After a successful launch last year, St Albans Dog Day returns on Sunday 8^th September 2024, encouraging dog-owners to come out and enjoy the dog-friendly city centre with their four-legged friends.

St Albans regularly features on lists of the most dog-friendly towns and cities in the UK. Not only offering ample green spaces and trails for dog walking, but the city also has over 100 businesses that are dog-friendly including attractions, places to eat and drink, shops, hairdressers, banks and offices.

Co-ordinated by St Albans City Centre BID, St Albans Dog Day is part of the BID’s campaign to highlight and promote the dog-friendly status of the city centre and encourage dog-owners to make use of the places that warmly welcome dogs all year round. Many businesses also provide free water bowls and treats, with a couple of restaurants even offering special dog menus.

To help people find which businesses accommodate dogs, the BID provides a free “Dog Friendly” window sticker for its member businesses to display and also publishes a list of businesses on the Enjoy St Albans website which is regularly being added to: https://www.enjoystalbans.com/dog-friendly/

To celebrate St Albans Dog Day, the city centre will feature a range of fun activities across Market Place and Christopher Place Shopping Centre. It’s a Sunday market day and the St Albans Market will feature a selection of pet product traders by the Clock Tower including FurBabies Botanicals, Butternut Box, Husky Tails and market regulars Chiltern Pet will also be serving up puppuccinos from their stall by Spencer Street.

Christopher Place Shopping Centre will be hosting a number of activities including free dog training sessions with A Different Dog, a chance to make your own dog rope toy out of recycled materials with Jefferson Eco and Pet Blood Bank will be providing information on how your dog can become a donor. Graffiti Artist Ant Steel will be adding a pop of colour to the festivities with a display of his artwork, including pet portraits and will also be painting live.

The animal art theme continues with the St Albans Art Market also taking place on the day. The monthly market which is organised by Collective Gallery will be hosting a special animal-themed market for Dog Day at Market Place. Local artists will be offering the opportunity to view, purchase and commission their unique artwork.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to capture photos of your four-legged friends on their day out in St Albans, with colourful dog selfie frames and a special backdrop at Christopher Place Shopping Centre created by Ant Steel.

Vivien Cannon, BID Manager says: “Our city businesses understand the role that our doggy best friends hold in the lives of our local residents and visitors so why wouldn’t we highlight the many dog-friendly businesses here. Through our campaign we hope to encourage people to make the most of what is available, not just on Dog Day but throughout the year making St Albans a ‘whole’ family destination.”

To discover what else is on for St Albans Dog Day and to view a list of dog-friendly places in the city centre visit: www.enjoystalbans.com/dog-friendly or follow @shopstalbans on Instagram and Facebook.