Let me tell you a story.

It was summer 2012 and we were all getting ready to go on holiday. Our bags were packed, spirits were high and the kids were just getting in the car.

I did one last sweep around the house to check we hadn’t forgotten anything and just as I went to put our Andrex puppy Buster on his lead, he gave me those eyes.

If you’ve got a dog you’ll know what I’m talking about – those big round eyes that break your heart and make you feel incredibly guilty for what you’re about to do.

Honestly, it was like he knew we were about to drop him off at the kennels and abandon him for a week.

Buster was only two at the time and indescribably cute. But it was impossible to bring him on holiday with us as we’d be staying in a country B&B that doesn’t allow pets. So he was going to the kennels for a week and although we knew he’d be in very safe hands, it broke all our hearts to leave him.

I walked with the owner of the kennels to Buster’s new home for the next two weeks and he immediately curled up in his new basket. But as I turned to leave, he leapt up and gave a last few yaps – as if he was begging me not to leave him!

Tugging on my heart strings once again, I promised myself that this would be the last time we’d leave him behind on a family holiday. Buster’s as much a part of the family as any of us so I felt like I was abandoning one of my own children when I left.

Our first pet-friendly holiday

Summer 2013 was to be our first pet-friendly holiday.

No more leaving Buster behind because he wouldn’t be allowed in restaurants or the B&B. Plenty of people take their dogs away with them and we were determined to do just that.

All winter long I spent every free moment researching which holiday providers let you bring your dog. A lot of private B&Bs and hotels are funny about you bringing pets, but I almost leapt for joy when I read this on Haven’s website:

‘…don’t want to leave your furry friend at home… dogs are considered part of the family…’

Reading this, it was like Haven got exactly what I had been thinking all along. Buster is an important part of our family so why should he be left behind when we go on holiday?

Getting really excited that Buster could finally be going on his first family holiday, I ran into the living room to run the idea of Haven past the rest of the clan.

We’d never been there before because we thought it was just for young families but as soon as I told them the big news – that Buster could come too – the whole family was up for it!

The truth is it only cost an extra £20 to bring Buster along, which was a complete bargain in my eyes for all the fun he’d bring. And while I thought we’d be quite limited in our choice of parks, there are actually only three that don’t allow dogs – Burnham-on-Sea, Riviere Sands and Lydstep Beach.

So we could pretty much go wherever we want.

We set our sights on Dorset though and stayed at Littlesea Holiday Park. And I tell you what, it was one of the best holidays we’d ever had.

Not only was the whole family there, including the dog, we also had direct access to the South West Coast Path, which I can honestly say is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever walked the dog!

A sponsored post in collaboration with Haven Holidays!