Dogs or no dogs?

[ClareW]

As our FHL to be is literally on a bridle path on the Malvern Hills, we had assumed it would make sense to be dog friendly as it is such popular dog walking territory. However, having read so many off putting dog stories on here we are starting to wonder if its a good idea after all. A couple of people have even suggested that non dog owners may be put off renting out a dog friendly cottage. To be dog friendly or not dog friendly- that is the question....

[Circé]

I'd say ignore the anti-dog lobby in your location, but I'll have to get down behind the parapet as the anti-woof scaremongerers divebomb me.
Seriously, what does the competition in the immediate area offer in terms of dog acceptability?

[Essar]

I wouldn't stay at a property that accepts dogs - I don't like dogs much, detest cats but I like wild birds. The properties are probably fantastically cleaned after each doggy visit, but, it just doesn't do it for me.

In saying that; the dog friendly specialist listing sites would keep you doggied up all year round, so, non-dogs wouldn't be a problem.

[French Cricket]

We accept dogs, but over 95% of our guests don't bring them. As far as I'm aware nobody's been put off, and even if they have as dog owners ourselves (and we're on site) I don't mind as I'm really not interested in having dog hating guests Give me dogs over kids any day (and no, we don't accept kids!).

On a bridle path in the Malverns I think you'd be mad not to positively welcome dogs, personally.

[Cymraes]

Taking them as an experiment (but not via the agent as I want the right of veto). If you want to bring a dog you need to book directly with me.

So far we've had no problems. Just wish I could say the same about children.

[AngloDutch]

Yes, what Circé says about the competition is important. If it is an important walking area where your holiday let is going to be located, then you may be missing out on those guests who want to bring their dogs.
But if there are already many properties nearby that already accept pets, and not many that don't, then maybe you could attract alot of guests who are looking for pet-free homes (those with allergies, etc.)

We are located a few minutes away from forests here and we first started out by not accepting pets, because at the time we had nightmares about puppies knawing our table legs. We turned down alot of people and lost alot of bookings, some that we didn 't eventually fill.

We now accept pets on request as we first want to know what kind of pets the guests want to bring. If they are large dogs, they we say a maximum of 2 only.

Since we switched over to pet acceptance, we have had alot of different creatures turn up (still talking about the four-legged kind!) Apart from dogs and cats, we have hosted rabbits, guinea pigs, some fish and a tortoise (not all at once of course!)

Today 5 chihuahuas have moved in (with 11 elderly Dutch guests). We charge €20 per pet but the present guests were happy to pay €100 to be able to bring all 5 of their little doggies with them.

We always remove our two black rugs from the main room, so that we don't have to spend an age trying to vacuum up all the little white dog hairs that have a habit of standing up vertically in the rugs. Our main worry is large dogs that have been out for a run in the forest not being dried off and the guests letting them rub up against the walls.

We do ask guests not to let their pets on the sofas and in the bedrooms but that is difficult to enforce of course.
We still turn down the horse owners though. We have stables in the barn but they are full of bicycles, car tyres and furniture, so no room for a horse (or even a donkey!)

[kevsboredagain]

I wouldn't be keen on staying somewhere that accepts dogs and I love dogs, cats or any other animals. I just don't like dog s**t in the garden and the smell they always leave behind and the hairs when you're not used to it. My parents swear there is no smell but there is.

However, if your market is going to be mostly dog owners then you would naturally cater for them.

[ClareW]

Thank you very much for your mixed responses! We are not dog owners ourselves (in fact I have a dog allergy and will be doing the cleaning myself!). We had just thought that due to the location it would make sense to be dog friendly. I will look into nearby holiday accommodation as suggested to see how many other dog friendly places there are. Another thought is to have hard flooring downstairs (ceramic?) and a dog friendly rug in the living room for dog owners, and swap it for a non dog rug for non dog owners.. Does anybody use stair gates that could be used for dogs as well as children- or would a dog just be able to jump over thinking about it?! I definitely wouldn't want to become a mainly/ specialist dog owners holiday let- would rather be open to having dogs by request if we go for the dog option.....

[Bunny]

Clare, we are also immediately on a bridle path and in a fantastic popular dog walking area. However, we don't accept dogs and it has never done me any harm. IMO if you can get enough bookings without accepting dogs then why would you want all the extra work that it entails. I have absolutely no idea how many guests book me specifically because I don't accept pets or whether it is of no importance to them. I do like dogs and used to own one, but given the choice, I would book a cottage that did not accept pets. I would try 'no pets' first and if you were not getting enough bookings, then consider taking them.

[Circé]

A plea from me (and from many other pet owners, I'm sure): when you decide to take or NOT to take pets please make this information very clear on the 'Home' page of your website. There is nothing more annoying than selecting a place and going almost all the way through the booking procedure to find 'no pets' in the small print at the end.
Please avoid the phrase 'sorry no pets': you're not apologetic, you're not sorry, you just don't take pets.
I suggest something like 'we don't accept pets, however assistance dogs are welcome but please do tell us when you book so that we can discuss any special requirements with you'.

[PW in Polemi]

... in fact I have a dog allergy and will be doing the cleaning myself.....

So why would you want to accept dogs and set off your allergy? Changeover days are hard work, without the added misery of an allergy.
Perhaps follow Bunny's suggestion of trying "no pets" first - you can always change later if it doesn't work.

[Ben McNevis]

another viewpoint about this from someone with a dog-friendly and no-dogs places.

In the dog-friendly place, about a quarter of bookings bring dogs. We have never found the dogs to be a problem and the times when bits of dogma have been found in the garden doesn't really correlate with the dog bookings, so I put these down to wandering village dogs of which there are a few.

Anyway, it's not the dogs, it's the people! The dog people tend to spend almost all day outdoors exploring the hills. Non dog people are often there because it's grandma's 80th. The dog owners are a hit with us because they cause less wear and tear on the house, are unlikely to complain when the weather is cold and generally have a really good time. The families with extreme old and extreme young are indoors all the time and tend to be the ones who flood bathrooms then complain about water coming through the ceiling.

I don't like dogs at all but I love dog people.

Give me a cat any day.

[amandajane]

Hi Clare, if you think you could cope with the cleaning aspect then I would go for accepting them because of the location. Malvern is such a walking place that I think you might miss out on quite a few bookings. I agree with Ben that dog owners are in general less trouble than those with small children.

To be honest we weren't originally going to accept dogs but because we have our own our cottage can never be guaranteed hair free so we'd have to make sure every guest was aware of that in case of allergy, so we decided to try it and touch wood, we haven't had reason to regret our decision. Remember to make your house rules quite clear - are they only allowed in certain rooms? Are they allowed to be left alone? Will you provide towels, or poo bags? I say not on furniture. Whether everyone sticks to the rules is another question of course but most people seem happy to volunteer that Fido doesn't go on the furniture/upstairs at home.

Whereabouts in Malvern are you? We very nearly bought a house there last year, on West Malvern rd.

[ClareW]

Whereabouts in Malvern are you? We very nearly bought a house there last year, on West Malvern rd.

We actually live on West Malvern Rd! Our holiday property is Holywell Cottage on the other side of the hill though in Malvern Wells up next to the Holywell spring.

Still undecided on the dog dilemma although all these points made are very helpful food for thought! Has made us definitely want to push the cycling angle more though (also very popular on the bridle paths of the hills)- less hassle all round I think!

[Bunny]

If you go down the cycling route, make sure you have easily accessible secure cycle storage. Despite having a cycle store, I've still had lazy guests wheeling their dirty bikes into our lounge scuffing walls and doors!