Dogs or Children

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
BBGlebe
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Dogs or Children

Post by BBGlebe »

New cottages will be ready for next season. Lots of hard work still on going #exhausted. Our big debate is dogs or children. We will have polished concrete floors throughout. We do have dogs of our own so happy to accept them and know what to expect. However, don't have kids and other owners have told us that kids can be more trouble than animals. What do you think will we be missing out on a huge chunk of market if we say no kids under 14?
Ecosse
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Post by Ecosse »

Hello and welcome to LMH!

While your post read as an either/or, I take it that you don't mean this? I.e. you are considering having both at the same time, too?

I think the answer depends on what size you are and where you are: are you a small(ish) let in a big dog walking area? AIs it a big family destination or are there lots of couples who holiday alone in your area?

If you do decide to go down the no young kids line, I would say there's no point in saying no under 14s as that's basically eliminating the majority of families. You will only get families with, say, a 14 and 17 year old and all those with, e.g. a 14 and 12 year old will be unable to book. It also looks a little unfriendly, as if you're grudgingly allowing children rather than welcoming them.

Also, as a mum of 3, I would say that once children get beyond 6 years old, they're fine. My 7 year old is great and hasn't smeared a sticky hand on anything for a couple of years. My 5 year old is nearly there, but can be a bit dumb when it comes ensuring his plate is directly beneath his mouth when he eats and my 2 year old is a typical toddler. You've just reminded me that one of the low season jobs is to repaint a wall in the gite that he 'personalised' with a felt tip pen!

Perhaps I'm less precious about my kids than others, but I wouldn't be offended in the slightest to see a 'no under 6s' clause on a holiday let.

Good luck with it all!
Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

As Ecosse says, it really depends on how you are set up where you are. When we took over our place 4 years ago it had been run as gites but for adults only. The reasoning behind this was that adults would cause fewers problems than kids. We opened our place up and I can honestly say that any damage that has been caused has been caused by adults acting as kids rather than kids themselves. Yes young kids may make the place a bit sticky but parents are normally pretty good at clearing up after them and when they're not its normally pretty easy to clear up.
Dogs on the other hand......(don's hard hat) :lol:
akwe-xavante
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Post by akwe-xavante »

I accept both dogs and children and I get a lot of dogs but fewer children because the area isn't as interesting for kids I think.

My experience is that after both dogs and children have been in the place together the place is less than satisfactory when they leave. Dirty, untidy and some damages. I think parents concentrate on the kids and the dog runs a mock and gets away with a lot.

If I get one and not the other then my experience is that those that have kids only leave the place marginally cleaner than those that have a dog only. Even though there is signage saying that dogs should not poo in the place and garden they do!

I'm thinking about not allowing kids next year, loss of income would be minor and I can put in a pond :)

If I was to stop having dogs I would loose about 30% of my yearly income so I'm guessing that that's not a good idea.

Kids and dogs, or one or the other or not at all I think depends on where you are and what your area has to offer for both kids and or a dog.

Made the mistake of allowing two dogs once and that was the very last time i'll do that. What a mistake that was.
SW31
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Post by SW31 »

Apologies but we don't take either. Neurotic cat put paid to dogs and our landscaping and internal layout is not good for children - we also have a large pond but we chose a rustic fence as we liked how it looked but a young kid could get through. We don't have problems getting bookings but we have to turn a lot away as parents like the idea of a heated pool. We state up front that it's not suitable for children but people don't take any notice.

We do make exceptions - We did have one eight year old who was excellent but her parents did state she was heavily supervised. When I've asked other parents that they must take full responsibility for their child due to the nature of the property they usually back off - I'm not taking liability for others unsupervised children. And yes, I've seen too many parents enjoying their glass of wine with their unsupervised children causing havoc elsewhere at others expense!
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cleanforum
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Post by cleanforum »

Children before dogs. We learned that lesson. A sofa spread/bedsheet soiled by a child can be washed, bedsheets/spreads etc covered in dog hair often have to be replaced. We also have a terrace (with clay tiles) that was used as a peeing corner for two dogs for a week. I tried all the remedies and products I could find to clean the tiles..

