A Suffolk pub has been declared the most dog-friendly in the East of England after beating 230 rivals for the canine cosy award for the second year in a row.
Aptly named The Dog, at Grundisburgh near Woodbridge, has been voted the most accommodating to our four-legged friends - with judges citing its dog beds, secure garden space and welcoming approach as a winning formula.
Voted for by the general public, the Dog-friendly Pub Awards are run by Rover.com, the world's largest network of pet sitters and dog walkers, and celebrates pubs that prove their puppy worth.
Eilir and Charles Rogers, from The Dog at Grundisburgh, were delighted with the news and said: "In our pub, customers can dine with their doggy companions in the bar and restaurant, as we know how happy it makes people to be able to bring their dogs to the pub with them.
"We are so proud to receive the recognition of just how dog-friendly we are and hopefully winning this award will encourage more doggie visitors, and their humans, in the future.
"We also feel hugely grateful to all of our customers for voting for us, I know that they all felt so proud when we won last year."
Runners up in the awards included The Westerfield Swan in Ipswich, The White Horse Inn in Norwich and The Maybush in Woodbridge - but it was the Grundisburgh-based pub people voted for as top dog.
Simon Le Grice, from Rover, said, "The East of England has a fantastic array of dog-friendly pubs for locals to choose from. It's been wonderful to see so many of them represented in this year's awards. The community has really got behind their favourite pubs and helped us, for the fourth year running, to find the best of the bunch - and with the The Dog at Grundisburgh, we've found just that in the East of England.
"The superb service they demonstrated shows a real consideration for dog welfare and happiness, which we at Rover value above all. The whole Rover pack is proud to congratulate The Dog at Grundisburgh on winning the Dog-friendly Pub Award for the East of England and hopes that the awards will inspire dog owners country-wide to discover and support their local pubs, while also encouraging more pubs to consider our two-legged friends in their offerings."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here