Smila Goes on Holiday

Please send us your stories about how you found the process of homing your new hound to: gallery@rgtwolverhampton.co.uk

Smila has now lived with David and I for six weeks.  We have all settled down together and things get even more wonderful every day as more and more of his personality comes out.  We were told that greyhounds were very quiet dogs and never made any noise!!!  Well Smila knows it is his house and we are there to be bossed around and told what to do and then he rewards us with lots of hugs, cuddles and licks!  We thought it was supposed to be the other way around and we would tell him what to do and we would reward him with treats and lots of attention.  We definitely got it wrong but we don't care as he is the most marvellous dog (I know we shouldn't say that but....) and he loves us as much as we love him.
 
David and I decided we would like to go away for a short break but like all dog owners we wanted to take Smila with us so I did some research on the internet to try and find something suitable. We wanted to go to the coast and we decided that we would go to Barmouth so I looked for a hotel that took dogs.  We had taken our previous dogs in hotels but we have found that even if they say they are dog friendly that is not the always the true, as I am sure some of you have already found out yourselves!!!

The hotel we decided to go to was called the Lawrenny Lodge and when I phoned it sounded perfect.  Well behaved dogs were allowed everywhere in the hotel, even the restaurant! The proprietors were dog owners themselves and so understood our needs.  We explained that Smila was a retired greyhound and was rather large but they said there would not be any problems, so we booked.
 
We had never taken Smila on such a long journey before so we made a number of stops on the way for him to stretch his long legs and it was a good journey for all of us.

 
When we arrived we were greeted by Storm and Thunder, the resident dogs.   Chantal and Tony, the owners, explained all about the park directly opposite the hotel and how we could get down to the beach from there and that it was fairly secure for dogs.  They also told us about the other dogs who were guests so that we would know what to expect as we were still a bit wary with Smila and small dogs.  We were also given the code for the front door so that if we needed to take Smila out in the middle of the night we could get back in!  David and I immediately felt that this was exactly the right place for Smila and us and the worries that we had previously had were soon dismissed.  Everything that they had told us on the phone was correct and it was the perfect place to take a dog on holiday.

 
Tony asked us if there would be anything Smila would need and we told him that Smila likes brown toast for his breakfast.  We didn't have to mention it again and every morning after we had finished our breakfast (it was absolutely wonderful, we think the best we have ever had) Smila's toast would arrive as they understand about humans eating first and dogs afterwards. The rooms were warm and comfortable and had television and tea making facilities.  The view was wonderful and you could see the sea and the estuary.

 
Smila was very wary of the sea and the beach at first, it must have seemed such a huge, big, scary place but as usual he soon settled down and found his feet (or should I say paws!). Although we were too scared on his first holiday to take off his lead and let him free and run on the beach, as he is inclined to pretend to be deaf when he is excited, I know we will be able to in the future.  He loved the people there and everyone stopped to talk to him and fuss him.  He loves them all and I am sure he will be starting his own fan club soon!!!!  The shops and pubs are very dog friendly and we found we could take him in lots of places, even though we were quite worried as we didn't know how he would react, but he was a typical greyhound and just took everything in and then settled down, usually in the best place!
 
If you are worried about taking your greyhound away with you I would thoroughly recommend Lawrenny Lodge in Barmouth, it is a real dog (and owner) friendly hotel.  They did everything they possibly could to make the three of us happy and comfortable and instead of being worried all the time we were relaxed and refreshed when we returned home.
 
Greyhounds are the perfect dog to take on holiday as they adjust to new things so quickly and want to be with you and do everything you want.  So, if you have been at all worried, as we were, give it a try and I am sure you will find you appreciate every minute and enjoy their reaction to new things and experiences.

 
Have a lovely time on holiday and enjoy your dog.
 
Love to you all
Annette, David and Smila