A dog's life - Staying in hotels with your dog

Champ: Am I smart enough
for Holdsworth House?

When you're wanting some escapism, a romantic getaway or to see new surroundings, the sticking point is often the dog. Do you ring the kennels, find a house sitter or a dog-friendly hotel? Finding a good quality dog-friendly hotel isn't always as simple as it sounds.

Sadly many hotels don't allow dogs at all, few that do are luxury hotels and some even stick visitors with pets in substandard rooms, where 'a dog can't do any more damage'.

Surely this is where hotels are losing out? Any responsible dog owner knows his pet inside out: if you have such a badly behaved pet, you just wouldn't take it with you. So why don't many hotels help to treat our very important pets and their owners better?

Hotels do have to strike a balance; some guests have pet allergies and need to know whether dogs have slept in the same room before, although thorough cleaning practices should lift the trace of most pet allergens. Dogs sleeping on the beds is obviously a no no, but then at Holdsworth House we provide a dog blanket in case you don't want to trail your own from home. In fact that's just one of the perks of bringing your dog to Holdsworth House on a short break.

Holdsworth House for dogs and their well-behaved owners

Four-legged guests are welcomed at Holdsworth House with a tasty chew, water bowl to use in the room, poop bags and a leaflet listing nearby parks to stretch legs and chase balls, although they might need a bit of help reading it!

Dogs are permitted in certain lovely bedrooms (all well-decorated, clean, bright and airy) as well as the lounge, hall and bar. Only the restaurant rooms are off-limits, except for guide dogs. There are spacious grounds for fresh air and a host of dog-loving team members who might want to take your pooch's picture to add to our Facebook gallery.

So if you're wanting a short break, head to Yorkshire and Holdsworth House and look forward to a break with all the family.

Ted, taking it all in