and I do recommend trying it, especially if your plans have changed this year and you are taking a staycation.
We try to take Ripley on holiday every year and seeing her running on a beach, jumping on our paddle board, and snoozing on a sheepskin rug after a day's adventuring fills my heart with love. Last year we managed to escape to a remote part of the Isle of Skye, Scotland and it was perfect for a reactive dog like Ripley. I am writing a separate blog post on some of the holiday locations we have taken Ripley to, and if you are interested, you can find more photos and videos from our holiday this year to Skye on our Instagram.
Below are some things you need to consider before taking your pet on a family holiday and I have put together a list of items to pack for your pooch. Your holiday needs to be stress-free and relaxing for all the family, and a little time researching and planning makes all the difference.
Things to consider when booking a dog-friendly holiday:
Accommodation - Although some hotel chains and some fabulous independent hotels allow dogs you are most likely going to be staying in self-catering accommodation. Most holiday websites allow you to filter for accommodation that allows pets. There is usually a small extra fee to pay to cover the additional cleaning required. If you have more than one dog you may need to check the small print as some accommodation has a limit on the number of dogs you can bring. Also, some accommodation may state things like 'One small, well-behaved dog allowed'. If you are unsure if your dog qualifies as small it is usually best to be upfront and ask the owner. Breeds are rarely discriminated against in property listings but if any breeds are listed I would choose not to stay with the company and spend my money elsewhere!
Beaches - Unfortunately dogs are banned from certain beaches all year round, or sometimes just during the busier months, so always do your research before going to the beach with your dog to avoid disappointment. You may need to keep your dog on a lead or your dog may only be allowed on a certain section of the beach. Be responsible and abide by the rules, and make sure the only thing you leave behind is paw prints in the sand.
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Travel - Most importantly make sure your dog can travel safely and securely in the car. If your dog doesn't travel well you may need to rethink your plans, cleaning up the back of your car isn't the best way to start your holiday! You may want to start with smaller journeys until your pup is comfortable. You must plan in regular breaks for your dog where they can have a toilet break and stretch their legs. An easy opinion is the farm shop style services as they usually have small grassy areas to walk dogs. |
What to pack for your pooch:
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We hope you find this guide useful and we wish you a happy holiday!
Helpful Tips:
- This recipe does use half an egg, but we made two separate flavours at once so used a whole egg!
- I also cheated a little and used some premade organic baby food instead of pureeing my own fruit and veggies. We made strawberry and apple dog biscuits, as well as broccoli, pea and spinach dog biscuits. The fruit purees are waterier so you may need to add extra flour or oats to your dough.
- Regarding which type of flour to use, wholemeal, oat, spelt or coconut flour are a great choice as they are more nutritious and flavourful. However, white flour can be used to make these treats, as let’s face it – it’s probably what most people have at home!
Ingredients:
Method:
Our Ripley loves toys, especially balls! Her special trick is carrying two balls and dribbling a third! For Ripley part of the fun is in destroying the ball, so subsequently nothing lasts very long...
I now accept that Ripley destroys toys and I am ok with that as long as she is having fun. However, I am not comfortable with a plastic-filled toy lasting 5 minutes, and then ending up in landfill and taking 500+ years to decompose!
Subsequently, I was always on the look out for durable plastic-free dog toys. This gave me the idea to open Green Fang. Green Fang is on a mission to promote a greener lifestyle for you and your pet by only selling plastic-free eco-friendly dog toys. This means selling
toys without plastic swing-tags and made from natural materials by companies that use greener plastic-free packaging options. (My absolute pet hate is when I receive lovely plastic-free eco-friendly dog toys for Ripley in a box sealed with plastic tape!).
Last year Ripley managed to damage her Boomer Ball beyond repair. Boomer Balls are hard plastic balls great for destructive dogs. It was a third-generation toy (kindly gifted), so I have absolutely no complaints as Ripley literally loved it to death. However, I didn't jump online to buy a new one as I wanted to research more eco-friendly options...
Fast forward to our holiday in Scotland when we came across a pile of rubbish after a beach clean. We were shocked at the volume of netting, plastic bottles and buoys that had washed ashore, and we were discussing where each piece of plastic may have drifted from. Amongst the plastic was a couple of different types of buoys so I decided to take a couple back to our cottage to test as potential indestructible toys for Ripley.
After a thorough clean and disinfect we let Ripley loose with her new repurposed toys. One type of buoy (Google tells me it is a hard fishing trawl float) was a complete success! It is a good weight, rolls nicely, and it's too large for Ripley to get her jaws around it, so she dribbles it about the garden and loves it! The plastic is very hard and isn't yet showing any sights of becoming rough with wear. However, if this did happen I could just sand it lightly to protect her mouth and nose. It is important to note at this point that buoys are made from different materials (old buoys can be made from metal) and some may be coated with anti-fouling chemicals so do be careful before letting your dog loose with their new repurposed toy. |
Over the festive period we promised to plant 5 trees for every order placed before Christmas. We are super happy to announce that we have now planted 200 trees with Ecologi! Ecologi invests money into planting trees around the world, and supports carbon reduction projects. You can follow our progress and see our virtual forest here.
Before starting Green Fang we wrote down our Green Fang Promise, and as part of this we promised to donate 10% of our profits to local charities. In 2021 we are going to continue to support Arundawn Dog Rescue. Arundawn focus on providing rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming for council pound strays. Although Arundawn help all breeds, they have gained a great reputation for helping the bull breeds that are so often misjudged and mistreated. You can find out more information about the amazing work they do and how you can help on their website.
We also promised to support other small businesses. We have met so many amazing people (and their pets) since starting Green Fang and unexpectedly this has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring parts of the journey! 2020 threw all sorts of challenges at small business owners, but we are cannot wait to collaborate and support more small businesses this year.
Our final resolution is that we will be sharing more blog posts to promote a greener lifestyle with your pet. Bring on 2021!
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