A POOCH loving Evesham pub has been recognised with an award.

The Royal Oak in Vine Street has won the DogBuddy, dog friendly award for the West Midlands.

The award was voted for by the dog loving public and judged by a panel of judges including representatives from the RSPCA, the Morning Advertiser, Your Dog Magazine and Richard Setterwall, the chief executive of DogBuddy.com.

The award was created to show appreciation to the pubs going a little further in welcoming dogs.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award," said Alistair Barlow from The Royal Oak.

"Our pub dog Rudolph is over the moon at the prospect of having more four-legged friends to come and play with him.

"I think being dog friendly is about more than just tolerating dogs, it’s about making just as much effort to ensure they feel welcome and loved as our two-legged guests.

“We are always trying to think of new ways to make our canine guests more welcome and included. We have even launched our new dog’s dinner menu, using fresh, seasonal ingredients from our kitchen."

Mr Setterwall added: “We launched these awards to really find the cream of the crop when it comes to dog friendly pubs and with The Royal Oak, we have done just that.

“We hope these awards inspire dog-lovers nationwide to discover their local pubs - congratulations to The Royal Oak.”