Inside Britain’s most dog-friendly pub complete with food menus, photobooth and beer called Bottom Sniffer
I GAZE at the menu board in front of me, wondering whether to opt for sausages or chicken and veg.
For drinks, there is a choice of beer or fizz and, as at any country pub, a scrumptious selection of ice creams for dessert.
But all this is not for me. I’m ordering for my dog, Wolfie the whippet.
We’re at The Fox & Hounds in Theale, Berks, which last week was named Britain’s most dog-friendly boozer.
It has a dedicated menu board for its four-legged punters, with tasty specials and non-alcoholic tipples including Pawsecco and Bottom Sniffer Beer.
Tucked away on a country road, the cosy interior seems nothing unusual.
But landlady Jayne Tisley and her partner Miles Teece have created a doggy utopia where canine customers are treated as well as the human locals.
Jayne says: “We have doggy beds in front of the fire, different sizes of water bowl to suit every breed, an outdoor dog paddling pool and towels if they arrive muddy from a walk.
LUNCHTIME RUSH
“The pub also runs a Woofer of the Week competition where a dog is featured as the profile picture on our Facebook page. I have people coming in and asking for their dogs to be chosen — it’s a real honour.”
Jayne organises a dog show each summer, with proceeds going to welfare charity the Dogs Trust, and even hosts dog birthday parties.
One owner drives two hours so their pet can spend his special day there each year.
No size or shape of canine is off limits. In the space of five minutes Wolfie meets Bear, a drooling, 14st St Bernard, and dainty Susie the papillon, who is asleep on one of the beds beside the fire.
Bear is a regular. Owners Chris and Kim Forbes have been coming to the pub for their weekly coffee with him for two and a half years.
Kim, 52, says: “It’s become a tradition. As he’s got bigger, we were worried we would have an issue, but he’s always welcome.
“Every week we say he’s going to see his Auntie Jayne and he knows it means we’re going to the pub.”
Bear can join in all the activities on offer. His head is too big for the doggie photobooth — a board they poke their head through to be in a picture of the pub’s sign, showing a huntsman and hounds.
It’s become a tradition. As Bear got bigger, we were worried we would have an issue, but he’s always welcome.
Kim Forbes
But he loves the pub’s ice cream in summer and is a regular in the paddling pool. Wolfie is just right for the photobooth, though, and jumps in for a go after Jayne’s French bulldog shows the way.
Other regulars include French bulldogs Debbie and Rodney, Jack Russell Nerys and Basset hound Arthur — and the place is so popular that a pet blogger visited from the US after hearing about it on social media.
But how does Jayne keep up with all the yappy customers?
“I often end up taking table bookings with dog names, not humans,” she says with a laugh, before turning to greet a new arrival with a gravy bone from the ‘snack’ jar on the bar.
As the lunchtime rush then builds, dogs from far and wide pass through the doors.
Their number include Romanian rescue dog Vivian, breezy golden labrador Bob and nervous pup Poppy, who is guided in with a treat. All told, I count 15 dogs in the pub.
SLIGHT SCUFFLE
Poppy’s owner Melissa Nealon, 35, from Newbury, says: “We want her out with us all the time, so this pub is ideal.”
Meanwhile, Sarah Warwick, 46, and Mark Johnson 42, from Reading, are debating between chicken and sausage for their Jack Russell/Shih Tzu cross Cooper’s lunch.
Sarah says: “It’s his first time here and he loves it.” But it is not just mutts who have a ball — their owners get a warm welcome, too, and make friends with each other.
Brenda Sandilands, who owns papillon Susie, values the “personal touch”. She says: “You won’t find it anywhere else — they remember names, orders and drinks.”
While I am impressed by the boozer, a better judge is Wolfie. Since we arrived, he hasn’t stopped excitedly sniffing around, and he has been showered with affection by staff and pubgoers.
He also tries out the indoor doggy tent, for hiding away if it is too noisy, sips a £3 bottle of Bottom Sniffer Beer and investigates the Woofer of the Week calendar, which show- cases the year’s stars.
While most of our visit was peaceful, one slight scuffle did break out near the door.
But no problem — the bar staff weave in and out of the excitable dogs all the time, carrying plates of food with ease.
Mason, 18, who has worked at the pub for just over a month, says: “It can be a bit crazy, especially when all the dogs see each other. But I’ve always wanted to work with animals, so this is an environment to experience.”
Indeed, Jayne sees how her staff love their unusual daily duties.
She says: “It’s a great incentive for the team, because they all love dogs. When you come to work and stroke a dog it sets off that happy feeling.”
Jayne’s and Miles’ inspiration for the pub grew out of their frustration around a lack of dog-friendly options on offer in the area.
She says: “Dog- friendly is in the minority, so it’s important to take a stand and say you can run a good pub and be dog-friendly too.”
They won their prize as part of the fourth annual awards for pubs that welcome dogs, run by rover.com, a network of pet sitters and dog walkers.
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Judges looked for selling points such as quiet spaces for pets, the number of water bowls, beds and a place for muddy boots and wet paws to be cleaned and dried.
But what about the most discerning judge of all?
Full of beer and biscuits, Wolfie falls into a post-pub slumber on the train. The Fox & Hounds has another satisfied canine customer.
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