You read the title correctly - Leeds! We drove TWO HOURS to take our dog on a walk.
Anyone who knows our situation knows that our dog Baker is unable to be taken out on 'normal' walks these days. Long story short he's a nervous, reactive old man and I don't feel that he needs the stress of being forced into situations he doesn't enjoy. That means it's been over 6 years since Baker has been able to have the experience of running carefree through woodland, something he grew up doing - his first ever walk was at Holywell Dene.
Without even looking, I somehow happened upon a private woodland that you can book to have all to yourself, and so we decided to book it for a birthday treat for Baker. The day of his birthday was unavailable so we booked for the day after and it worked out perfectly as we were able to have a lovely day at home celebrating in the usual way and then the next day head down to Leeds for a picnic and play at Woofing Woods!
Anyone who knows our situation knows that our dog Baker is unable to be taken out on 'normal' walks these days. Long story short he's a nervous, reactive old man and I don't feel that he needs the stress of being forced into situations he doesn't enjoy. That means it's been over 6 years since Baker has been able to have the experience of running carefree through woodland, something he grew up doing - his first ever walk was at Holywell Dene.
Without even looking, I somehow happened upon a private woodland that you can book to have all to yourself, and so we decided to book it for a birthday treat for Baker. The day of his birthday was unavailable so we booked for the day after and it worked out perfectly as we were able to have a lovely day at home celebrating in the usual way and then the next day head down to Leeds for a picnic and play at Woofing Woods!
We booked the longest slot possible which is 2 hours and cost £36 and had no idea what to expect. I'm sure you can tell from the photos though that it was wonderful! To see my old boy wander where he wanted, sniff until his heart was content and just in general enjoy a walk with no worries that a dog would come running out of nowhere towards him.
We wish Woofing Woods was closer because we'd visit more often but we do hope to visit again at some point. It's such a great idea and I commend the owners on what they have done, providing a safe and fun place for dogs and their families to have a relaxing and special time in nature. It was a smooth process from booking to getting inside and leaving, everything was well-kept and there was a great variety of spaces for dogs to play and explore.
We had a slow walk through exploring when we got there, stopped at one of the picnic tables to have our picnic dinner and then had some more playtime. The time flew and as Baker is 12 and struggles with his joints we did leave about 20 minutes early but it was still well worth the money.
If you'd like to read more about Woofing Woods you can find them here > Woofing Woods.
I hope my beautiful boy's face made you smile :)
Look how happy Baker looks! You clearly made his day with that visit. It's such a great idea to have a private woodland spot you can let your dogs safely explore in. I'd definitely visit if I lived nearby.
ReplyDeleteOh he loved it! But was knackered afterwards bless him. He's too old for much exploring these days but it's an awesome place for the odd visit. Just wish we had something like this closer!
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