Dogs or no dogs?

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

I would go down the non-dog route, I've nothing against dogs or there owners and generally like them both :D but our experience of letting dogs stay has been that you are still picking up dog hairs from the sofas and rugs 3 changeovers later, no matter how thoroughly you think you have cleaned before. And this is (of course) after assurances from the owners that the dogs won't go on the sofas and beds.
amandajane
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Post by amandajane »

ClareW wrote:
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

I think I know Holywell Cottage! Just to the right of the Spring, almost sideways on? How exciting! Big advantage being close by to do changeovers etc. The house we almost bought was Radbrook Lodge, just by another Spring, but I forget the name.

Going back to the dogs, you could always try without to start with and change it later.

Hope it all goes well.
ianh100
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Post by ianh100 »

Some interesting debate. We did initially take dogs and had many very respectful owners. We then had a run of a couple of quite bad guests who left quite a mess. We rely on a local cleaner and while she is good we found that she had not cleaned up well enough after dogs even though we were happy to pay her more for these bookings.

Our issue in the end was that the property wasnt really suitable, it has a single open plan ground floor that is carpeted. There is not really the space if you come in with a wet muddy dog.

We still get the odd request but I am not sure if it has really impacted our bookings. It is so hard to tell with the dramtic changes in HL and OD over the last couple of years.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Dusty wrote:I would go down the non-dog route, I've nothing against dogs or there owners and generally like them both :D but our experience of letting dogs stay has been that you are still picking up dog hairs from the sofas and rugs 3 changeovers later, no matter how thoroughly you think you have cleaned before. And this is (of course) after assurances from the owners that the dogs won't go on the sofas and beds.
And if my own are anything to go by they may not have done. Mine don't go on the sofa at my apartment, but those hairs will still be on our clothes. I don't have too many doggy visitors, and take each enquiry as it comes.
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

In our area, Herefordshire and Shropshire for sleep 2 and sleep 4, not taking dogs is to lose between 25% and 50% of all business. The larger niche cottages, sleep 6 upwards, tend not to take pets so readily because it has less of an impact on business.

Modern cleaning materials and chemicals have made dealing with 'accidents' that much easier. Numbers put off by places that have accommodated pets are vastly smaller than the numbers that appreciate them. We are not so extensively in 'the bucket and spade market' but are mainly adults so this pattern about pets is quite a regional thing.

The number of owners stipulating no children has radically declined. I hear much less of the prejudice against anyone under 35 who used to be suspect. Oddly, if any disappointment (mercifully very infrequent) is expressed it tends to be from those over 55.

Again, this might be regional thing.
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Zur Alten Weinkelter
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Post by Zur Alten Weinkelter »

We only accept dogs in one of our apartments ( we have 4 in the one building ) this apartment is directly above our own apartment , and the floor covering is natural wood with rugs ( we can clean them with a steam cleaner ) however we limit the size of the dog to a normal labrador and max 35kg and only one dog

We have a dog policy that guests agree to and place in the apartment
2 dog bowls
a mat
a dog towel + a treat

However we charge 8.00€ per night this covers any extra cleaning with the policy covering any additional damage, additional costs that have to be settled before departure

We have been trading 6 years and up to now “ fingers x’d” we have not had any issues apart from the odd booking request for more than one dog we had one for ( 4 dogs to be exact !!!!! ) cats , rats & birds and of course these we refused.

However i would also say that we do not have many guests who bring their pooches only 2 last season and 0 booked so far this season

As we have a dog ourselves we feel this is something we should still offer but control we use the angle that the dog guest is welcomed by or own dog “ the doggie host “

And as we make a charge which is considerably lower than using a kennel ,dog owners either accept payment or do not bring the pet
if you feel that making a charge is against your policies you can always make a donation to a local dog charity !!
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Martha
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Post by Martha »

So much good advice here!

I agree that you can always start without and see how it goes. I must say if I had a dog allergy I'd definitely try to do without them at first!

