A welcome gift of their own: Dogs are getting VIP treatment at Shacks cabins

Picture it: you’ve pulled up at an off-grid cabin, the only sound is the wind in the trees, and your dog is already sniffing out a box with their name on it.

That’s the new welcome at Shacks, and it comes from experience. Most of the Shacks team have a dog of their own, and they all know the arrival zoomies: the frantic lap of the cabin, the sprint to the window, the bed tested at speed. A simple treat or toy would have settled them in minutes. So Shacks has made sure it’s waiting.

Through a new partnership with Pure Pet Food, every dog staying at a Shacks cabin now gets a box packed with:

A Pure ball
Pure dental sticks (the perfect reward)
A yak chew to settle in with
Pure treats
Poo bags
An exclusive Shacks guest offer: 30% off their first Pure Pet Food box, plus free treats for life (a pack of treats with every delivery)
Pure, the Yorkshire dog food brand, has been making complete, vet-approved meals for dogs since 2013, so it knows a thing or two about keeping dogs happy away from home.

Why now?
With 45% of Shacks bookings now travelling with a pet, dogs aren’t an afterthought at Shacks. They’re guests. Shacks has grown from 12 to 23 off-grid cabins in the last 12 months, with plans to triple in size in 2027, and the dog friendly stays have grown right alongside. The box is a thank-you to the guests who wouldn’t dream of leaving the dog at home, and let’s be honest, the dog is the reason half of them booked.

It won’t break the bank either. A typical two-night stay starts at around £360 for two people with a pet, and Shacks charges a one-time fee for an unlimited number of pets, so a bigger pack doesn’t mean a bigger bill.

What makes a Shacks stay work for dogs

Bring the whole pack. No limits on numbers, and one fee covers every pet
Calm, quiet settings where nervous dogs can settle
Enclosed cabins where possible, so zoomies stay safely on site
Walks from the doorstep, no car journey needed
A dog wash for the inevitable muddy paws
A welcome hamper with dog bowls and a dog towel, so owners can pack lighter
A place to escape. Does the thought of crowds, neighbours or even fireworks fill you with dread? It’s calmer out here.

Shacks’ top three dog friendly cabins:

1. Alcor, Staffordshire
Fully enclosed, so dogs can roam while owners put their feet up or take an outdoor bath. Alcor sits on the edge of Swynnerton Woods, with plenty of footpaths to explore from the doorstep and a dog friendly pub a country walk away for the reward at the end.

2. Hoku, near Llangollen, North Wales
Enclosed, and surrounded by some of the best walks in North Wales: Castell Dinas Brân and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the highest in Britain, are both on the doorstep. Back at the cabin, dogs get front row seats to the Dee Valley view from the bed. Humans get the view too, if they can get a look in.

3. Alula, near Bala, North Wales
One of Shacks’ newest cabins, set just outside Bala and within reach of Snowdonia. Enclosed, so there’s space to roam, with lakes, forests and mountain trails nearby for the big days out.

In Shacks’ words
Harry Tomkinson, Founder at Shacks, said: “Some of the best breaks are simply long walks with the dog and a cosy place to come back to. We’re delighted to partner with Pure Pet Food to give our four-legged guests a welcome of their own and make those stays a little more special.”

And Pure Pet Food
Roz Cuschieri, CEO at Pure Pet Food, said: "Our dogs come everywhere with us, so a break that's built around them is our kind of holiday. Shacks get that. They treat dogs as proper guests, not an afterthought, and we wanted every one of them to arrive to a welcome of their own. A good chew to settle in with and the poo bags you always forget (we've all been there). So you can put the kettle on, and they can get on with sniffing out every corner of the cabin."

What’s available:

Images of the Shacks, Pure welcome box and products
Interviews with Harry Tomkinson, founder of Shacks
Interviews with a Pure spokesperson
Booking data and trends
Cabins available to visit or review

About Shacks:

At Shacks, we create unforgettable off-grid stays in wild, beautiful places - partnering with local landowners to unlock nature-rich experiences across the UK. Our mission is to design simple, sustainable spaces that reconnect people with the outdoors, offering freedom, calm and thoughtful living. Every Shack is pet-friendly, with a fixed fee that allows guests to bring unlimited pets - because we believe adventures should include the whole family.

Founded with a deep commitment to guest experience and operational transparency, Shacks is backed by Clive Sykes, the original founder of Sykes Cottages - now one of the UK’s largest independent holiday rental agencies, grown from a kitchen-table startup into a 21,000-property powerhouse.

About Pure Pet Food:

Pure Pet Food is a Yorkshire-based dog food brand, delivering complete, nutritionist-developed meals to owners' doors on a plan tailored to each dog. Founded in 2013, Pure makes its food from a superblend of meat, fruit and veggies, gently dried to lock in their natural goodness, so mealtimes are as simple as scoop, add water, stir and serve. It's the goodness of fresh with the ease of kibble: the best of both bowls. Every recipe is vet approved and made in Pure's own factories in Yorkshire, and Pure has now delivered more than 163 million meals to dogs across the UK and Europe. Find out more at purepetfood.com.

For more information, contact Lauren Jones at Shacks on [email protected]