A Devon agency is seeking accommodation providers willing to offer B&B facilities– for dogs.

Devon Dog Boarding has just been launched as a spin-out to doggy daycare service, Exeter Pet Sitters, established by Anna Hooke three years ago.

The basket-and-breakfast boarding service already has eight hosts on its books, who provide home-from-home comforts for four-legged guests, when their owners go away.

But with demand already seeing the agency almost fully-booked for the Easter and Queen's Diamond Jubilee holidays, the search is on to find additional Devon-based providers to offer up facilities.

The new business was inspired through demand from clients using the dog-walking service, who sought an alternative to leaving their pets in kennels during longer periods away.

Mrs Hooke said: "We mainly cover the Exeter and Dartmoor area, but the aim is to recruit families from all over Devon.

"With the dog walking service, I work with three contractors, including a former RSPCA worker, collecting the dogs from their homes. We have around 350 clients on our books.

"With the dog boarding, we try and match the dog and its energy level to the host family; many of whom have come to us via word of mouth recommendation.

"Each family hosts one dog – or two if from the same family – at a time, so all the dogs get their full attention.

"We offer a dog chauffeur service, door to door and encourage owners to visit their 'family' as well, so that a relationship is set up."

The agency charges £20 per 24 hours for each dog it accommodates and £30 for two.

Those who sign up with the agency to become hosts are given a home-check and dog-handling guidance and even basic canine first-aid training. Depending upon the activity level of the dog, they are asked to provide up to two walks a day and maintain the kind of routine that the pet enjoys at home.

While the business is seeing growing numbers of bookings coming from Westcountry residents planning trips away, it has also begun to see enquiries come from as far afield as Hertfordshire, from families planning trips to the region.

Adds Mrs Hooke, "The winter is also good for business, with, people booking holidays to Australia and New Zealand, when they often go for a month."