Dog and Scone? More Like Hog and Scone
Share:
When asked what the best things in life are, most reasonable people would probably rank dogs and coffee in at least their top 30 which is probably why a number of entrepreneurs around the world have decided to combine the two and create dog cafes. So Dog and Scone in Newcastle City Centre decided to follow the upcoming trend and open their own. In theory, this is an amazing idea. Who wouldn’t want to drink a piping hot latte while giving a cute puppy a scratch on the head? Well, I decided that I certainly did want to do this and booked myself a slot at the cafe.
I arrived on time for my reservation and thankfully the weather was okay, as you have to wait on the street until a member of staff is available. Inside was open space, bright and with a few cheap looking tables and chairs. It felt more like a nursery than a coffee shop which makes perfect sense as this is easier to keep an eye on the dogs and gave them more space to potter around.
After I got myself settled, I looked around for the dogs. The Corgi was having a (most likely well earned) nap in its bed and there was a poodle pottering around. The Bichon Frise, Pug and Yorkie however were all perched on people’s knees. I tried to attract the Poodle’s attention but found that it didn’t like being touched much and preferred to follow the staff around in hope of getting a treat. I decided to wait until the other customers let the dogs on their knees down to see other people. After about 15 minutes, I realised that I wasn’t going to get much opportunity to pet the dogs anytime soon. A mother and daughter on one of the tables had a dog each on their laps (the Bichon and the Yorkie) and did not give those dogs up for the entirety of their hour slot. On the other side of the room, another mother-daughter couple kept the Pug for the majority of their slot meaning that many of the other customers did not get to interact with the Pug, Bichon or Yorkie at all- all because of yummy mummies who feel that their little darlings are the only ones who deserve a turn with the dogs. Luckily for me, one of the friendly staff members brought the adorable Corgi over to my table as soon as it woke up and I got to sit with it for about ten minutes or so before it wandered off to another group.
A mother and daughter on one of the tables had a dog each on their laps (the Bichon and the Yorkie) and did not give those dogs up for the entirety of their hour slot. On the other side of the room, another mother-daughter couple kept the Pug for the majority of their slot meaning that many of the other customers did not get to interact with the Pug, Bichon or Yorkie at all- all because of yummy mummies who feel that their little darlings are the only ones who deserve a turn with the dogs. Luckily for me, one of the friendly staff members brought the adorable Corgi over to my table as soon as it woke up and I got to sit with it for about ten minutes or so before it wandered off to another group.
The cost for an hour in the cafe and your first drink was £5. The food and drink is fairly priced and the whole experience is very good value for money. Of course Dog and Scone’s primary selling point isn’t their menu so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the coffee and food was of a decent standard. Dog and Scone could be a great dog cafe if only the staff would enforce some sort of rule that stopped selfish people from effectively hogging the dogs for the full hour. I would not return to the Dog and Scone purely because of the customers that it seems to attract. For those that travelled in from outside of Newcastle, it is a long way to come to only be able to interact with one or two dogs.