Flynn's not impressed

This morning wasn't at all cheerful.

I had to break the news to Flynn that today, was the day he would lose a little of his manhood. But on the bright side, he would have a little chip nestled in him so that we wouldn't ever lose him. To be honest though, to him this wasn't much of a consolation at all!

As I sat and ate my crumpets for breakfast, Flynn wandered over to his mat to find no food or water bowl in his corner and as a result, resorted to licking the mat in hope of finding any morsel he could scrape together for his breakfast.

Admittedly my crumpets went down like a lead balloon as I watched him mope around looking sorrowful. I felt like a horrible parent and dropping him off at the Vets this morning wasn't easy. The sooner I pick him up tonight and nurse him back to his cheeky self the better.

Enjoy Hillside in Fishguard

Hillside is a dog friendly property aptly named for being set on the hillside above Fishguard Harbour.

Welcoming your dogs and family of up to 11 in 6 bedrooms, Hillside makes a terrific dog friendly property for a big family get together, without having to leave the dogs at home!

If your dogs love a trip to the beach, then they will be spoilt for choice being based in Fishguard.

Goodwick Parrog overlooks Fishguard Harbour, Slade is a little beach in Lower Town, then you have two beaches in Newport to enjoy as well as Cwm-yr-Eglwys and Pwllgwaelod.

Something for the humans amongst that party as oppose to the dogs, you will enjoy the most stunning views over the harbour and round to Dinas Head.

Joining the Pembrokeshire coastal path is a necessity when visiting North Pembrokeshire. The popular 3 mile stretch around the Dinas Peninsula offers great views of Fishguard Bay towards Strumble Head and Newport Bay. You can access this particular section of the coastal path from either Pwllgwaelod or Cwm-yr-Eglwys.

Pwllgwaelod is served by the Poppit Rocket bus, which operates from Fishguard to St Dogmaels to enable locals and visitors to explore the coastline. During May - September the coastal buses operate 7 days a week, The Poppit Rocket does run between October - April at a reduced Winter timetable.

Dogs are welcome to travel too on the coastal buses.

The enchanted woodland of the Gwaun Valley and Bessie's Pub at Pontfaen are worth the visit.

Staying at Hillside in Fishguard provides your family with spacious accommodation, the company of your best friends, spectacular views and a great base for the exploration of North Pembrokeshire.

Dogs Monthly Editorial

It is absolutely fantastic when Pembrokeshire is recognised as a dog friendly county to visit.

I am a firm believer that there are so many delights for dogs and their humans to experience when they holiday to our beautiful gem of Pembrokeshire. The 186 mile long Pembrokeshire Coastal Path is very accessible for walkers and their dogs, covering an outstanding 150 miles of the most dramatic coastline in Britain.

Don't forget that our Pembrokeshire Coastal Path has been named as the third best walk in the WORLD, ahead of The Inca Trail in Peru and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Our beaches are stunning, lined with golden sands and are waters are clean and clear. There are some dog restrictions in place during the main season, but we have many beaches that are dog friendly all year round.

Within the April issue of Dogs Monthly we are delighted that Y Felin, a dog friendly property in Moylegrove has been highlighted as a dog friendly place to stay in North Pembrokeshire.

Y Felin is a traditional stone cottage, that offers a cosy home for your Pembrokeshire holiday. From Y Felin you can easily walk to Ceibwr Bay, which is a haven for dogs to enjoy all year round.

Pembrokeshire is perfect for your dog friendly holiday this year, I could talk all day about our stunning County and why it is brilliant for dogs. Don't get me started, I probably won't stop!

It's almost time for Crufts!

It is that time of the year again for our annual road trip to Crufts at the Birmingham NEC.

The A-Team for this year is Sue, Annie and Debra who will be heading up to the show tomorrow.

I am more excited that I have been in previous years, as my handsome pup, Flynn (who was 6 months old on 4th March) has made it onto our Woof Guide flyer's!

If you are attending Crufts this year, then please pop and see the team at Hall 4, Stand 100.

Coed Cadw Farmhouse and Cottage

If you have ever fancied a family holiday away in the beautiful Pembrokeshire countryside, where the dogs are welcomed to come along too then Coed Cadw Farmhouse and Cottage may be just what you are looking for.

Combined the two dog friendly properties sleep 8 adults and 2 children as well as opening their arms to your dogs. When both properties are booked together, an adjoining door allows access between the two properties so you can all enjoy being on holiday all in one home!

