DOG AND SCONE – NEWCASTLE
As promised at the beginning of the month, here is the full version of the review I wrote about Dog & Scone, a café in downtown Newcastle, where customers are invited to play with the resident dogs and puppies, ask questions about their lives and even buy merchandise which will help not only to keep the business going but also to look after all those lovely pooches. Enjoy!
Missing your dogs while up in Newcastle? In need of a doggy fix on a work trip or holiday? Pop into the Dog and Scone – on Pudding Chare, NE1 – and pet loads of cute dogs while having a drink and a snack.
Here’s the catch: the place is always fully-booked! I’ve tried to visit it a few times and last week I was adamant that I would finally get to do it – they close on Mondays… ? This week I decided to try whatever it took to finally visit the pups and every slot was booked! You need to book in advance and each party only gets an hour to allow everyone a chance to get in.
When I arrived outside the café I thought that something was wrong: the street was empty 10 minutes before the café was meant to open. All of a sudden, loads of people descended on the coffee shop at once just as the doors were about to open. I explained to the owner that I hadn’t managed to make a booking as all slots were taken. She kindly allowed me to enter because I was on my own. They’re very flexible with parties of 1 or 2 but definitely need bookings for larger groups. The place is always busy! By the time our hour ended, a group of people had already gathered outside, dying to get in.
As you walk in, you’re asked to remove your shoes. I wondered if it had to do with cleanliness for the benefit of the dogs or due to the owner being Asian and staying loyal to her tradition. Either way, it was great to remove my trainers and relax my feet for an hour having walked around Newcastle all morning. I suppose this also means that, should you accidentally step on a dog, at least you will be barefoot.
The atmosphere is very relaxed! You order snacks and drinks and don’t have to pay until you leave. There is also merchandise available if you want to take a souvenir. The money made from sales goes towards looking after the dogs and the space. This includes vet needs and feeding of course.
The pups couldn’t be more different from each other: you get the naughty ones who spend their time play-fighting each other, the sleepy ones who doze off at the first opportunity and even the cute little nervous one who is scared to approach you. I was lucky enough to bond with the shyest of them who kept getting close to me and then running off, until she finally plucked up the courage to sit on my lap and even take a short nap. You’ll find toy poodles, malteses, terriers, pugs and pomeranians to name but a few.
One impressive situation occurred when one of the little fellas decided to wee on the floor. One of the members of staff cheekily asked me not to include this episode in my review but I was so taken aback at how quickly they cleaned the area that I had to mention it. One grabbed some blue roll while the other disinfected the floor. It all happened in just a few seconds… I could tell these ladies were serious about keeping the place clean and safe for everyone (human and animal).
Some merchandise is available for purchase so I left with a sweet blanket featuring all the café’s little residents.
The staff are very hands-on with all pets and ensure that they play with them all every few minutes. But they insist that we leave them alone if they choose to rest or do their own thing. They also move dogs around the room so that every visitor can experience every breed and no-one keeps any one dog for the whole hour.
I have read quite a few reviews by previous visitors and I’ve been amazed at how some people had been underwhelmed… I don’t understand what else you could get from spending an hour in a relaxed atmosphere with so many cute pets. Their energy was electric, I couldn’t stop smiling even after I left. Of course I loved being kissed and licked by the ones who chose to do so, but I appreciated equally the ones who preferred to keep themselves to themselves.
Exceptionally, I’m reviewing a dog-friendly café that doesn’t allow our own dogs in, for obvious reasons.
I cannot wait to visit Newcastle and Dog and Scone again, hopefully very soon and certainly with a much larger group!
For more ideas and recommendations, try:
Bars & Pubs – http://letmydogin.com/bars-pubs/
Cafés – http://letmydogin.com/cafes/
Restaurants – http://letmydogin.com/restaurants/
Shops – http://letmydogin.com/shops/
And if you have suggestions, reviews and feedback, please drop us a line: info@letmydogin.co.uk or 07932509737
Photos and videos of your dogs, as well as business reviews, are always welcome on our Facebook and Instagram accounts
Finally, if you’d like to write a piece for our monthly blog, all it needs to be is dog-related and dog-friendly.
Top contributors in the last month:
1 – Naomi Dunleavy
2 – Anitta Autumn
3 – Aisling Pinchin
4 – Polly Self
5 – Veronique Costa
In the last 30 days, 14 new members have joined our group, bringing the total to 536 dog lovers. ? Between Posts, Comments and Likes, we’ve had 1,049 interactions in August so far and the month’s not even over yet… Keep up the great work, everyone! ??
