Thanks a million everyone, hadn't expected such a good response. A lot of things to learn from and improve on there. It's good to know we have some of them covered as well (info on dog walks, vets details, and a hose), but the secure garden is something I will look into organizing! Thanks Helena for such a detailed response as well, we've had a couple of very bad experiences with dog owners leaving the place really bad, but I know that is the exception, and I'm just trying to find a way to work around that!

Thanks again for all your help, really appreciated.

holiday tags.......with the local address and vet number on.

A fenced garden with at least a 6 foot fence.

No restrictions on where the dogs can go in the cottage, i.e. downstairs only. Our dogs are used to sleeping nearby, either on the landing or the bedroom floor and if we tried to leave them downstairs at night, they would kick off.

No open tread stairs -dogs don't like them. We were recommended a cottage near Alnwick that was dog friendly but when we looked at the photos, the stairs were open tread.

A large bucket outside for water would be nice, along with a fence like others have said, and a dog house (doesn't have to be fancy). Would be nice if you aloud the owners to go out without the dog(s) too. I know I've stayed at places but couldn't go out to dinner or to the store because they were strict on us not leaving the dog unattended.

How lovely to hear that you cottage owners are so concerned to make the holiday homes dog-friendly.

I've stayed in several cottages (2 where we took 8 dogs!) & we always hoover & clean thoroughly before we leave. If people are kind enough to allow us to bring our dogs, then the least we can do is clean up before we go.

We always take loads of dog beds, towels, throws & sheets & cover every piece of furniture & carpet, just in case of dog hair & muddy paw prints. A hose & outside tap would be really useful.

And a freezer large enough to hold the raw meat & bones is a must for raw feeders!

Several of the cottage owners have said they'd rather have people & dogs to stay than families with children ~ the dog owners always leave the cottage spotless but the families with kids leave the place in a dreadful state!