On calmer warm days I can still smell the residue, three, yes three years later..
GillianF
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Post by GillianF »

Interesting variety of opinions so I thought I'd add mine.

We have never taken dogs at our own gites. In the early years it didn't occur to us to do so and then we had our own dog to consider. Our dog NEVER toileted in the garden or around the property, never pestered anyone for titbits, never touched a toy that wasn't hers, never touched food unless it was in her bowl, never destroyed/chewed anything she shouldn't, was good with children and never barked at the many comings and goings. We never thought anyone else's dog would live up to her!

We accepted children and when our own were young it was great to see them all happily playing in and around the pool. I was always there to supervise my own and I and other parents would often say "keep an eye on them while I nip to the loo." It worked well and having insitu playmates gave holiday Mums and Dads a break.

As our own children grew up and were around less and less I noticed unsupervised children at the pool or in the garden and found myself worrying about them all the time. I would sometimes have a quiet, polite, gentle word with parents but it rarely made a difference. Some would even go out to the supermarket and leave a teenager (underage) in charge of younger children.

So, we made a 'no under 12s' rule and life was better. We explained why the rule and I'm sure we lost a few bookings but we still had good season.

We've been closed for a couple of years but when we re-open I doubt we will be able to have a 'no under 12s' rule as the market is much tougher now.

We look after another house and although it is very suitable for dogs with an enclosed garden etc. we've never allowed them. If the children that stay there are unsupervised I don't know about it so am not stressed by it.
kg1
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Post by kg1 »

We take both although try not to accept bookings with them both in - excited kids chasing dogs around equals damage!

If I have a preference it's for dogs - I find dog owners far more conscientious, families are far more likely to leave in a hurry & not clean up.
Ecosse
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Post by Ecosse »

Anyone who lets out a French property... be a wee bit careful, it's illegal in France not to accept children on the grounds of age discrimination.
Drax
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Post by Drax »

We do allow children but not dogs but due to our holiday bungalow being relatively small, accommodating only three people in 2 bedrooms (1 double and 1 single) we do not get many children.
The children we have had, have up-to-now been well behaved, with just the odd little sticky finger marks.
With regard to not allowing dogs or pets. There are holiday makers who do not want to stay in accommodation that has had dogs or pets due to allergies or hygiene reasons. However I believe we do lose some business from imposing this ban. I suppose you must take this into account when you make your decision.
Good luck with your venture.
Keep your powder dry.
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

Ecosse wrote:Anyone who lets out a French property... be a wee bit careful, it's illegal in France not to accept children on the grounds of age discrimination.
Pretty sure you have no choice but to accept dogs in France too. :wink:
Kathy
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"My goal in life is to become as wonderful as my dog thinks I am."
Zingara
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Post by Zingara »

Except when the residence rules say no pets?
impasse
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Post by impasse »

We accept all children, but no pets!

Some adults and children are allergic to cat or dog hairs, and it can't be guaranteed to clear the gite completely of them.

In 14 years We have never had any animals, but lots of children...Never a problem! (We love children!!)

Are we wrong?
A recent study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than men who mention it.
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Cymraes
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Post by Cymraes »

I take dogs happily - children reluctantly. They are not exactly banned but I provide nothing for small children and make that very clear. I'm not also in an area that attracts families with young children which helps a lot.

The dogs however are welcomed with open arms. I started off just taking one, I now take 2 without question and will take more by prior arrangement.

I find dog owners in general (there are of course exceptions) take far more care of the property than families do.
Kilm
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Post by Kilm »

My OH didn't want dogs or children, but after some research and advice, we take both, and looking through or occupancy since the start of October with only around four or five empty days, the majority are pets, kids or both.

Where I am, the travel market seems more weighed towards families with pets so I would've shot myself in the foot if I'd said no. A quick comparison with a similar property that doesn't take pets shows a stark comparison.

Yes, we no doubt put people off as they know let's will have been there, but our property team clean to an immaculate standard and those we lose are easily replaced by those we keep thanks to the pets and kids rule.

Though we take a hefty chunk of deposit if we find dog hairs in the hot tub filter and this is clearly explained.
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