The properties are situated in a peaceful setting in the Nevern Valley with lovely countryside walks from your doorstep.

The Salutation Inn is a welcoming pub that welcomes dogs to visit in their bar area. The Inn is perfect for enjoying the country air in a sublime setting and is only a five minute walk from the Coed Cadw properties.

The Inn is nestled aside to the banks of the River Nevern and there is a lovely woodland walk from the Inn that leads to St Brynachs Church, which is famous for it's Celtic Cross and bleeding Yew tree.

There is a lane lined with trees from the Salutation Inn that eventually takes you down to the Moylegrove road, that is filled with the pretty white flowers of wild garlic during the Spring - the aroma is astonishing!

Beaches within a short drive for your family to enjoy during your stay in North Pembrokeshire would be Ceibwr Bay, Cwm-yr-Eglwys and both Newport Sands and Parrog. Your dogs will be pleased to know that each of these beaches are dog friendly all year round!

The dog friendly properties at Coed Cadw are perfect for your family holiday to Pembrokeshire.

Pub Adventures with Flynn

On Sunday it wasn't the nicest of days in Pembrokeshire, the wind was blowing a gale and the rain was a driving force bitterly whipping you in the face.

It was a shame that the weather was miserable as we had planned to take Flynn on a trip to Newgale beach, a huge expanse of sand and sea. He has never been up to Newgale before so we thought it would make a nice change of scenery for us all and we knew he'd love racing around playing ball for hours on end!

Instead we decided to take him on a mini, dog friendly pub crawl.

The Sunday lunch at the Jeffreyston Inn in is amazing and we quite often enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon in front of the fire, Flynn included. He gets so close to the fire that I am surprised he has any eye lashes left!

For a change though we took a drive to the Boars Head in Templeton. I was a little unsure of where Flynn was allowed inside, but when we got there the barmaid welcomed us all into the pub and we sat comfortably by the radiator to the left of the main entrance. Flynn was offered a bowl of water too.
Although we were separate from the main restaurant area, we sat in a cosy area where food is served and we happily spent a good hour or so having a chat whilst Flynn was curled up underneath the radiator.

Next stop was the Wisemans Bridge Inn which overlooks a wonderful pebbly heaven. Admittedly it wasn't looking at it best when we popped by on Sunday!

Again we all had a lovely welcome into the Wisemans Bridge Inn, in fact a black and white collie greeted us as we arrived. We did get the impression that she had been there many times before and was somewhat a permanent resident!

As we settled down to a warm drink, Flynn was having a great time sniffing about and making friends with a King Charles Cavalier who was sat to the side of us. The Cavaliers humans clearly took a shine to Flynn as they let him finish off a few dog chocolate buttons from their treat bag.

I can tell you something, he has mastered the 'I'm hungry' puppy dog eyes down to a tee.

At (almost) 5 months old he weighs 12kg and is growing day by day and dare I say it, becoming a very very handsome lad!

New Woof Property near Carew Castle and Mill

A delightful new dog friendly property has joined our Woof Guide portfolio for 2012.

Meadow Cottage is one of seven barn conversions that sits on the outskirts of Sageston village. It has been well furnished throughout and welcomes two dogs and their family of four to call the cottage home during their dog friendly holiday to Pembrokeshire.

There are many delights on your doorstep from Meadow Cottage, the prominent Carew Castle and Tidal Mill being only a 20 minute walk away.
The circular walk around the Mill is a mile long and very popular with locals, visitors and their dogs all year round. There are fantastic photo opportunities as you walk and I have quite often seen the resident heron stood stock still on the fringes of the water stalking it's prey.

Surrounding the Carew Mill walk, there are also many public footpaths going through the fields that branch off in every direction towards Carew Newton, West Williamston and Milton too.

Perfectly located opposite Carew Castle is the Carew Inn, they have built a reputation for great food and have music and barbeque's on various evenings throughout the Summer. Dogs are welcome in the beer garden, under the marquee and the bar area.

The harbour towns of both Tenby and Saundersfoot are only a short drive away, offering sandy beaches, quaint shops, galleries, pubs and restaurants.

From Sageston you are in a central location to discover so many places of interest. Lawrenny and Garron Pill is a village worth visiting, as is the old fashioned riverside pub at Cresswell Quay along with Bosherston Lily Ponds, Freshwater West, Stackpole Quay and Barafundle Bay.

Meadow Cottage is a perfect home from home for your dog friendly holiday in Pembrokeshire!