The Crown Inn & Restaurant, Llanwyndafydd

Name: The Crown Inn & Restaurant
Location: Llwyndafydd, Ceredigion, Wales, SA44 6BU

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Website: http://www.the-crown-inn.moonfruit.com/

Darcys Comments: Lovely warm place with very nice staff which brought me bowls of water. This was very nice of them because I always seem to be thirsty which my mum says is because of the pills I have to take. I met some local dogs, one in particular a golden retriever called Del Boy who likes Quavers! I have never had a Quaver before.................Mum can I try some Quavers?

Darcys Mums Comments: The have friendly staff and a lovely menu, including a decent vegetarian selection. It is very popular with locals and their dogs. I am not sure Quavers would be particularly good for you Darcy, have a bonio instead.

Darcys Rating:

The Cambrian Inn & Restaurant, New Quay

Name: The Cambrian Inn

Location: New Road, New Quay, SA45 9SE

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Website: http://cambrianhotel-newquay.co.uk/

Darcys Comments: We sat on our own in the conservatory and I slept under the table.

Darcys Mum Comments: Situated right outside the holiday park and also dog friendly it was inevitable we would eat there on atleast one occasion. The menu was good and the staff friendly. I suppose our only gripe was that as we had Darcy with us we had to sit in the conservatory which felt a little bit segregated from the rest of the pub. We didn’t expect to sit in the restaurant but it would have been nice to be seated in the bar area where there was a lot of seating. However we did return for a second time so it was only a minor gripe.

Darcys Rating:

The Dolau Inn, New Quay

Name: The Dolau Inn

Location: Church Street, Newquay, SA45 9NT

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Website: http://www.sabrain.com/dolau-inn

Darcys Comments: It was good to get in the warm and dry after getting caught in the rain and soaked through.

Darcys Mums Comments: A little blue pub right in the centre of town, a stones throw from the harbour wall. Dog friendly place with a sign outside saying “Dogs Welcome!”. The place had been recently taken over by new management and had a really strong smell of cleaning fluid inside which was a little off putting, but it was warm and dry and we were cold and wet so we decided to stay. The menu was very basic pub grub but all we really wanted was something light for lunch so we had baguettes/soup and a hot drink which were absolutely fine.

Darcys Rating: 

Dog Games Perfect Fit Harness

Name: Perfect Fit Harness
Make: Dog Games
Description: The Ultimate in Walking Harness. Fits most shapes & sizes of dogs (even front amputees), cats & pigs. Description taken from online shop.
Where Purchased: http://dog-games-shop.co.uk/
Price Paid: £33.70 (incl p&p)

 









Darcys Comments: Its a nice comfy harness but people who are putting it on me for the first time get very confused with all the various bits and pieces and connections, which can get a bit tedious and/or awkward for me whilst they figure it out.

Darcys Mums Comments: Its a nice good quality harness that fits her well. It is fully adjustable and comes in 3 seperate parts that also come in different sizes so its mix and match according to your requirements. We selected the black fleece but it comes in a wide variety of colours, although the actual straps themselves are black regardless of the fleece colour chosen. We also selected the front piece with the additional D ring which gives the option of extra control if necessary. I would say the only downside is the complicated nature of the harness for those coming across it for the first time. Darcy recently came out of the vets after being in for the day for a procedure with it on completely upside down. The veterinary assistants who came out with her were apologetic saying the didn't know how it worked. I had to reassure them that they weren't the first and I am sure will not be the last. Having said that once you have put it on correctly once or twice you soon get the hang of it. A major positive on the harness was the customer service recieved when purchasing it. Darcy is a bit of a funny size (hence my selction of the perfect fit harness) and I ordered the sized pieces I thought were the most likely to fit, however when it arrived I was concerned that it was a tiny bit on the baggy side. So I called the customer services line and found them to be extremely helpful and they sent me some alternative sized pieces free of charge on the condition I simply returned those which I did not need. On the whole a decent quality harness with exceptional customer service, something not always found these days.

