Since Pete and Mandy Goodwin bought their new apartment at New Pooles Lodge in Fishponds, there is an extra member of the family who has been helping them to stay active and make new friends despite the lockdown. Lottie the ‘poochon’ – half poodle, half bichon frise – takes them out for regular daily walks and insists on introducing them to many of the new people she meets.
“When we were looking to buy a new apartment we found that a lot of places don’t allow pets,” says Pete. “Luckily Churchill’s pet-friendly approach meant we could bring her with us, which is great as we would never have moved without Lottie.”
He adds: “There are lots of great walking routes on our doorstep here, and space in the communal garden for Lottie to romp around occasionally – in well-behaved fashion – and say hello to our new neighbours. The social life is one of the main things we moved here for, so although we can’t all get together at the moment due to Covid it’s nice to get to know some familiar faces. Lottie is a very nice icebreaker and she gets a lot of fuss and attention from our new friends here!”
Despite Covid restrictions the Goodwins had no problems with their move to New Pooles Lodge, and they’re glad to have done it when they did. “We still feel relatively young, fit and healthy, so we decided to make the move early,” says Pete. “It made sense to do it while we’ve got plenty of time to enjoy ourselves here. We sold our old house to our daughter, so it made sense for her too and we’re very pleased to have made a move that benefits the whole family. The other benefit is that everything here is brand new – the only piece of furniture we brought with us was our bed.”
Pete insists he was not a dog person until recently, but Lottie has turned him into a doting father again. “We absolutely adore her and she’s become a member of the family. Wherever we go, she goes, and she has definitely helped to keep us active and in good spirits during lockdown. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer before we can enjoy socialising again along with Lottie, and taking her to some of the excellent dog-friendly pubs we have nearby!”