How Paws & Stay Retreat was born
"For decades, the hospitality industry has only offered 'Partial Access' to dog owners. You can walk the grounds, but you can’t enter the house scenario. As a lifelong dog owner, I decided that ‘Dog-Friendly’ shouldn’t come with a sacrifice." Judith Goodier, Owner
My journey with dogs began when I was three years old. Across more than five decades, I have experienced the profound bond between humans and their canine companions, seeing first hand the shift in our culture, as dogs have moved from the garden kennel to the very heart of the family.
I have navigated the world specifically, for the last decade or more, as a single person dog owner. It was during this period, balancing the logistics of travel, heritage sites, hotels and hospitality events, as the sole point of responsibility for my dog, that I truly noticed the "Partial Access Trap". I realised that even in the UK’s most celebrated dog-friendly destinations, from the Cotswolds to the Lake District, so often, being a responsible owner often meant making a personal sacrifice.
I have been the traveller exploring alone who has had to bypass the interior of a historical landmark because, as a responsible owner, I would never leave my dog tied up or in a hot car and there has been no one else to hold the lead. I have also been the guest who has had to decline invitations because the travel maths simply didn’t work.
I choose not to leave Taffy on his own at home for more than four hours, this is my personal choice. It’s exciting to receive an invitation to a special celebration however, that feeling can soon fade when you factor in a potential 90-minute commute each way, and a four hour celebration suddenly becomes a seven hour absence for Taffy. This "logistics headache" means owners, like me, are often forced to choose between their social lives and their dog’s welfare. That choice has typically resulted in a No to the invitation.
Three years ago, I reached out to a major UK heritage organisation, of which I’m a member, to ask a simple question: If you are dog-friendly, why is the experience so fragmented? The response was telling. Whilst this organisation can talk about "Dog Officers" or "Dog Friendly Policies," are they prepared to navigate the rigorous licensing, specialised training, and precision required to actually manage canine welfare at a professional level? No, for them, I’m convinced that the compliance was simply deemed too much effort and, as a result, nothing has been done.
I decided that being "too much effort" just wasn't good enough for me or indeed other likeminded folk. I didn't want a workaround; I wanted a gold-standard solution. Therefore, I combined my 25-year career in marketing/brand strategy and compliance with my personal passion for all things “dog” to build something that didn't exist: a service that treats licensing and welfare as a science, not an obstacle.
Paws & Stay Retreat was born. Offering that "missing link" for places like landmark venues and heritage sites, hospitality events and luxury hotels. By providing a highly compliant, scientifically backed business hosted on-site, removing that "Partial Access Trap" altogether.
I was prepared to do the hard work while others deemed it too much effort, because I truly believe that dog-friendly hospitality should never require a compromise.
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5 Brayford Square, London E1 0SG
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