OPEN TODAY from 10:00, last entry 5:00
Service Dogs
Service Dogs are welcome in all public access areas and enclosures when working and in an identifying harness. Dogs under training to be Service Dogs are similarly welcome under the control of an accredited trainer. Service Dogs having entitlement to access to public spaces under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) are:
- Guide Dogs;
- Hearing Dogs;
- Diabetic Alert Dogs;
- Mobility Assistance Dogs;
- Seizure Response Dogs;
- Autism Support Dogs;
- Allergy Detection Dogs;
- Psychiatric Service Dogs.
The DDA does not entitle access for Therapy Dogs. Not all disabilities are obvious. Attraction enclosures at the Centre are used as safe spaces by people whose anxiety is triggered by dogs, so Service Dog users may be asked to show proof of entitlement to Centre Staff.
Policy on Pets
Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in our shops, picnic areas and in the Picnic Refuge, but cannot enter any of the attraction enclosures. We keep a water bowl by one of our outside taps, and have a dog-dip in the stream beside the Country Promenade.
You must keep your dog on a lead here and dispose of foul waste according to the law, so you can’t use our picnic bins but there is a dog-bin just 10 yards from the junction of the Country Promenade with the road. We keep a small supply of doggy-bags for emergencies, just ask our reception staff.
The Butterfly Zoo, Maze, Miniature Golf and Laser Ops enclosures and Tearoom are not for pets. You can’t take them in or leave them unattended, and our staff cannot take on your duty of care for your dog.
Please don’t bring a dog with you if you can make other arrangements. The RSPCA has asked us to remind dog owners that pets suffer on long journeys. This can make their behaviour here unpredictable, and they can die in parked cars.
We care passionately about animals and do call Animal Welfare Officers to rescue animals left alone or in parked cars.