Eye on London - Top days out in London for top dogs

Monday November 21^st 2016
Sports

London from the inside Monday 21st - Sunday 27th November 2016

There’s a four-legged friends theme running through the blog this week and we’ve got our Eye on Wandsworth. It’s the largest inner-London borough with over 300,000 humans living there and it’s also the temporary residence for over 8000 cats and dogs every year that are ready to be adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

BEST LONDON PUBS FOR DOGS

The Woolpack, SE1

A great little bar with a beer garden and classic pub grub. A visit also presents the perfect opportunity to pop opposite to Holly and Lil’s - a lovely dog shop where they have beautiful handmade collars and a grooming parlour.

The Bull & Last, Hampstead Heath

Traditional pub charm, exquisite food and some of London’s most attractive pooches propping up the bar and chewing on a pig's ear or marrow bone.

Hoop and Grapes, Farringdon Street

A classic pub if ever there was one, good value in the heart of the city. They can host you a private poker party with proper tables and will even let dogs attend.

TOP CATS IN LONDON

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium - the purrrfect café for lovers of cake and coffee with a side order of cats
The Catford Cat - the giant fibre glass cat sitting on the shopping centre sign… also follow on Twitter @CatfordCat
The big cats of Trafalgar Square - the bronze lions that surround Nelson’s Column are commonly known as the ‘Landseer Lions’ after their sculptor
The Cheshire Street cats - head down this road in E2 and marvel at the graffitied felines
Dick Whittington’s Cat - see the statue of this extraordinary cat on Highgate Hill

BEST LONDON PARKS FOR WALKIES

Parks are the pawfect place for puppy love - doggie playdates or maybe even meeting an attractive owner - mutt antics make a great conversation starter.

Battersea Park - spot the residents of BDCH having their morning and afternoon strolls.
Richmond Park - if your dog’s partial to chasing things maybe keep them on the lead to avoid another FENNNNTTTOOOONNNN!
Wandsworth Common - according to recent census data, more than half of the borough’s residents are single (54%), so if you’re looking for love, a walk in the park might be more successful (and enjoyable) than Tinder.

DOGGY DAYS OUT WITH A DIFFERENCE

Apparently great for stretching, stress levels and socialisation you can try Doga (yes, dog yoga) for you and your dog. There’s dog swimming at the Hainault Hydrotherapy Centre - not just for fun but brilliant for fitness and rehabilitation. And after all that exercise, head online to The Black Dog Bakery for a special treat of some liver fudge.

LOVE DOGS, BUT CAN'T FULLY COMMIT...?

We LOVE dogs, but know that for some of you it won't be possible to own one (no matter how much you want to!). Fear not! You can head over to Borrow my Doggy to match up with dogs who want some extra play times so you can get that pawsome doggy time you desire.

TOP DOG BREEDS IN LONDON

It will vary slightly depending on which part of London you live in, but here are London’s most micro-chipped dog breeds…

1. Staffordshire Bull Terriers

2. Jack Russell Terriers

3. Labrador Retrievers

4. Yorkshire Terriers

5. German Shepherds

EYE ON…WANDSWORTH

There are 32 capsules on The Coca-Cola London Eye, representing the 32 London boroughs, so each week we explore a different London borough.

Until 1889, the area of London that is now considered to be Wandsworth was actually part of Surrey. The London Borough of Wandsworth was not formed until 1965. Here’s some more great facts about the borough…

Putney is the starting point for the University Boat race and has over 20 different rowing clubs.
Tooting is home to the flagship and largest Chicken Cottage in all of Europe.
Wandsworth prison is the largest in the UK and was built in 1851. It made headlines in 1965 when Ronnie Biggs, who was serving a 30 year sentence for the Great Train Robbery, escaped. Other notable inmates include Oscar Wilde, Ronnie Kray and Pete Doherty.
Other famous landmarks include: Battersea Power Station, Wandsworth Common and the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
There are five different bridges which link Wandsworth with the three neighbouring London boroughs on the north of the Thames: Chelsea Bridge, Albert Bridge, Battersea Bridge, Wandsworth Bridge and Putney Bridge.
Wandsworth borough has the second-highest rating of residents who consider themselves to be healthy - this is perhaps unsurprising when you consider that the most common job sector in the borough is health.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan grew up in Tooting. The son of a local bus driver, he has said of his home town... “Tooting’s great. I live and breathe it – I was born here, I was raised here, I studied here, I was married here and I’ll probably die here as well. There’s a real sense of community.”

ON THIS DAY… 22nd November 2003

England won the Rugby World Cup, beating Australia 20-17. The final was won just 26 seconds from the end with a breathtaking drop goal by the youngest player in the squad, Jonny Wilkinson.