Cornwall Life – October 2019

Cornwall Life: August 2019Š 29

DOG-FRIENDLY PUB AWARDS

how your chosen pub goes the

extra mile to be truly dog-

friendly, and why they deserve

to be crowned Cornwall’s most

Dog Friendly Pub 2019/2020 –

or the best dog friendly pub in

the South West.

There are four county

awards in total, along with an

overall award for the South

West. Each region will have

up to three finalists, Bronze,

Silver and Gold – with each

receiving a Tourism Awards

trophy to proudly show off their

achievement and recognise

the great work they’re doing to

welcome four-legged visitors

into their establishment.

The winners of each of the

county awards will go through

to the overall South West

Award’s event.

All Dog Friendly Pub

nominations must be made by

mid-August 2019.

For pubs interested in

learning more about how best

to promote themselves for the

awards, simply visit forthglade.

com for more information, plus

details on how to order the

award’s Dog Friendly Awards

Promotional Pack, which

includes posters, customer

cards and promotional beer

mats. Promotional packs will

be limited to the first fifty pubs

that get in touch. 

Whether you’re a pub after

more info or a member of

the public wanting to vote,

learn more about the awards

at https://forthglade.com/

campaigns/dogfriendly

of Dorset, Devon and Somerset
will all be battling it out for the
public’s precious votes, as not
only is there an award to be won
within each county, but a trophy
and plaque for the South West’s
Pub of the Year is also up for
grabs.
As a widely recognised and
respected awards body, the
South West Tourism Awards
have recently received Gold a in
the Awards Trustmark scheme,
the only winner of this accolade
in South West England. The new
Dog Friendly Pub accolade is
one that’ll be widely recognised
and respected by businesses
across the region, as well as
highlighting to both local and
visiting dog-owners the best
pubs to visit with their four-
legged friends.
The Tourism Awards
nomination process relies
on you, the general public,
to nominate your favourite
dog-friendly pub. It takes only a
few moments to complete and
once your nomination has been
submitted, the venues with the
most votes will be selected for
mystery visits.
Once you have nominated
your favourite dog-friendly pub,
you’ll be automatically entered
into a competition to win an
amazing selection of goodies
worth over £1,000 including a
two-night break (dog friendly
of course) and over £250 worth
of delicious Forthglade natural
pet food.
Check out our list of things
to consider in the panel on this
page that may help you pinpoint

THE COMPETITION DETAILS

How are the
awards judged?
As with all Tourism Awards,
once the nominations have
been completed – there is a
thorough process of mystery
shopping to choose the overall
winner from three finalists in
each county.
For the Dog Friendly Pub
category, mystery shoppers
will aim to score each venue
on its dog-friendly credentials

and look for any differentiating

factors which really make

finalist pubs stand out.

Considerations include whether

there is clear signage to

welcome dogs, drinking water

made readily available, and

whether staff greet visitors with

dogs with a warm welcome.

When are the finalists

announced?

The three finalists for

each county award will be

announced between mid-

September and mid-October,

with the South West regional

finalists announced at the end

of November.

When are the winners

announced?

The winners for each award will

be announced at the awards

evenings on the following dates:

Cornwall – 7 November

Dorset – 17 October

Bristol, Bath & Somerset – 21

November

Devon – 28 November

South West overall – 6 February

Who are the judges?

The mystery shoppers who visit

each of the pubs, will amongst

themselves confirm the three

finalists and ultimate winners of

each county award – based on

their level of dog friendliness.

THE BARE BONES

These are the things we’d hope all dog-friendly

pubs have on offer for four-legged visitors:

• Obvious signage that the pub is dog-friendly


• Fresh drinking water


• Outdoor area for dogs


• Indoor area for dogs


• Easy to identify where your dog is allowed on
  the premises


• Easy to identify what the ‘house’ rules are
  e.g. dogs on leads


• Dog waste bins


• Healthy dog treats


• Dedicated shaded outdoor area for dogs


• Quieter area inside for dogs


• Clips/hooks to secure dog leads


• An especially warm welcome from staff


• Nutritious dog’s dinner menu


• Dog toys made available

‘The new Dog Friendly Pub

accolade is one that’ll be widely

recognised and respected by

businesses across the region’

Does your nominated pub make special provision for

doggie visitors?

Photo: Getty Images