A few thoughts...for what it's worth I'm a dog owner but we don't generally accept dogs...very occasionally I will. I would definitely make it "by request" so you can check them. EG puppies are too high risk, I think.


- Do you have a garden, and it is easy to check for dog mess? Is there a place nearby for a dog to have a late night pee, with a bin for poop?

- Furniture...I favour furniture that can be wiped clean and can take some knocks anyway, children can do easily as much damage as dogs. But if you're considering dogs in the future, I'd furnish the house with an eye to that from the start.

- Rug swapping could be a good idea....though you could make life easier and just remove the rug if a dog stays? Also consider cushions for sofas and chairs.... The big one for me is the beds. Sadly some dog owners can't be prevented from letting their dog on the bed (there's another discussion about this somewhere, I'm sure you can find it with a search). Very few people will own up to a dog having been on the bed, and I think I would consider a different set of easily washable bed throws if it was feasible, over a different rug. Depends on your house size & storage of course.

- Gate - I don't think I'd bother unless you were going to have it anyway for kids. I don't think people would use it? Depends on the house setup of course.

- Is there a place for cleaning a dog after a walk? Mud is inevitable sometimes in the UK. An outdoor tap and bit of hose with a soaker head would ideal, and a place for a dog towel on entering the house. This would also be useful for boots after walks, and for bikes, so not just for dogs!

- I personally find big dogs aren't such a problem. People don't often go on holiday with a badly trained large dog. It's the little spoiled ones that cause trouble.

- The biggest problem I've found is shedding. If you don't have too much in the way of carpets and other fabric surfaces (like sofas) it's not a big deal as most of it will go home on the clothes of the owners. But before we had leather sofas I had one real nightmare changeover picking endless hairs off. I keep one of those adhesive rollers for this but even with that it was a real pain.


- Most dog owners are responsible and really happy to find a nice dog friendly rental. But there are sadly some that aren't. Make sure your rules and expectations are clear, and I would definitely take a deposit. I personally feel a small extra charge is perfectly fair too, I never mind paying it for ourselves.
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Emmy
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Post by Emmy »

Have any of you had a problem similar to this... It's our first year/season... We have two gites and we advertise as "dog friendly" - it says so in the first sentence. One guest now owes us the balance and she has said that before she pays she wants to know the breed of dog staying in the other gite, because two of her party are nervous around dogs. She is saying that if she doesn't feel happy with that particular breed (it's actually a mongrel, according to the owner!) she will have to look elsewhere and please can she have her deposit back.... She actually said she "wasn't expecting that there would be a dog there in August, only out of season"..... If she does cancel, I'll certainly refund half the deposit if I can re-let that week (only half because Chez Nous took almost 50% of the deposit in fees) but I just wondered if anyone has come across anything like this before?
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French Cricket
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Post by French Cricket »

Oh dear, Emmy, sorry you're having to deal with this so early on in your letting career!

It's patently obvious that if you're dog friendly you're likely to have dogs staying! It sounds to me as though you have guests who either haven't read your T&C or who haven't passed them on to other members of your party. Unfortunately for them, that's not down to you; it's not your fault and you shouldn't take the financial hit for it.

If she chooses to cancel and you manage to relet the period of their stay, then you can refund their deposit less any amount by which you'd be out of pocket - which is what you intend to do. If you don't manage to relet, then it's very simple: she takes the hit.

Hope you manage to sort it out amicably.
Ecosse
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Post by Ecosse »

I haven't had anything as specific as this, but we regularly have Muslim guests in our gite/chambre d'hôtes, some of whom are visibly uncomfortable if another guest has a dog. However, not one of them has complained or left, they've just dealt with it by steering clear of the dog... and to be fair, the various guests with dogs have been very considerate.

