Dog sitting service is a fur-st

Bamburgh Castle owner Francis Watson-Armstrong with his dogs

Dog friendly Bamburgh Castle has come up with a pawsome way to make four-legged visitors welcome – while raising funds for its charity of the year – Northumberland Dog Rescue.

The Castle is offering a new pet sitting service for dogs inside its grounds, which will see happy hounds being played with, walked and watered while their owners explore inside the Staterooms and Armstrong and Aviation Museum.

Bamburgh Castle visitor services manager Karen Larkin said: “We’re very proud to be dog friendly and love welcoming dogs inside our grounds. Many of our team are dog owners and have rehomed dogs from Northumberland Dog Rescue, including the Castle’s owners. We understand pets are part of the family and that includes going on trips out and about.

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Northumberland Dog Rescue volunteers to provide this new pet-sitting service for dogs over the summer holidays. It means their owners can go inside the Castle staterooms together and explore other indoor areas of the Castle where dogs are not able to go, due to the fragile nature of our collections.”

Karen added: “The pet sitting service is being run inside the Castle grounds by fully trained and experienced volunteers from Northumberland Dog Rescue. Every penny raised from the service will go directly to the charity which is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs in our area.”

Northumberland Dog Rescue will be offering the pet sitting service on Sundays and Mondays from July 30 – August 28 and on Wednesday August 16 & 23. Slots can be pre-booked in advance to promotions.ndr@gmail.com for 30 or 60 minutes with suggested donations of £5 and £10. Sessions will also be available to book on the day, subject to availability.

Bamburgh Castle is straining at the leash to raise £10k for the charity (formerly Alexa’s animals) near Alnwick to fund much-needed items including kennel enrichment equipment and games as well as supporting with veterinary bills and care for dogs at the shelter.

Find out more about Bamburgh Castle’s new dog sitting service here.