Darcys Rating:

thrive ProReward 100% Liver

Name: ProReward

Make: thrive

Description:  100% Dried Liver cut up into small pieces and intended to be used as a high value treat reward for dogs.

Nutritional analysis: Crude Protein 64.4%, Crude Fibre 0.2%, Crude Oil and Fat 14.6%, Crude Ash 4.8%, Moisture 4.6%
Information above taken from product packaging.

Where purchased: London Pet Show
Price Paid: Free sample

Darcys Comments: I like these as they are very smelly and tasty.

Darcys Mum Says: I was given a free sample of thrive ProReward at the London Pet Show at Earls Court and have since been using them as a reward during training sessions. The treats are dried and therefore as long as they are kept in a sealed container they have a long shelf life. Darcy seems to like them and I am sure she must find them very flavorsome as even I find them smelly when I open the container. Having said that she does prefer the more moist treats as a reward however they do not keep as long, especially in the warm weather we have been experiencing recently, so from that point alone the dried treats are preferable.

Darcy Rating:

Halti Harness

Darcy wearing her Halti Harness. 
You can see the slightly baggy front strap 
with the all important collar connection.

Name: Halti Harness
Make: The Company of Animals Ltd
Description: Designed by Dr Roger Mugford, the HALTI Harness has a unique patented front attachment system that controls the dog from his chest and shoulders - an effective point of control. The HALTI Harness stops pulling, calms over-boisterous dogs and simplifies training and behavioral therapy. (Official description taken from Halti website http://www.halti.co.uk/haltiharness.php)
Where purchased: Amazon
Price Paid: £10.42 (including p&p)

Darcys Comments: There isn't much to this harness really. 2 main straps - one round my chest and another connecting the two sides of the chest strap running around my front. It isn't particularly comfortable as it rubbed on either side behind my front legs.

Darcys Mum Says: Darcy has always tended to pull when walked with a lead attached to her collar and so due to a shoulder injury I decided to try a harness designed to prevent pulling and one of the trainers at our dog club recommended the Halti Harness as the only one they had found worked. I ordered the medium size based on the sizing guide on the Halti website. This suggested a medium should fit everything from a cocker spaniel to a labrador and I consider her to be somewhere in between. There was only one colour choice available black and red which was a little disappointing but I suppose not overly surprising for something designed to primarily be a training aid rather than aesthetically pleasing. When it arrived we set about fitting the harness which as described on their website is very easy to put on. The chest strap was a perfect fit with Darcy being somewhere in the middle of the allowable range however the front strap despite being as small as it allowed seemed to be a little on the loose side. On first appearance this didn't appear to be a problem but it soon became evident that it was since the idea of this harness is that one end of your lead should attach to this part in addition to the standard back area. When ever any pressure needed to be applied for "steering" as recommended in the accompanying training guide the looseness of this front part of the harness resulted in the whole thing moving from side to side. This problem aside I should note that the practice of having a front attachment did work in terms of improving Darcys lead walking considerably but the amount of movement in the harness meant that it rubbed behind her front legs.The training guide suggested that once the lead walking had improved the front attachment could be removed and the dog walked primarily on the standard back attachment which I though would alleviate the problem of the harness moving which it did. However this then brought to light another problem with the design of the harness. If for whatever reason the dog tries to back away from you in fear or disobedience the harness easily pulls forward over the dogs head. Mild panic ensued, however at this point I discovered the relevance of the small attachment provided to connect the harness to your dogs collar.
Overall I don't think it is a great design but then perhaps if it had been a better fit some of the other issues would not have occurred I think they need to look at the sizing as I really can't see how this would have fitted a cocker spaniel. However the harness did demonstrate the usefulness of the front attachment which is something I will look for in future harness'
Darcy Rating:

