Greetings!
As I mentioned in our last e-newsletter, we are launching a number of new services on our web site and I am delighted to say that they are now LIVE !
First things first - the new services have taken a lot of time and effort to get going and I would like to thank everyone involved, especially Sanjay and Lin. Also my thanks to those of you who helped with the testing - your feedback was invaluable and we have tried to take all of it on board. As with any new launch, there may be some "teething problems", so please be patient with us if you find any and most importantly - please let us know by sending an email to me at steve@dogfriendly.co.uk
So, whats new? To find out, you will need to log onto your member's area. To do this, please go to www.dogfriendly.co.uk and enter your email address in the "Log In box" at the top right hand corner of the home page. You will then need to enter your password. If you have forgotten this, please email me and I will arrange for a new password to be sent to you.
1. New Databases
The first thing that you will see that has changed is the magnifying glasses have been replaced by new icons. You will also see that there are new databases to search. We now have more than 26,000 partners on our database.
Our databases now include:
2. New Free Format Search Engine
This is probably the biggest technical change. As you know, in the past, when you searched for a county or town, it was presented as a drop down list to make a selection.
The drop down lists have been replaced with a "Free Format Search" box.
When you click on the icon of your choice, you will be presented with this search box:
You will see that we recommend typing in the Town or County that you want to search and leave the "exact match" ticked. As our databases are so large now, if you use the "Part Match", you may be presented with a huge number of results.
It may take you a while to get used to this type of search, but I am sure that you will find it much more flexible than the old drop down list.
3. The Dog's Box
Over the last seven years, we have had many members asking us if there is any way that we can help them meet other dog owners in their area that they can meet-up with, or walk their dogs together, or just talk about their dogs. It has taken us a long time, but "The Dog's Box" is our answer. 
Underneath the new icons on your member's page , you will see the Dog's Box logo. Click on this logo and you will go to Dog's Box - which is only available to Dogfriendly members. Using "The Dog's Box", you should be able to: - Contact other dog owners in your local area
- Let dog owners know about events in your area by sending them a message
- If you lose your dog, alert other dog owners in your area
- If you have a question about your breed of dog - send a message to other owners of the same breed.
- If you are travelling somewhere and want to find specific dog friendly places - send messages to people who live in that area.
- And lots more!
To learn how to use The Dog's Box, click on the large "How to Use Dog's Box" button in your member's are of the Dogfriendly web site. There are a few points to remember. We have more than 30,000 members using Dogfriendly and The Dog's Box uses your membership details to work from. Therefore the town where you lived when you registered with us originally will be used as your town, as will your email address. If you move or change your email address, then just let us know and we will amend your records. As The Dog's Box is new, it will take a while for other members to prepare their profile, so please be patient if you don't find other members locally when you first search. It is our aim to build a community of responsible dog lovers who can talk together. PLEASE NOTE - your email address will never be shared by Dogfriendly or Dog's Box with other members. They will only see your email address if you decide to reply to any message that you receive or if you send someone a message - it is totally up to you if you decide to respond to a message that you receive. Remember, we are here to help you - but please be patient if you send us an email. We do aim to respond the same day, but we run Dogfriendly in our spare time - so it can sometimes take us a little longer. Hope you enjoy using the new services - we look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions for any improvements. Kind regards Steve One of the Dogfriendly Team | 
