Bridgnorth bidding to become most dog-friendly town in Britain
Bridgnorth is hoping to cash in on extra visitors – by challenging for the title of most dog-friendly town in Britain, with its shops, pubs and cafes are opening their doors to four-legged visitors.
The town already has a reputation for welcoming dogs and attracts owners from across the Midlands who want to browse the shops or enjoy lunch with their pet.
Now Bridgnorth golden retriever owner Louise Gage, 35, is spearheading a campaign to market the town as one of Britain's most dog-friendly. The Lake District town of Keswick currently holds that title, helping it boost its tourism trade.
Louise, whose pet Boo is a familiar face on the High Street, believes the dog-friendly status can help Bridgnorth enjoy an edge over rival towns in Shropshire.
Around 50 stickers have so far been given out to businesses to display.
Dog owner Emma Walker explains why she loves paying a visit to Bridgnorth with her German shepherd Rosie
There's nothing more frustrating than heading out for the day and spending half of it trying to find places that you can take the dog inside.
You wouldn't leave a family member standing outside a pub or a shop while everyone else went inside would you?
No, you wouldn't — and any loving owner would also consider their pet pooches as one of their loved ones.
And that's why our dog Rosie the white German shepherd, who turns 10 this year, loves a trip to her favourite town Bridgnorth.
She's allowed inside the shops, the cafes and pubs. She also gets recognised and fussed over by the business owners and residents when she's sniffing around the streets.
Bridgnorth has officially become our go-to town for a nice day out where everyone, including both human and non-human family members, are welcome.
Nearly all of the shops and pubs are dog-friendly — and it really is unusual.
In a lot of places you'd be lucky to find a handful of shops, cafes and pubs that were canine-friendly, or at least had an area designated for dogs inside.
A day out could easily turn into a stressful event when it includes taking it in turns standing outside with the dog rather than making the most of what somewhere has to offer.
And if you can't find somewhere to eat that allows dogs inside then you may as well just go back home again.
Our motto is, if somewhere won't let Rosie inside, we won't spend our money there. And really that's why Bridgnorth and places like it will benefit.
If Rosie is wanted, we want to visit.
Among those taking part is Amanda Godson, the owner of jewellers Gadsby's on the High Street.
She said it was simple good business at a time every town in Shropshire had to fight for visitors.
She said: "In my experience dogs are not a problem in shops and we welcome them into ours.
"The Severn Valley is dog friendly, so brings people with dogs into the town and it makes sense for shop owners to welcome dogs too."
Louise Gage said her idea came after she saw so many people with dogs in the town.
"I have always been keen to get Boo out as a puppy and encourage him to socialise by bringing him into the Bridgnorth," she said. "When I saw how many people with dogs there were on the town's streets, it made wonder about how many of the shops allow dogs inside.
"So I decided to visit every shop and business and find out how dog friendly they were and to be honest the majority are fine about having dogs on their premises."
Louise, who is currently studying for a Biology degree at Wolverhampton University, said she wanted businesses that were happy to accommodate dogs on their premises to highlight that fact.
She said: "I have obtained some Dog Friendly stickers from the Dog Friendly Britain organisation and have been handing those out to the businesses that let dogs in.
"So far I have handed out 50 stickers to pubs, shops and cafes and have generally had a very positive response from people. Keswick in the Lake District is the current holder of the title most dog friendly town in England, but I would like to think that Bridgnorth could eventually take that crown."
The award to Keswick was given by The Kennel Club as part of their Be Dog Friendly campaign. The campaign aims to encourage non-pet businesses and public places across the UK to adopt a dog-friendly attitude for the benefit of the nation's eight million dogs and their owners.
One shop owner taking part is Steve Elphick,of Kitt Clothing in Waterloo Terrace, who said: "We have our own dog, a black labrador and on busy days we can have up to 10 people bringing their dogs into our shop.
"A lot of people bring their dogs to Bridgnorth and I would much rather they brought them into the shop rather than just stand outside and look through the window."