Connollys Red Mills Engage Beef

Name: Engage Beef
Make: Connollys Red Mills

Description:
Our Beef Recipe is a fully balanced diet that provides your dogs with the best of nutrition for sustained health and vitality. This food is suitable for dogs in lighter work, or with lower energy needs. Engage Beef, with a high meat content, offers dogs all the necessary dietary requirements to maintain a good, healthy condition.
Ingredients: Maize, Dehydrated Meat Meal, Wheat, Poultry Fat, Whole Linseed, Beet Pulp, Fishmeal, Chicken Gravy, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Mono-Dicalcium Phosphate, Yeast Extract, Chicory Extract (in descending order by weight)

Nutritional analysis: Crude Protein 20%. Crude Oil 8%, Crude Fibre 2.2%, Crude Ash 7%

 

Information above is taken from the Connollys Red Mills website.

                    
Where purchased: http://www.redmills.co.uk/uk/pet/shop/
Price Paid: £18.39 for 15kg bag (not including p&p)
Darcys Comments: I would prefer wet food but my mum says the dry stuff is better for my teeth. Not complaining though as it tastes gooood!

Darcys Mum Says: I intially decided to try this food out as I had recieved a pamphet on Connollys products, some free samples and a discount voucher at the Hertforshire Game and Country Fare last year. It actually makes life a bit easier ordering and having delivered to home the 15kg bags as it means there is one less thing to drag home from the supermarket on a weekly basis. We get through a 15kg bag in approx 2 months.

According to the information supplied with the food Darcy should be having approximately 300g per day. This is split over 3 meals and supplement with various extras like pigs ears, rawhide bones etc.
She seems to be doing really well on it and has nice firm stools. Connollys also produce Engage in several other flavours which we have tried as samples (aquired at the same time as the initial introduction to the product) and Darcy seems to also like. However I haven't purchased any of them as they have higher protein levels than I believe Darcy requires (she is bubbly enough as it is) and also they have higher purchase prices.

Darcy Rating:

The Woodman - Highgate

Name: The Woodman
Location: 414 Archway Road, Highgate, N6 5UA

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Website: http://www.the-woodman.com/
Darcys Comments: Nice place which is more than welcoming. I have been here on more than once occasion and it is not uncommon for me to get served (with a nice bowl of water) before the people I am with :-).
Darcys Mums Comments: Nice pub which allows dogs inside as well as in the beer garden. Good food and table service available. Excellent place to stop following a walk along the Parkland Walk (follows disused railway line) from Finsbury Park or around Queens Wood just across the road from the pub.
Darcys Rating:

The Maid of Muswell - Muswell Hill, London

Name: The Maid of Muswell
Location: 121 Alexandra Park Road, Muswell Hill, London, N10 2DP

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Website: http://www.themaidofmuswell.co.uk/
Darcy Says: Its a nice small pub, which is nice and warm and close to Alexandra Palace Park. Perfect place to visit after going for a walk around the park and they don't even mind it when I am muddy!
Darcys Mum Says: We have eaten here several times and they have a lovely selection on the menu and they don't mind dogs in the pub as long as they are well behaved.
Darcys Rating:

Craig Tara Holiday Park - Ayrshire, Scotland

Name: Craig Tara Holiday Park
Location: Dunure Road, Ayr, KA7 4LB

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Paddling on the beach at Craig Tara

