Meet the team: Canine edition!

Last week was Walk Your Dog Week and it really got us thinking just how important our dogs are to us, and why we at Out of Eden think our hounds deserve a holiday too. 

Dog friendly accommodation, throughout the hospitality industry, is going from strength to strength in terms of both popularity and availability. 

With dedicated websites sharing dog-friendly accommodation, to bloggers sharing their experiences travelling the UK for the best places for them and their pooches, to mainstream booking sites making it a prominent feature when selecting a suitable property. 

Our lovable four-legged friends are certainly part of the family, and rather than having to pay for kennels or dog sitters, which can take a large chunk out of our travel spends, mixed with the added guilt of leaving them behind, looking for dog-friendly properties can be the main focus of planning a holiday. In fact, by not accepting dogs can in fact hinder your potential for bookings, now more than ever as filter options on websites simply remove your property from being seen altogether. 

Take a look at our blog on how being dog-friendly has very quickly become the perfect formula for optimising bookings. 

We know how im-paw-tant it is to accommodate our four-legged-friends, as a team of dog-lovers ourselves, however we also know that allowing dogs into your accommodation also increases potential for mess, breakages and general wear and tear. 

That's why we provide a doggy hospitality pack featuring all of the essentials your guests might need during their stay: an anti-odour dog mat, a dog towel, an anti-slip dog bowl, and of course, degradable dog waste bags!

Not only are these packs a great way to make your guests feel more welcome, but you're also taking the right precautions to ensure there are no issues that might affect your property while they are staying with you. 

Just like us, there are no two dogs the same, and to celebrate Walk Your Dog Week, in this week’s blog we’re doing things a little bit differently. We had the pleasure of collecting pictures of our wonderful canine companions from the Out of Eden team, and we talked about all the funny things they do that we love (and, just sometimes, loathe!), and here are some of our favourites…

The Dynamic Duo, Honey and Kiera 

They own: Becci, Operations Co-ordinator 

First up is Honey. This blonde bombshell is 2 in November and is a yellow/red Labrador. After an accident when she was a pup, she was left with just one fully formed ear - we think she's twice as cute though! 

"She is extremely loving and soft and is just happy as long as she's with us. She's most likely to be trying to lick my plate or plant kisses on my face. If Carlsberg did dogs well…” 

On the right is black beauty, Kiera. “This is Honey’s mummy and is to blame for the one ear incident we mentioned earlier! She’s a black Labrador, and is 9 years young. She spends most of her time with a ball in her mouth begging you to play with her. She might be more mature than Honey, but she still loves a big cuddle”.

Cutie Pie Kipp

He owns: Barbara, HR Manager 

This little fluff-ball is Kipp, the Bichon Frise/Poodle mix. 

"As he's adopted we're not quite sure what age he is, but we think he's around six years old. He spends most of his time sleeping on the settee or trying to get on someone’s knee, despite being a little too big to be considered a lap dog! As I mentioned, Kipp is a rescue dog from the States. 

He was my birthday present and there was no way we were going to leave him in the US when we moved back to the UK. So Kipp - and the cat, Sydney - got VIP treatment, which should not have surprised us, given that each of their plane tickets cost more than our human ones! 

They were first on and off the plane and were visited regularly by the flight attendants to check they were OK. 

Despite getting ‘first class’ treatment, Kipp and Sydney were delighted to be reunited with us at Heathrow. He is a small dog with a big dog attitude and we love him to bits.”

Marley aka Sir Chunkington  

This is Marley, a four-year-old Border x Patterdale Terrier. "Marley was brought up as a puppy on our farm. 

He was sold to a local girl, but 2 years later she was moving house and could not take Marley with her. He was posted on a local seek & sell page, which we were quite upset about. 

We had chosen good homes for our puppies, and were frightened about where Marley may end up... So we bought him back home & have never looked back! Even with 5 dogs at home, he fits in well with the pack." 

On reminiscing about her favourite stories of Marley, Charlotte mentioned this gem: "One day Marley was left unattended in my boyfriend's work van, whilst he & a workmate went to the shop. They came back to find an empty pie wrapper and a very satisfied dog licking his lips! Do not leave your lunch unattended when Marley is around!" And let us tell you, that did not end well...

Brilliant Baxter 

He owns: Katy, Customer Services 

The youngest of our four-legged furbabies, Baxter is a 10-month old Puggle pup. His mum was a Beagle, and his dad was a Pug. Don't be fooled by his innocent face, though! 

According to Katy "he has a lovely habit of chewing shoes, remotes, my clocking in card and anything else he can get his paws on." Something tells me you and Bronte would get along very well... 

Despite being a little bit naughty, Katy says "he is also very friendly and loving. He loves his food and spending time with other dogs. 

He’s so fond of a particular dog in my Gran’s village that he's even ran down the street on a few occasions… and sat outside their house waiting for him!"

Sweet Stella 

This is Stella, a one-year-old Whippet. “She is very caring and loving and is my perfect companion.” says Emily. 

"She's also very mischievous and often loves to cheekily grab objects ranging from a pair of socks to my mum’s potpourri and run outside with it to chew on the lawn. 

She can go from running at speeds of up to 35 mph to being fast asleep in her bed, making the whole house aware with her loud snoring. 

When she's not on the hunt for rabbits, squirrels, cats or anything small that moves, she's most likely sneaking upstairs to sleep on one of our beds!"

Too cute Rhu  

She owns: Marion, Marketing Assistant

Even now, one year on, Marion says "people still ask if she's a puppy!" 

"She's very active and loves to run around, I can take her on a 3-mile walk and as soon as she gets back she would still quite happily go again. 

Her favourite things are FOOD of any description and chasing a ball. When she's not running around, she also enjoys sunbathing on the doorstep in the lovely sunshine, so she has been very spoilt by the lovely weather this summer."

Casper and Gizmo 

These cheeky chappies are six-year-old Jack Russell Terrier brothers, Casper and Gizmo. 

"Casper is a huge fan of a squeaky toy and will remove the squeak from ANY toy going. Gizmo on the other hand is a much gentler character and will lovingly play with his stuffed toys for hours on end, keeping their filling in tact! 

As with all terriers they are little hunters and they love chasing birds, rabbits and squirrels! Gizmo is the naughtiest when it comes to hunting and has been known to take off and please himself in the search for fun!" Naughty Gizmo! 

"In April 2016, Casper cracked and dislocated his right hip whilst playing on the fell and had to undergo surgery to remove the ball from his femur. His leg is now joined to his hip purely by muscle," (ouch!) "and after over a month of cage rest and very light exercise he was back on 4 legs and back to his former self.” 

Gizmo has also had his own fair share of bad luck, as he once ventured down a disused badger set in pursuit of a rabbit and took 4 hours to surface… "This isn’t ideal at any time but especially not whilst heavily pregnant with my due date only a week away," said Laura. "Gizmo and I BOTH got told off for that incident!"