MARLEY'S Parlour on Wimborne High Street sells everything from ice-cream, bubble waffles, frozen yoghurt, churros to soup and jacket potatoes – and Marley the dog, after whom the parlour is named, “would have gobbled down the lot” says owner, Kyrsty Fairchild.

Kyrsty, whose passion has always been to run a vibrant, social space in Wimborne, opened dog-friendly Marley’s in July 2020.

She “took the leap during the small window between the lockdowns”. Since then, she says she has been “humbled by its success and the warm welcome we have received from the people of Wimborne”.

Kyrsty opened Marley’s in honour of her white labrador as “he loved his food – and everyone else’s”. “Several times my daughter Hannah would be enjoying an ice lolly on the beach and Marley would come up from behind and swallow it whole – lollipop stick and all,” she says.

“It’s fitting that the parlour is named after him as he didn’t stop eating. Marley was a formidable character as soon as we got him as a puppy back in 2005. Despite being fully fed, he once ate a whole can of dog food by biting through and destroying the can.

“Once he accidentally knocked a bottle of wine to the floor with his tail and proceeded to lick up the entire contents. As a result, he got totally drunk while I was out and so I had to take him to the beach to sober up.

“He would collect knives from the kitchen, open the fridge and spray ketchup all over the floor. Every time I came home, I never knew what I was coming back to.

“He came a cropper when he had to have two metres of towel he’d eaten extracted at the local emergency vet. This followed by subsequent trips to the ‘supervet’, with one being an extraction of a wooden lollipop stick.

“I’ve had labradors all my life and I’ve never had one like Marley. Dog training meant nothing to him. He even got barred from kennels and dog training. He also got my mother’s dog barred from dog training as her dog would act up with Marley too. Yet he was the sweetest, most gentle soul and was wonderful with children. He loved a cuddle. Everything was a giggle to him.”

Kyrsty says: “He loved being out at sea and swam Poole Harbour every morning. He would try and save sea swimmers who didn’t want to be saved. Yet, he once saved an eight-year-old girl who was struggling out to sea. He dived in and pushed her back to shore. The girl was very relieved and thankful to him.”

Marley passed away naturally at a healthy age of nearly 15 years. Kyrsty says: “The house is just so quiet without him. Marley’s Parlour is a wonderful way to remember a crazy, cheeky, food-loving, life-saving dog.

“I wanted to offer something for kids as Wimborne doesn’t have many places for children and young people to go. As a result, while we have been incredibly popular with families and young people, Marley’s has proved to be popular with everyone. So popular that we’ve held quite a few birthday party teas here for people of all ages.”

During the winter Marley’s is offering an extended menu including hearty healthy soups, crusty bread, hot dogs, curly fries, nachos with chilli con carne, jacket potatoes and sweet and savoury crepes.

“We are also dog-friendly, sell dog ice-cream and four-legged friends get a treat on arrival too. At Marley’s, dogs are just as important as their owners,” she adds.

Marley’s Parlour is at 48 High Street, Wimborne, and can be found on Facebook.