Market Drayton in dog-friendly bid to collar visitors

The town council is currently considering encouraging the town to become a dog-friendly place, a title it hopes will bring in extra tourists and revenue.

Julie Jones, the town's clerk, is currently getting quotes to see how much it would be to install a metal ring outside shops and pubs for owners to tie their dogs' leads on to. But some concerns have been raised among councillors about an increase in dog mess.

Councillor Tim Beckett said: "We already have some issues with dog mess around the town so I am not sure if we should be encouraging more dogs."

Councillor David Minnery, mayor of Market Drayton, said: "I have a dog and sometimes it is a nightmare taking it to shops and pubs and sometimes it is not.

"You do tend to avoid places that do not let your dog in or doesn't have a place to tie them, so that businesses does not benefit from the money you could have spent in there.

"I think it is great when there is a pub that has somewhere to tie the dog outside and also provide a bowl of water for them."It is a balance."

Councillor Mark Whittle suggested at a community and governance meeting of Market Drayton town council that they should look at the costing of metal loops for business owners to put outside to encourage dog owners to use to tie their pet to before going inside.

Earlier this year Bridgnorth declared itself a dog-friendly town and a large number of shops and pubs are displaying stickers advertising that fact they are dog-friendly.

Keswick in the Lake District is the current holder of the title most dog friendly town in England but Bridgnorth residents are hoping they can eventually take that crown.

The award to Keswick was given by The Kennel Club as part of their Be Dog Friendly campaign. The campaign aims to encourage non-pet businesses and public places across the UK to adopt a dog friendly attitude for the benefit of the nation's eight million dogs and their owners.

The competition – now in its sixth year – is based solely on the views of the public and aims to break down barriers for man's best friend by encouraging more places to be dog friendly.

Two in five across the UK say that owning a dog is a happy alternative to having children, and, whilst their children always come first, a quarter prefer going out with their dog to their children – making a dog friendly attitude the perfect way for businesses across the country to draw in more trade and cater to a demographic that they may have overlooked.