A stretch of the North Tyneside coast has been singled out as one of the best dog-friendly beaches in the UK.
In news bound to get tails wagging, Tynemouth Longsands features in a top 10 list of Britain's beaches where man's best friend is welcome to enjoy a stroll on the sands and a breath of sea air.
Research, carried out in the run-up to National Dog Day on August 26, identified the winning spots after analysing Google ratings and reviews for 151 beaches which were without dog restrictions.
Read more: Dog-friendly hotels and holiday parks around Newcastle
Popular local beach Longsands - a mile-long stretch of golden sands and a Blue Flag award-winner - made fifth place, amid stiff competition from the likes of Dorset, Cornwall and the Hebrides, with a score of 8.69 out of 10.
The quest to find the highest-rated dog-friendly beach in the UK - in time for pets to enjoy a visit on their special day - was carried out by bathroom supplier ShowersToYou.co.uk and the location which earned top spot, with a score of 9.3, was Durdle Door in Dorset.
Next came Cuckmere Haven Beach in East Sussex, Man O'War Beach in Dorset and Three Cliffs Bay in Glamorgan.
Longsands, in fifth place, was rated higher than Yellowcraig in Lothian; Marloes Sands in Pembrokeshire; Seacliff in Lothian; Bosta Beach in the Hebrides, and Porth Joke in Cornwall which rounded off the top 10.
A spokesman said of Longsands: "Located on England’s North East coast, this dog-friendly beach is another perfect place to walk your dog."
The beach, which in part does have some seasonal restrictions on dogs, is a much-painted and photographed spot which was also picked as a location in 2005 sports film Goal.
The new study also found that Devon is the county with the most highly-rated dog-friendly beaches - 22 - followed closely by Pembrokeshire with 21 and Cornwall with 14 .
National Dog Day is an annual celebration of all things dog with the aim of raising awareness of the number of dogs in rescue centres and to encourage adoption. Find out more about it here.
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