Inside Britain’s best dog friendly pub which has a library of sticks and two menus just for pooches

The Bellflower in Preston, Lancashire, won the accolade of the official best pub for dogs in the UK. The boozer has an ‘A La Barke’ menu which includes sausages, burgers, and even shrimp, and they cater for dogs of all sizes with portions which range from ‘Teacup’ to ‘Great Dane’.

Owners can easily pour their thirsty pets a dog-friendly beer, wine, and gin at one of two dog bars located in and outside of the pub. There is a dog stick library where pooches can swap a big stick for an even bigger stick.

The venue even has a separate Sunday food menu for really good boys and girls, where dogs can enjoy a Sunday roast as well as their humans. For furry friends who are just after a bar snack with their pint, there are chicken feet and pig stouts.

The pub was named the best for dogs by the Great British Pub Awards in 2022 - and has been nominated in the category again this year for the third in a row. Heather Porter-Brandwood, 35, general manager, said: “To be recognised and make it to the finalist stage again is just brilliant.

"We have worked really hard to make sure we are inclusive for everybody including dogs. I always joke saying the dogs offer a little bit of staff therapy,

“When you have had a long day, you can spend a little bit of time talking to the owners and getting some cuddles from the dogs. It is lovely. It is great to see lots of wagging tails.

“We do loads to make dogs feel at home at the Bellflower. We have the ‘A La Barke’ menu for our dog customers alongside a Sunday special menu for those who have been good,

“Two dog-friendly bars which include dog-friendly gin, wine, ale and lager. We also have ‘dog doo-dah’ all-natural treats from chickens’ feet to pig stouts, and dog stick library and a muddy paws station in the beer garden too; these are just some of the things we do for dogs here.”

The menu has portion sizes for every pooch. Heather, who also lives in Garstang, Preston, said: “The smallest we do is the ‘teacup canine’ which is a small meal of a burger, sausage, and gravy, all the way up to the ‘Great Dane’ containing multiple sausages, burgers, mash - all the good stuff dogs like.

“The pub is really popular with dog lovers. We have people who travel from across the nation to visit. We get lots of reviews on Tripadvisor or Facebook sharing how much they love the place and what we do which is always fantastic.”

The pub also has two separate dog-friendly areas – so if people don’t want to sit near dogs, there is enough space for them to enjoy their food elsewhere.

The pub garden’s large green area can fit up to 150 guests at its many tables - kids can also enjoy playing on its climbing frames. In the morning, the area can even be rented out to exercise your dog.