How to Celebrate National Dog Day in London: The Best Dog-Friendly Things to Do
There are worse ways to spend a Wednesday than being reminded that your dog deserves a day out. National Dog Day falls on 26 August, and London is marking the occasion with everything from dog-friendly dining and free treats to a Sunday roast designed specifically for four-legged guests. It is also a useful excuse to stop treating the dog walk as an errand and turn it into something resembling an actual day out.
This year, there are plenty of options across the capital, whether your idea of celebrating involves lunch in Notting Hill, a walk through one of London's parks, a drink beside the Thames or, if your dog is particularly well behaved, an afternoon inside one of the city's more unusual attractions. Here is our guide to some of the best ways to spend National Dog Day in London, with several of these spots worth knowing about long after 26 August has passed.
Where to Eat with Your Dog on National Dog Day
The Chalk Freehouse
If your dog has spent years watching you eat Sunday lunch from underneath the table, The Chalk Freehouse in Chelsea is about to give them their own version. Tom Kerridge's pub is launching The Dog's Dinner on Sunday 30 August, created with fresh dog food brand Butternut Box. The complimentary roast includes Butternut Box's Pork This Way recipe alongside dog-friendly roast potatoes, crushed carrot and a Yorkshire pudding. It will be available on Sundays for a limited period throughout autumn to dogs accompanying guests who are dining from the pub's Sunday menu.
Vauxhall, Market Place Food Hall
In Vauxhall, Market Place Food Hall is taking the idea of dog-friendly dining considerably further. From 24–28 August, its independent traders have created a limited canine menu including a Doggy Guinness made with bone broth and whipped cream, an A-paw-rol Spritz of carrot juice and coconut water, plus dog-friendly versions of poke, pizza, steak and fries, tacos and a Sunday roast. One dog-friendly dish or drink is complimentary with every human food or drink purchase, while stocks last.
Los Mochis, Notting Hill
Over in Notting Hill, Los Mochis is celebrating Dog Month until 28 August with a special Doggy Menu served at lunch. The restaurant has teamed up with Silver Fox Rescue UK, with funds from the Doggy Menu going towards the charity's work rescuing and rehabilitating dogs. It is a rather more considered way to celebrate than simply buying your dog another squeaky toy, and it gives you an excuse to have lunch somewhere you might actually want to spend an afternoon.
The Italian Greyhound
Marylebone also has a couple of easy options. The Italian Greyhound has been dog-friendly since it opened, offering dogs water, a bowl and complimentary treats, while nearby Boxcar Hyde Park welcomes four-legged guests throughout the venue. On National Dog Day, Boxcar is partnering with Forthglade to give dogs free packs of treats while stocks last, making it an easy stop after a walk around Hyde Park.
Take Your Dog Somewhere Other Than the Park
London is unusually generous when it comes to green space, which is convenient when your companion has decided that a 20-minute walk is an insult. Hampstead Heath remains one of the city's great dog-walking destinations, with its woodland, open grassland and views from Parliament Hill. Regent's Park offers another sprawling option, while Hyde Park is particularly convenient if you want to combine a walk with lunch in nearby Marylebone or Mayfair. For something further east, Victoria Park gives dogs plenty of room to roam before you head towards the cafés and restaurants around Hackney and Bethnal Green.
For a change of scenery, take the journey itself seriously. Dogs are generally permitted on Thames Clippers services at the discretion of the Master, provided they are kept under control on a lead or in a suitable carrier and are not placed on seats. Alternatively, Thames River Sightseeing explicitly welcomes dogs on all of its boats, so you can trade the usual pavement-level view of London for something considerably more scenic.
Then there is Tower Bridge, which may be the most entertaining option if your dog is capable of looking impressed by architecture. The attraction welcomes well-behaved dogs on leads, including into the Towers, High-Level Walkways, Glass Floors and Victorian Engine Rooms. There are, understandably, a few rules: dogs must remain supervised, cannot sit on the furniture and should take the stairs where their owners can.
For something smaller and rather more niche, the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe is also dog-friendly, provided dogs are well behaved and kept on a lead. The museum explores the history of the Thames Tunnel and is open Friday through Monday, making it an easy addition to a walk around Rotherhithe.
Celebrate National Dog Day in London
If you want something more organised, Control Room B at Battersea Power Station is hosting a National Dog Day afternoon on Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August. From 11am to 4pm, dogs and their owners can spend the afternoon in the former power station control room with drinks and food for humans, treats for dogs and a goody bag. Tickets include a drink on arrival, an exclusive Control Room B collar, treats and a donation to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
For those who would rather spend the day doing something useful, WagWorks in Fulham is also holding a members-only dog health talk on 26 August. The session covers early signs of health changes in dogs, including changes in appetite, mobility, coat condition, behaviour and dental health. Dogs are welcome to attend with their owners.
And if your dog is the sort who would rather be photographed than exercised, there are plenty of opportunities around London to make an afternoon of it. The city has gradually become much more accommodating to dogs in restaurants, cafés, shops and cultural spaces, although it is always worth checking an individual venue's current policy before setting off. National Dog Day is therefore less about finding one perfect event than finding somewhere where your dog can actually be part of the day.
The Best Dog-Friendly Day Out in London
The nicest thing about celebrating National Dog Day in London is that it doesn't really require much planning. Start with a long walk, find somewhere for lunch, allow your dog to become mildly overexcited about a complimentary treat and then continue wandering until one of you is ready to go home.
London's dog-friendly culture has expanded well beyond the traditional pub with a bowl of water by the door. There are restaurants creating proper menus for dogs, attractions that allow them inside, river boats where they can ride alongside their owners and parks large enough to make even the most energetic dog eventually admit defeat.
So whether you make a day of the events happening this week or simply take your dog somewhere you have never been together, National Dog Day is a good reminder that London is considerably more enjoyable when you have four legs and considerably less interest in your itinerary.