Despite the rain, dog owners headed into St Albans city centre on Sunday to treat their beloved pets to a dog-friendly day out for St Albans Dog Day.

Taking place on the same day as the St Albans second Sunday market, the city centre was abuzz with activities for dogs and their human companions. The market included additional dog product traders including Husky Tails with a wide selection of colourful dog toys, licky mats and leads. Market regulars Chiltern Pet who sell a range of natural dog treats and chews, were serving up an extra special puppuccino for their four-legged customers. Dog-friendly whipped cream was topped with pate and fish sprinkles and devoured by many furry visitors to their stall.

Over at Christopher Place Shopping Centre, there were free dog training sessions with A Different Dog and visitors got the chance to make a free rope dog toy out of old jeans with Jefferson Eco from London Road. Representatives from Pet Blood Bank and their canine ambassadors provided information to dog owners on the vital work they do to save pets lives and the need for donors. Graffiti Artist Ant Steel added a pop of colour and was painting live throughout the day.

Dogs had their moment in the limelight as owners commemorated their outing with photos of their furry friends in colourful Enjoy St Albans dog selfie frames, including a fun Kissing Booth and Wanted poster.

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. On the day, the BID’s team handed out free dog treats courtesy of Chiltern Pet to visiting pups and provided information on dog-friendly places to visit to their owners.

From shops, restaurants, pubs, cafes, hairdressers, estate agents and many other types of services, there are over 100 dog-friendly businesses in St Albans. To help people find which businesses accommodate dogs, the BID also provides a free “Dog Friendly” window sticker for its city centre member businesses to display and also publishes a list of businesses on the Enjoy St Albans website which is regularly being added to: www.enjoystalbans.com/dog-friendly/

Vivien Cannon, BID Manager says: “It was great seeing so many dog owners and their four-legged friends come out and enjoy St Albans Dog Day. St Albans regularly features on lists for top dog-friendly places in the UK based on our wonderful green spaces and walks. We hope by also highlighting the wide range of dog-friendly businesses we can encourage not only resident dog owners but those visiting with a recommendation that St Albans becomes their default dog-friendly destination.”

To find which places in the city centre are dog-friendly visit: www.enjoystalbans.com/dog-friendly or follow @shopstalbans on Instagram and Facebook.