Website:http://www.haven.com/parks/scotland/craig-tara/
Duration of stay: 7 nights
Darcys Comments: I have never stayed in a caravan before but it seemed nice enough. Every one had their own bedroom at night and I got the whole living room to myself. We were only a short walk from the beach which I got to walk along every morning before breakfast and I could watch the golfers playing on the course from our window.
Darcys Mums Comments: We were allocated a caravan on the edge of the golf course and not too far from the beach, all good for dog walking. It is a big holiday park with plenty of facilities including childrens play areas and indoor swimming pool amoungst others. There is also a small on site mini market, handy for the provisions required when self catering. We ate at the onsite pub/restaurant The Mash and Barrell on more than one occasion and the food was always hot and filling. However Darcy wasn't allowed inside so we ate on the terrace, which was relatively sheltered. There is a regular bus service to the nearest town (Ayr) and the staff were always helpful. On the negative side we really didn't use much of the facilities on the park, mainly because we spent so much time exploring the surrounding area but also because there were so many children (not all of which were well behaved) which could be noisy and disruptive for anyone looking for a quiet relaxing time. On another unfortunate note Darcy managed to cut her nose on some broken glass on the parks private beach. However it was early in the morning so the litter pickers had probably not had the chance to clean up folowing the previous day/night, but it was still a little concerning.
Overall we had a nice holiday in Scotland although we would probably not choose to return to the same park again as it is primarily aimed at families with young children but also because we have already explored many of the attractions in the area.
Darcys Rating:

Stonecross Manor Hotel

Name: Stonecross Manor Hotel - Kendal, Cumbria

Location: Milnthorpe Road, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 5HP

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Duration of stay: 1 night
Darcys comments: We had a nice little room with plenty of space for everyone. The staff were very nice to me and let me sit with mum and everyone else whilst they had their dinner in the bar. They even made up a special table so I could sit with them for breakfast as well.
Darcys Mums comments: A nice little hotel on the outskirts of Kendal where we stayed for one night on our way up to cotland. The staff were all very friendly although the receptionist seemed a little unsure as to where we could and could not take Darcy. We put this down to inexperience rather than anything else though as other members of staff were able give us the appropriate information. The food was lovely and the room was clean and tidy. The hotel also has a swimming pool which was small but not busy. it was a shame we weren' t staying for longer, will definately consider staying here again if we are in the area.
Darcys rating:

Ancol Peak Superquilt Coat

Name: Peak Superquilt Coat
Make: Ancol
Description: Amazing all weather coats constructed from heavy weight woven nylon with velcro spine fastening for easy fitting. Fully elasticated chest area and leg cuffs for comfort. (Ancol website description)
Where purchased: Amazon
Price Paid: Unknown. Christmas present (2011) however current price approx £18
Darcys Comments: This coat is comfy and keeps me warm and dry. It was a bit awkward learning I had to lift my feet up to put it on but after the first few goes I got the hang of it.
Darcys Mum Says: The coat is an unusual style with the Velcro running along the back but it is very effective at keeping her warm, dry and mostly mud free. The Velcro along the top is very strong, to the point that it was actually quite annoying because it was always catching my gloves, scarf or anything else vaguely woolly I was wearing. Also due to the strength of the Velcro (the half with the hooks) it has actually damaged the other half of the Velcro at the neck which means it now keeps flapping open, however this last development came about only over the last few weeks after being used since Christmas 2011. The only other issue we have was that some of the stitching to create the quilting effect came out within a couple of weeks of use, however the integrity of the coat wasn't compromised so we decided not to bother sending it back for a replacement. On the positive side the coat washes very well in the machine and has been through numerous times to remove all the mud Darcy likes to accumulate.
Overall I realise I have made it sound like it was not a good coat, however I do think it is a good design, its just the quality of the components that may not be quite up to scratch. I do intend to keep using the coat but will have to make some adjustments to the neck to stop it flapping open due to the failed Velcro. My only other comment on the coat would be that it is a shame it doesn't come in a wider variety of colours, including something femine, although this doesn't necessarily mean pink!
Darcy Rating:

Great style of coat and is a good fit for Darcy, extending right along her back (covering the top of her tail) and along her abdomen finishing just in front of her hind legs. Unusually she needed an XL (although I would not describe her as a XL size dog so other larger breeds may struggle with the fit) after following the Ancol Website measurement guide. I should point out that although this coat fits Darcy well, if she had been a boy it would have been too long on the belly.



You can see the neck portion of the coat flapping open as the Velcro has failed.