South Coast Sherborne
The Rose and Crown
Independent pet-friendly review by Four Legged Guests · updated August 2026 · paw rating built from 5 verified guest reviews mentioning pets
Bring your dog if
- You're happy with a standard hotel-room stay where the property explicitly welcomes dogs
- You're basing yourself in Sherborne / the South Coast and want a pet-friendly anchor for day trips
- The wider guest experience is strong - guests rate this 9.3/10 overall on booking platforms
Worth knowing
- Pet fee and any size restrictions aren't published - confirm directly with the property before booking
- Shared corridors and common areas mean nervous or vocal dogs may find it harder to settle
How this review was built Evidence, sources, refresh cadence
- Evidence: 5 pet-mention guest reviews sourced from major booking platforms - guests who explicitly mentioned travelling with a dog. Each review is screened for pet-relevance, then judged for sentiment to compute the paw rating.
- Not a personal visit. We don't stay at every hotel we cover - we summarise patterns from real guest reviews, paraphrased and never quoted verbatim. Full standard on our editorial policy page.
- Wider context: The property has 146 guest reviews overall across booking platforms, averaging 9.3/10 - the paw rating reflects only the pet-mentioning subset.
- Last refreshed: August 2026. Policies and pricing drift; we re-check on a rolling basis. Confirm specifics with the property at the moment you book.
- How the paw rating works: Full detail on the methodology page, including the three verification gates and known limitations.
Pet policy at a glance
- Please note that dogs/pets are only allowed upon request and subject to approval. Additional charges will apply.
Pet-friendly summary
The Rose and Crown is a country pub with rooms at Longburton, a village on the main road a few miles south of Sherborne, and dogs are a normal part of the picture there rather than a tolerated exception. The rooms sit above the bar, which for a dog owner is rather the point: you can eat downstairs with your dog beside you and be upstairs two minutes later.
Dogs are taken on request and subject to approval, so ring or message before you book rather than assuming a room is open to you. A charge applies. The amount is not published on the booking listing, and at least one dog-owning guest was caught out by that, learning the rate only after the reservation had been made. Ask for the figure in writing at the same time you ask for the room.
What guests with dogs single out is the welcome. The owners and staff come up again and again as helpful and genuinely pleased to see a dog, and dogs are reported to settle quickly as a result. The rooms have been renovated recently and are comfortable and well finished, one of them with a bath in the bedroom and a separate ensuite, and the pub downstairs gets busy without the noise carrying up once the door is closed.
The caveats are those of a pub still finding its feet. Service can be uneven, with check-in and food ordering not always running smoothly, and the food is generous without always matching what the menu promises. There is live music in the bar on some Saturday nights, which is a plus or a problem depending on your dog.
At 4.5 out of 5 it is one of the better dog-friendly stops in this part of Dorset, and it suits people who want a proper pub with their dog rather than a quiet hotel room.
Highlights from pet-mentioning reviews
What reviewers travelling with dogs consistently noted about staying here.
- Dogs taken on request and approval
- Renovated rooms above a country pub
- Pet charge not shown before booking
- Village setting south of Sherborne
- Landlord and staff praised for dog welcome
About this hotel
The Rose and Crown is a country inn at Longburton, a village a few miles south of Sherborne in Dorset, with a handful of recently renovated rooms above the pub. The bar and restaurant are the heart of the place, and guests score it 9.3 out of 10. Sherborne, with its abbey and castle, is a short drive north.
Hotel facts
Photos
Location
DT9 5PD, Sherborne, DT9 5PD
