Doggy friendly places to stay

The Wild Rabbit, Kingham, Oxfordshire, Cotswolds

Well our staycation planning for next year is in full waggy tail mode. It is November after all and we all need a paw-me-up when the nights get dark.  Last summer we went on a road trip to the Cotswolds.

It was our last staycation before the little rascal (my dog brother Dexter) arrived. After being in the car for what felt paw-ever, I’d never been happier to see the countryside, or to receive the furiendliest welcome at my new home for the weekend – The Wild Rabbit, Kingham.

The Little Rascal aka my little brother Dexter

Us doggies felt like Corgi royalty when shown to our room at The Wild Rabbit, which, complete with a dog bed, water bowl and treats, made us furlegged ones feel as important as the humans.

The doggy friendly ‘Mole Room’ at The Wild Rabbit

It was exceptionally hot during the height of summer in 2018 for us doggies, with only panting and sweating through our paws to cool down, the lack of air conditioned rooms, meant the nights were a little more uncomfortable for us larger dog breeds.

The hot summer nights of July 2018

Next time the humans said we’ll stay in a one of the new doggy friendly cottages at The Wild Rabbit, which will be much more relaxing for everyone. Being a fur-legged friend, we like to guard our territory and our humans. So a room next to the entrance meant we tended to welcome too many guests with a good strong bark! Much to our pawrents annoyance in the early hours!

Adventures from The Wild Rabbit to find Daylesford Organic Farm
Daylesford Organic Farm map featuring The Wild Rabbit, Kingham

Early Saturday morning we headed off on a pawventure to find Daylesford Organic Farm. We sniffed our way through the village onto a country farm track and then I was off, roaming my new streets, smelling what had crossed these tracks before me. We passed the market garden, then buildings labelled the ‘kitchens’ and finally stumbled across a herd of cows. They were on the moo-ve, heading out for the morning into the grassy fields. Fur-tunately they were behind a gate, or we’d have been taken out into the pasture with them. It was the pawfect walk discovering our new stomping ground.

Daylesford Organic Farm cows on the moo-ve

Eventually the trail leads you to Daylesford Organic Farm shop and cottages.

Checking our the cottages at Daylesford Organic Farm
Daylesford Organic farm walk

After an hour or so, back at the Wild Rabbit we ventured into the bar.  Everypawdy knows that a good bar is always rated by its doggy treats, and this bar gets several waggy tails and the biscuits are wooftastic. Dogs are allowed on the terraces and in the bar where the snug just feels like home.

The Wild Rabbit front terrace

The Wild Rabbit terrace by night

Of course, we indulged in the Wild Rabbit breakfast (daily).  The highlight of my mornings was my greeting from Leslie.  She was a super friendly dog lover, I think she was French, and had dogs back in her home nation.  You could tell she just loved us four-legged creatures.

Probably the best modern British inn breakfast in the world!

Hunting for rabbits

On Saturday evening I got to try RABBIT!! Oh my dogness. Yep – the place lives up to its name.  Not only does it have rabbits attached to the walls, but it serves a very DROOLICIOUS wild rabbit…slobber…slobber…

The Wild Rabbit bar dog treats…re-BARK-able!
Dinner in the bar at The Wild Rabbit
Rabbit at The Wild Rabbit

We ventured back to Daylesford the following day, heading to the farm shop.

Farm shop at Daylesford Organic Farm
The cheese room at Daylesford Organic Farm
Artisan hand crafted breads at Daylesford Organic Farm

The flower workshop at Daylesford Organic Farm
The home store at Daylesford Farm

This place even has a thing called a Doggy Park – woohoo – playtime.  There was a black dog like me there already.  I was pawfectly polite. I introduced myself and gave the doogy play bow, enquiring ‘do you want to play’? – but I got nothing.  A stoney silence, no waggy tail… not even one hair moved. HOW RUDE I thought!!!  Turns out it was a statue and the dog park is a place for us dogs to wait for our HUMANS whilst they popped to the shop for some retail therapy and not a park to play in – Oh well!

The dog park at Daylesford Organic Farm
Playtime
ReTAIL therapy

Appawrently there is a wonderful wellness retreat on the premises that the pawrents were raving about…maybe by next year the Bamford Haybarn will have added a dog spa…now would that be a dog treat!

The Haybarn Spa at Daylesford Organic Farm
Bamford Haybarn Wellness Retreat
Treatment rooms at The Haybarn

Bamford products at The Haybarn

What an adventure, I’m pawstively sure I’d like to return.

I think i’ve caught the bug for The Wild Rabbit …

Dylan

My life 'tails'

Back in the world of the wagging with an addition to the family 

After keeping a low pawfile…I’m back!

Just over six months ago saw the arrival of my little brother, Dexter, a fox red Labrador puppy – you may have seen him popping up on my Instagram! He arrived and literally turned my life upside down!

At first, I thought hey, this is pretty cool – a little dude to play with, but after 48 hours of him following me around like my actual shadow and sleeping on my head…and I mean SLEEPING ON MY HEAD… I’d had enough! The naughty woofer was getting on my tail!! What were my pawrents thinking getting a puppy! Everyday, I wished that someone was going to pick him up and take him right back to where he came from. But it didn’t happen. Pawsonally, I felt my pawrents were paying far too much attention to this imposter, and the humans that visited were expressing how cute this new little ball of fluff was. It was like my worst nightmare had come true – it used to be me that people fussed over – was I losing my woof-tastic charisma?

He watches me whilst i’m sleeping!
He sits on my head!
He’s literally my shadow!

After a couple of months, I thought, this isn’t so ruff – he’s actually barking and pretty entertaining too! Some days you’d find him just sitting in a bush and other days he’d be sneaking up the stairs into the ‘dog free zone’. Since then, we’ve got up to all sorts of adventures. I’ve become his partner in crime (implicated by association and not always choice!) The good news is, I’m not even blamed for his mischievious behaviour.

My pawrents just hope that Dexter might learn some obedient behaviour from his extremely well-behaved older brother rather than the little rascal leading me astray! I think they are hoping for too much – but I guess anything is pawsible!

Who will be leading who? Keep posted to find out…

Dylan