BRITS SHUN PUBS & PARTNERS THAT AREN’T DOG FRIENDLY

- 98% of Brits say partner must get along with their dog
- Just under ¾ of UK dog lovers search for dog friendly pubs
- A third of dog loving Brits struggle to find a dog friendly pub at all
- Paul O’Grady, pips Kate Middleton to top spot as nation's favourite dog-owning celebrity

LONDON, 1 September 2016 - As a nation of dog lovers, our four-legged friends matter so much to us that a whopping 98% of Britons say it’s important that their partners get along with their dogs. Not only that, but 40% would bring their dogs along on a date or night out with friends and 70% of Britons actively search for dog-friendly pubs.

Research from DogBuddy.com, Europe’s leading online dog sitting platform, highlights that over two thirds of UK dog owners are put off a pub if it isn’t dog-friendly and nearly a quarter have taken their pooch elsewhere if a pub claimed to be dog-friendly but wasn’t.

Paul O’Grady tops the bill as the nation’s favourite dog-owning celebrity with just under a third of the votes, while Kate Middleton came fifth with 5% of the vote.

Top 5 Dog-Loving Celebrities
1) Paul O’Grady (29%)
2) Tom Hardy (9%)
3)= Graham Norton (7%)
3)= Martin Clunes (7%)
5) Kate Middleton (5%)

Paul O’Grady comments on coming top; "I'm very flattered to be voted ‘Most Popular Dog Owner’, although my dogs have got the hump as they reckon without their assistance I wouldn't have stood a chance.

“I'm all for dogs being allowed in pubs, it's ridiculous that some pubs have a ban on them. I used to take my dog Buster to the pub all the time as he was handy for getting me home at closing time!"

The results from the survey of more than 2,500 dog owners across the UK also revealed how dog-oriented the UK really is when it comes to choosing a drinking den, with a third of dog owning Britons struggling to find a dog-friendly pub.

DogBuddy.com is launching the Dog-friendly Pub Awards in a bid to meet the demands of our dog-crazed nation and find the UK’s best canine-caring drinking establishments.

DogBuddy is encouraging pubs across the country to embrace ‘paw power’ and welcome four legs as well as two. Not only will these ‘pawsome’ awards show some well-deserved appreciation of existing dog-friendly establishments, but also aim to promote dog-friendly values across all pubs nationwide, inspiring dog owners in the UK to discover and visit their local pubs.

‘We’re delighted to be announcing the launch of our Dog-friendly Pub Awards, to celebrate the pubs that recognise that our dogs enjoy getting out to their local pub just as much as we do. We value dog welfare and care above all, and these awards will help us to further promote happy lifestyles for both pets and their owners.” says Richard Setterwall, CEO and Founder of DogBuddy.

If your dog-friendly pub isn’t listed, nominations are open for pubs all over the UK at dogbuddypubs.com/add-a-pub. Closing date for nominating and voting is 31st October.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR:
DogBuddy was founded in 2013 and has now grown exponentially to be Europe’s leading online dog sitting community, with more than 300,000 dog lovers already registered. With over 25,000 approved dog sitters using the service in less than three years, DogBuddy offers one of the first ‘airbnb style services’ for dogs in the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Sweden.

For any further enquiries, please contact:

Aimee Speight – 07470 301 396 aimee@theforgecommunications.com
Emma-Jo Jones – 07796 934 230 emmajo@theforgecommunications.com