Way's Forge, Piddlehinton

Way's Forge is a converted village forge in Piddlehinton, a few miles north of Dorchester in rural Dorset, and it has built up a loyal following among dog owners who come back year after year. The whole cottage is yours, rustic and quirky in the best way, with a log burner, underfloor heating that dog owners mention their dogs making straight for, and a welcome pack waiting on arrival. It earns a 4.6/5 paw rating.

Up to two dogs are welcome, and the small touches make a difference here: a dog bowl is provided, and a stair gate keeps dogs downstairs if that is how you prefer to run things. The Thimble Inn is barely a minute's walk and takes dogs, and there is proper walking close by, including Puddletown Forest and the footpaths around Thomas Hardy's birthplace.

The one thing to weigh carefully is the outdoor space. The garden sits at the side of the cottage rather than the back, facing a road that carries steady traffic through the village during the day, including farm machinery at harvest time. Dog owners say repeatedly that it is not securely enclosed, so a dog cannot be left out unattended, and reports differ on whether a gate on the drive has since been added - the listing does not mention one. A nervous or road-shy dog will find this a harder place to settle than a cottage with a fenced garden.

The cottage itself draws warm praise for its character and comfort, and the owners are quick to respond. It is genuinely rustic rather than slick: it feels smaller than the photographs suggest, the fridge is small, and cleanliness on arrival has been criticised more than once, including dust and hair under the furniture.

Way's Forge suits couples and small families with a settled dog who want a cosy, character-filled Dorset base with a dog-friendly pub on the doorstep and good walking all around. If you need a safely fenced garden to let a dog out on its own, this is not the one.