Riverside Home, Gateshead

Riverside Home is a three-bedroom house on a quiet modern estate in Dunston, on the Gateshead side of the Tyne, and the thing dog owners keep coming back to is the enclosed back garden. It is secure enough to open the door and let a dog out without a lead, which is not something most self-catering places this close to a city centre can offer. Having the whole house to yourselves helps too - no shared corridors, no lift, no other guests to negotiate on the way in and out.

The listing does not spell out the pet terms. There is no stated fee, no weight limit and no maximum number of dogs, so anyone travelling with more than one should agree the arrangement with the owner at the point of booking rather than assume it. Guests who have stayed with two dogs report no difficulty, but that is an arrangement worth having in writing.

The owner comes across well in feedback. Where something has gone wrong during a stay, the response has been quick and generous rather than grudging, and communication before arrival is good. Housekeeping is generally strong, though a few visitors have found kitchen items needing a better wash than they got.

On location, the estate itself is quiet and residential, with the river and its walking paths a few minutes away on foot and the MetroCentre close enough to walk to. The city centre and the arena are a short drive north over the river, which makes this a practical base for an event weekend where the dog comes along rather than going into kennels.

One caveat matters more than the rest: only the rear garden is enclosed. The front opens straight onto the estate road, so a dog needs holding on arrival and departure, and guests have said a front gate would make the place feel safer. For dog owners who want a whole house with a genuinely secure patch of grass rather than a hotel room, Riverside Home earns its 4.5/5 paw rating.