The head of the UK’s largest pet trade organisation has called on British business owners to boost the post-pandemic economy by becoming more dog-friendly.
With the UK pet sector worth £7bn and 3 million more people becoming dog owners since the pandemic, now is the time for action, says the Pet Industry Federation.
Its CEO, Nigel Baker, pictured above left with DogFriendly Awards founder Steve Bennett, believes “a lot more can be done” by businesses across the hard-hit £130bn hospitality sector, including hotels, pubs, restaurants, cafés and also other British industries.
Attending the annual DogFriendly Awards 2022, which he praised highly for helping bring about culture change, Mr Baker, whose Federation represents 2,000 UK pet businesses, said many firms “should understand the benefits of becoming dog-friendly”.
DogFriendly Awards General Manager James Waters said: “Our message to the business community is, ‘It’s not just nice to have dogs, it’s good for business’.
“This year, we surveyed people asking them how becoming dog-friendly affected their business. Their replies, our statistics, show businesses will increase by between 20 and 50 per cent if they open their doors to dogs.”
Nigel Baker added: “The awards, now in their 10th year, do such a good job and long may they continue. The awards represent the excellence of businesses that have moved their businesses forward to become dog-friendly and that’s always positive. I think British businesses are moving in the direction of being dog-friendly, but there is a lot more that can be done. A lot more businesses should understand the benefits of becoming dog-friendly.
“There are people who don’t want to leave their dogs at home and want to get out and about. The more places that are dog-friendly the better. The economy will benefit as well as people will get out and bring their dog to pubs and restaurants which we know are being hit badly at the moment.”
The Pet Industry Federation’s sister company, the National Pet College, in association with DogFriendly, has launched a course named ‘Dogs In Hospitality’, outlining the benefits and everything business owners need to know about being dog-friendly.
Steve Bennett, founder of the DogFriendly Awards, added: “We have been working with the National Pet College helping them launch a new training course for businesses in hospitality. It’s aim is to help them understand the benefits of being dog-friendly and how to be truly dog-friendly. The course is now available to purchase online.
“When we started the awards nearly 20 years ago, there were very few places that welcomed dogs and understood the fact that welcoming dogs has so many beneficial impacts on a business. It increases revenue and profit because people will spend more time in a pub, for example, if they have their dog with them.
“There is research to show people stay longer and spend more because they have the dog with them, and are more likely to enter a shop if it’s dog-friendly and they have their dog with them, rather than have to leave it with a friend or tie it up outside.
“There are three million more dog owners since the pandemic. Now one in three households has a dog. One in three customers of every business should welcome dogs as well. When we started DogFriendly, probably less than one in 50 businesses on the High Street welcomed dogs, now it’s closer to 50 per cent.
“It really has increased, but the phrase ‘dog-friendly’ is very subjective. What’s dog friendly for me may not be dog friendly for someone else.”
BBC presenter Katie Thistleton, who hosted the DogFriendly Awards said: “I love going into a business and seeing loads of dogs there. I’d be more likely to go back to that place if there were dogs in it. I’d be well up for more British businesses being dog-friendly. It’s going to help the economy, isn’t it, because people are going to go in and spend more money.”
