‘We all want our dogs with us for a sundowner after a day out walking’

From the Isles of Scilly to the top of Snowdon and the streets of Carcassonne, your pets have ventured far and wide

With anticipation high, we embarked on our summer holiday to Point Clear, Essex: two adults, four children and our border collie Marnie. She joined in all the family activities and was towed in a dinghy across mud flats to a spit of land where we cockled and she chased seagulls. When the dinghy was in action sailing, she swam beside it.

Our best memory was of Dad fishing the creek when the tide cut off his return to shore. A wooden chair had drifted past and, as we walked along the seawall looking for him, there he was marooned knee-deep 90ft offshore with his faithful companion sitting on the seat beside him. That image has never left our memories.

Andrew Davies, Cambridgeshire

FAMILY REUNION

Our puppy Brody was recovering from a leg injury and kennels weren’t an option, so with the beautiful weather of France just through the Eurotunnel, we headed to Carcassonne.

On the tree-lined avenues of Orléans, we dined al fresco. There, Brody sniffing a fellow terrier turned into an extraordinary rendezvous; the dog, on holiday from Belgium, turned out to be his Herefordshire cousin!

In dog-friendly Carcassonne, Brody enjoyed morning walks to the boulangerie and lazy days by the pool, and found the incredible Cavayere lake an excellent spot for hydrotherapy. The phrase “it’s a dog’s life” took on a whole new meaning.

Catherine McColgan, London

TAKING THE LEAD

From our home in Scotland we often enjoyed self-catering holidays in the UK and our spaniel, Fudge, came too. By 2011, to suit Fudge who was growing old, we needed a holiday cottage with no stairs. An online search delivered somewhere suitable in the village of Westleton, near the Suffolk coast.

We arrived at the start of April to find it was the ideal location, with lovely walks for Fudge. Aldeburgh and Southwold were nearby and there were plenty of dog-friendly pubs where we could enjoy the local seafood. The weather was perfect too.

Sadly, it was to be Fudge’s last holiday but he had led us to Suffolk. By 2012, we had sold up and moved there. Ken Goddard, Suffolk

Bubb, the dog belonging to winner Louise Tabberer, photographed on Bryher in the

Isles of Scilly

PAWSOME WELCOME

We took our fox terrier on a wonderful Welsh staycation. Our lodging was a lovely dogfriendly hotel in the centre of Llanberis, ideal for going up Snowdon the following day.

We got up early and faced the Welsh rain as we ascended to the summit with our dog, Florence. Because of the weather, we were all somewhat bedraggled when we got there.

The café at the top looked inviting as we needed somewhere warm, welcoming and dry. My wife popped her head round the door with the intention of taking a brew outside and some water for the dog. She was told that because Flo had walked all the way to the top, she was entitled to sit inside the café and out of the weather. To us, that was the epitome of dog-friendliness. Richard Symonds, Kent

WARNING SIGN

My husband and I booked a night ferry to Rosslare, in Ireland, with our dog. We put her on the back seat, covered her in a blanket and went down to our cabin.

Five minutes later, we heard our car registration number called and were told our emergency lights were flashing. The button was next to the gearstick, and our dog had trodden on it.

We returned to the car, tucked her in again and left. However, she now knew how to summon us and back we went to the car. We smuggled her to our cabin under the blanket, and she was fine.

At our B&B near Cork, the owner said no animals were allowed, so again we tucked the dog into her blanket in the car. There was a knock at the door and we were told our lights were flashing. The owner said that, because it was so cold, we could bring the dog in but she couldn’t go on the bed. Did we laugh! Gail Norman, Surrey

NOCTURNAL INTRUDER

Spooked by some holidaymakers shrieking nearby, our six-month-old Labrador took off towards the main road. I caught him but toppled over, hitting the tarmac hard. Hours later, on the first day of our holiday, I was having a cast fitted for a broken wrist in A&E.

Later, we set off for the high point of our holiday, staying at the Landmark Trust’s Pineapple Pavilion in Scotland, set within gardens with good dog walks all around. We made ourselves a high tea in the Pineapple itself.

One night we became uncomfortably aware that there was something in our bedroom beside the puppy. It flew round and round the room. A bat! The puppy was perturbed, as were we. Crawling across the floor with the puppy, we followed googled advice to leave the room empty with the window wide open. It worked.