Dogs' day at seal sanctuary

Samantha Phillips, ELDC’s Economic Development Officer, joined Dog Friendly Lincolnshire’s King Charles Spaniel Luca to deliver a ‘Dog Friendly’ sticker to Natureland Seal Sanctuary in Skegness.

Matt Yeadon, of Natureland, explained dogs have been welcome at Natureland ever since the sanctuary opened 53 years ago. “We are a family of dog lovers so we have been more than welcome to see them come through the door.

“It opens up the market because people who come on holiday don’t want to leave them in caravans or hotel rooms and they can bring the dogs along and all have a good time.”

Luca was able to check out most of the attractions, including the penguins, grey seals, pets corner , meerkats, aquarium - and even visited the crocodiles in the Tropical House.

The only place he wasn’t allowed was the Butterfly House. Although not allowed in the cafe, there is seating provided outside for dog owners.

There are an estimated eight million dogs in the UK and the ‘Pet Pound’ is an ever-growing market and rural areas, like East Lindsey and the Lincolnshire Wolds, which can potentially attract a new audience.

Recent research by the Kennel Club has found that four out of five businesses believe that opening their doors to Man’s Best Friend has had a positive impact.

Samantha said she was delighted to hand over a sticker to Matt to be displayed at the entrance of Natureland.

“We’ve seen other areas in the country have some real success after becoming more proactive with promoting the fact they are dog friendly,” said Samantha. “Being able to holiday with their hounds is becoming increasingly important to dog owners, so the more businesses can shout about being dog friendly the better. I’m looking forward to seeing our Dogs Welcome window stickers displayed across the district.

”We’d also like as many dog friendly businesses as possible to enter the Dog Friendly Awards through the Dog Friendly Magazine, so the district really becomes known for being dog friendly.”

To help local businesses understand the potential benefits of becoming Dog Friendly, the District Council have produced a handy information card.

Businesses that are Dog Friendly can get their sticker by visiting their local East Lindsey Customer Access Point in Skegness, Horncastle and Louth.

Anyone unable to visit a Customer Access Point, should email [email protected].

To follow Luca as he explores Dog Friendly attractions in Lincolnshire, visit Dog Friendly Lincolnshire on Facebook.