Upon arrival we where a little disappointed to find we had to empty the dishwasher from the previous guests.
The cottage is comfortable and nicely furnished, with a cosy feel, but upon closure inspection, it wasn't quite as clean as we hoped, cobwebs and spiders in corners & dirty bits of cutlery and plates and the towels although clean where marked.
There where a few light bulbs out and the extractor fan over the cooker wasn't working, just a little bit more attention to detail is required.
The accommodation is comfortable for 2 guests but I would think 4 people may find it a squeeze.
Your details do mention that the garden isn't secure for dogs but we hadn't anticipated how bad this was, so next doors dogs could easily come in to Thornwell's garden if they wanted, & dogs could easily get out on to the road, a real shame because we felt like we couldn't totally relax ,our dog did disappear for 5 mins into a neighbor's garden and after that we had to lead walk her for the rest of the stay. Not quite the relaxing break we had envisaged, a bit of dog proof fencing even around the patio could easily sort this situation.
Dittisham is a beautiful place and the walks and local pubs make it a great place to visit and we will be back, but for us sadly in a different cottage due to the garden situation.