I think your guest is being a bit daft if she thinks people would only visit with their dog out of season. If she wanted to be sure no dogs were going to bother her on holiday, she should have chosen more isolated accommodation. This is not to dismiss her fear of certain breeds of dog, but more that it is her problem, not yours, or your other guest with the dog. Your normal terms and conditions regarding payment /refunds should be fine.
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

I've just had a quick look at your website (your place looks GORGEOUS by the way!).
There is a picture of a dog on your home page.
You direct people to the page that explains the rules about dogs, which then says they must be kept on a lead at all times.
In addition, you list the breeds of dog that you would not accept as they would be considered dangerous (wouldn't mind including some of this on my website as I never thought to state I refuse certain breeds but it is a very good idea).

What more could you do? How could she possibly have booked and not realised there could be a dog? Even so, why would it bother her? You might not accept dogs but have your own dog and live on site.

I don't think you should feel obliged to do anything other than apply your TCs. I am very sorry for you if she doesn't pay the balance as she may have cost you a lot of money if you don't manage to re-let.
Bunny
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Post by Bunny »

Agree with others. The most she could expect is a partial refund of the deposit if you manage to re-let. If you do manage to be able to refund her something, it is not unreasonable to deduct a small administration cost for your time involved or additional advertising costs etc.

It is quite bizarre that she didn't question the dog situation before she booked.

I don't currently own a dog or cat and don't accept them in the cottage, but I did once have guests arrive, and seeing our horses, assumed we might have other pets. They absolutely refused to get of the car until I assured them that there were none on site. In my case, my website clearly stated that I didn't accept pets, but I now also make it clear that we do not own any either.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

French Cricket wrote: It's patently obvious that if you're dog friendly you're likely to have dogs staying! It sounds to me as though you have guests who either haven't read your T&C or who haven't passed them on to other members of your party. Unfortunately for them, that's not down to you; it's not your fault and you shouldn't take the financial hit for it.

If she chooses to cancel and you manage to relet the period of their stay, then you can refund their deposit less any amount by which you'd be out of pocket - which is what you intend to do. If you don't manage to relet, then it's very simple: she takes the hit.

Hope you manage to sort it out amicably.
That. It's not even a case of not reading the small print.
You've been completely open and honest; at the time of booking the guest had no grounds to assume there wouldn't be dog(s) and entered into a contract. Nothing has changed; if she chooses to cancel she's in breach of contract and you are entitled to ensure that you don't lose out financially because of her action.
It's academic now, but if prior to booking she'd asked about the breed of dog(s) in the other property, it's very unlikely that you'd have been able to make any promises; as an example, all we could do is to state that we do not accept dogs that are on the UK list of prohibited breeds (four I think).
salmoncottage
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Post by salmoncottage »

Interesting points already made regards prior clear information on acceptable breeds, dog rules etc but its got me wondering about who would actually be liable in the event of an accident, or worse an attack from a guests dog if there was an insurance claim made?
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PW in Polemi
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Post by PW in Polemi »

Whilst I agree with all the above comments, all of you are basing your replies on having seen Emmy's own website. This particular booking came in from Chez Nous. Is there a link to Emmy's website on her listing on CN? Does the CN listing explain as fully about dogs as her own website does?

And don't forget, Emmy, you are not the one who should be out of pocket if Madam cancels. So don't be in too much of a rush to promise refunds, particularly if CN won't refund their fees.

Co-incidentally, we have just managed to long-term let our 1 bed flat with small garden area - to a couple who blithely advised us their dog was "a small terrier". We're not "doggy people", but as I had a mental image of a Jack Russell or similar, we agreed to allow said dog to live with his owners in our 1 bed flat. We met him yesterday as we were helping move some of our new tenants' furniture for them. He's an American Staffordshire Terrier. At least twice the size we were expecting, but fortunately, very friendly and well trained. No barking when we walked in to his existing home, no jumping up, no pestering, sat on command. Well trained dogs are surely welcome almost anywhere, even by cat lovers! :lol:

Edited to add, for those of you who don't know the breed (assuming he's a purebred) - this is a medium sized breed, but this particular dog is more than 2ft tall and can reach his owner's shoulders easily! Considerably larger than we were expecting, but seems a very placid (and well trained) dog.
Last edited by PW in Polemi on Wed Jun 22, 2016 7:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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