Dog friendly businesses are the future

Stephen Price

Like most working-age dog owners, the best part of my weekdays are spent glued to the desk, one eye on the clock, itching to get outside with my two hounds as soon as I can.

My Presbyterian guilt complex (think Catholic, but without the finery) provides me with a list of things I could and should be doing better in all aspects of my life, but top of the list is always my pack.

The leaders of said pack, i.e. the dogs and not me, are walked before, during, and after work and we’re often found outside walking again past midnight, such is our shared lunacy and love of all things outdoors. And when we’re not outdoors, if they’re not sleeping, they’re watching me and, of course, judging me.

One is a hand-me-down that passed to me after my mum’s death, and another is a once-unwanted epileptic pug mix whose previous owners upgraded to a human baby and had no time or patience for a complex, needy and expensive animal.

Together, however, we make a pretty good, if perhaps a little too co-dependent, team.

Take me out

Voted the best place to live in Wales in 2024 (I’m not sure what went wrong in 2025 but you can’t please everyone), Abergavenny is a prime example of how to get things right for a Welsh town.

Good transport links supported by a train station, a glorious coming together of old and new, town and country, and a thriving high street that has bucked the trend of many others across Wales.

The town is a foodie paradise, with a healthy mix of independents and chain stores, and it’s all capped off perfectly for visitors and locals alike with a busy, pedestrianised town centre (just walk along nearby Usk high street to see the difference traffic makes), and quite importantly, it’s incredibly dog friendly.

Most weekends, I wander through the town centre with my own dogs, and more than once I’ve heard visitors remark on the number of dogs out enjoying the day with their owners.

They’re welcome in pretty much all of the pubs and cafes, a fair few of the shops, and even the castle grounds have recently been opened up to them.

Wilkinson’s (RIP) move to a dog friendly model was such a breath of fresh air. Without having to worry about dog care, or someone having to wait outside, it felt so freeing each time we’d walk to the pet section to pick up a treat, to chat to other dog owners, and to see the staff who were more than ready to attend to any and every need of the four-legged customers.

The ci to success (geddit!?)

Of course, not every shop, pub or cafe could or would become dog friendly, chemists and food stores and the like have strict policies to adhere to, and there will always be business owners and frequenters who don’t want to be around other people’s dogs – especially if they can’t be controlled or kept quiet. But more often than not, dogs are the least of our worries.

Having worked in cafes and retail from the beginning of my A-levels until just after graduation from university, I can assure you that any black mark levelled at man’s best friend popping out for a puppuccino or the like pales in comparison to the behaviours of the human folk I and my colleagues had to deal with.

From tantrums to thieving, spillages to stalking (we’re being nice because it’s our job, we don’t fancy you – well, not all of you), I’ve seen and heard it all, and done the cleaning afterwards, and there’s nothing a happy little pooch at its owners’ side could do that could come close to any of mine and my colleagues’ worst experiences.

The joy, comfort and ‘therapy’ offered by pets to their owners is incalculable, and being able to spend your precious free time with them, guilt free, is so liberating.

And, not only is it liberating, it’s ensuring that dog owners are welcome and, importantly, spending.

Research from Rover has revealed that dogs aren’t just welcome in pubs – they’re becoming an essential part of pub culture with 43% of Brits believing dogs are integral to the pub experience.

Like my pack, and myself, my friends are also a merry band of misfits, and reflecting current trends, a significant proportion of them are also ‘child-free’. But what none of them are, is ‘dog-free’, so their weekends, and their pursuits, are often guided by the needs of their pets.

It’s the businesses that open their doors to their pets that are the ones they’re heading to.

Hannah from Coffi Lab, which has outlets across Wales (and one in Abergavenny, of course) is in agreement.

She said: “We are dog friendly simply because we love dogs! Our founder James has always had dogs, they are part of the family so it seems natural that they would be welcome.

“Dylan, his beautiful Fox Red Labrador, was the inspiration behind the brand, combining his two passions for his Lab and his coffee. We sadly lost him in 2023, but he remains a huge inspiration for all we do.

“We don’t really consider the effect on our bottom line; it was not really a strategic decision, it is just who we are.”

But judging by the queues at Coffi Lab, Abergavenny, and the number of people enjoying some time out and a treat with their beloved pooches at Wales’ growing number of dog-friendly pubs and cafes, it can’t be hurting the bottom line either.