The Royal Oak Tetbury

The Royal Oak is a stone pub with rooms on the edge of Tetbury, and it treats dogs as part of the normal run of business rather than an exception to be managed. Three of its six bedrooms are dog friendly and all three are on the ground floor, off the courtyard and with their own entrance, which means you can take a dog in and out without walking it through a busy bar.

There is no charge for dogs, and water bowls and treats are kept for them. Dogs are welcome anywhere on the ground floor of the pub, including the part where the full food menu is served, though not in the upstairs dining room, so an evening meal with the dog under the table is straightforward. The pub asks you to say you are bringing a dog when you book, which matters more here than at most places given only three rooms take them, and to keep an unsettled dog on a lead in the public areas.

The welcome is what dog owners consistently pick out. Staff are described as friendly and attentive towards the dogs as well as their owners, down to a sausage served with the dog's breakfast, and guests travelling from abroad with dogs report the same reception as everyone else. The food gets strong praise across the board.

Two caveats. The courtyard rooms that suit dogs best sit next to the outdoor drinking area, so evening chat carries into the room - manageable behind blinds, but not silent. And dinner works out expensive for a pub. Tetbury itself is an easy base: the market town's shops are a short walk away and there are good walking trails within reach.

Best suited to owners who want a sociable pub with rooms rather than a quiet cottage, and who will book far enough ahead to secure one of the ground-floor courtyard rooms.