Keswick in Cumbria has been voted the most dog-friendly town in the Kennel Club’s Open for Dogs Awards 2012.

The competition – now in its sixth year – is based solely on the views of the public and aims to break down barriers for man’s best friend by encouraging more businesses to be dog friendly. 

With over 28,000 businesses listed on the Open for Dogs website, competition was fierce. Thousands of nominations flooded in from dog lovers giving their paw of approval for the places that treat their pets like royalty, or simply offer them a drink of water when they need it. Certain businesses stood out as being particularly dog-centric however. 

The winners of the nationwide competition were:

• Somewhere to Drink – The Old Sergeant, Wandsworth
• Somewhere to Eat – Highdown Tearooms, Worthing
• Somewhere to Visit – Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary, Essex
• Somewhere to Camp – Headley Wood Caravan & Camping, Devon
• Somewhere on the High Street – Metro Bank, branches throughout London and surrounding areas
• Most dog friendly Town – Keswick, Cumbria
• Special Recognition – Eurotunnel, Folkestone  
• Special Recognition – Hair by JFK, Edinburgh

Craig Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer of Metro Bank (pictured above), which won the Somewhere on the High Street category, said: “We are thrilled to have won a Kennel Club Open for Dogs Award for the second year running! One of Metro Bank’s mantras is ‘Dogs Rule’, and this award proves that not only are we open for dogs, but we continue to offer them and their owners amazing levels of service and convenience.

“These awards are very important for the millions of dog owners in the UK looking for places where dogs will be welcome. Metro Bank always provides water bowls and dog treats in all of our branches, and we welcome this award as proof of our commitment to man’s best friend.”

Deborah Elliott, Senior Product Manager for Eurotunnel, said, “As market leader for pet travel, Eurotunnel is delighted to be recognised by the Kennel Club as a business which truly pulls out all the stops for its canine customers. Our customers' dogs are part of the family, so we treat them just like any other passenger. With dog friendly terminals and modern facilities, we strive to make every pet's journey with us as smooth and stress free as possible.”

The winners of the Open for Dogs Awards will be presented with their awards at the Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event at Earls Court, London on  November 10-11.