Messy Dog Life
& Dog-Friendly Days Out

Two dog-friendly shops, a handful of treats and back by lunch. That was the plan. Mouse had other ideas — and I had somehow left every poo bag I own at home.

Pepsi is nearly 12 and her skin has been having a moment. After years of lumps and cysts, we finally found something that helped — and here's the honest version of how that happened.

Brigg Garden Centre turned out to be one of the most straightforwardly dog-friendly indoor venues in Lincolnshire — discovered almost by accident on a grey Easter weekend when everywhere else was closed.

One cafe waves you to a corner table; the next points at the sign. It's not about whether staff like dogs — it's about how the cafe is set up and what the rules actually require.

The Big Red Shed in Cleethorpes welcomes dogs inside — but in a trolley, not on the floor. Cushioned pads are provided, the staff reception is warm, and a five-minute errand can easily become half an hour.

The north wind was vicious, the beach huts were bleak, and The Brew Stop was right there. I stopped in with Mouse, Boodle and Pepsi — and found somewhere genuinely dog-friendly inside.