Long let with dog enquiry!

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
CostaBlanca
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Long let with dog enquiry!

Post by CostaBlanca »

Sorry I haven´t been posting recently (OH´s health problems have kept me otherwise engaged) but I would like your opinion on this doggie enquiry.

A single lady with a dog enquires for a 6 month Winter let in my apartment. I asked her the breed of dog. I was also concerned whether the dog was already used to a confined space of a small apartment. She has replied that her dog is a quiet as a mouse (unlike our own mouse here :) ) and as she walks the dog 3 times a day, the apt. size would not be problem. But, heck it is a greyhound! Surely, it wouldn´t be right to keep a greyhound in a apartment.

The booking would be ideal but a greyhound???

Anyone with experience of these dogs?

Many thanks,

Maria
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enid
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Post by enid »

'Don't touch' and 'barge pole' come to mind - we do take dogs here but I wouldn't have one for 6 months and a greyhound needs a lot of exercise.
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Overboard
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Post by Overboard »

I actually researched greyhounds last year and met quite a few at pet rescue events. A greyhound is probably one of the few dogs I would consider! They do not need a lot of exercise, thats a myth, in general they are gentle dogs that have low to moderate exercise requirements.. couch potatoes actually. The fact she walks the dog 3x a day is great. My dad had a lurcher (similar to a greyhound) such a mellow dog.
CostaBlanca
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Post by CostaBlanca »

Thanks gals,

Enid, you are probably right that a long let with a dog is not a great idea!

Overboard,
Your research has thrown up very interesting information about a greyhound not requiring exercise, I thought they they were bred for chasing! My mother used to keep a greyhound which she used to train for racing when I was a kid. I can´t remember too much about them but they certainly got very excited when they spotted small animals. I have just googled and this is what I found on 1st site that I read.
Training: The Greyhound should have a variety of training techniques and somewhat of a challenge to keep him fit and happy.
Activity: The Greyhound loves to run and needs quite a bit of exercise on a daily basis. A fenced in yard is a must, and it should be at least of average size. Long walks are also necessary to keep this dog healthy and active. The Greyhound has the tendency to chase things because of his strong prey instinct, so he should always be kept on lead or in a safe and fenced in area or he will be sure to run off when he gets the chance. This breed should always have at least 2 hours of daily exercise per day, as he is very agile and fast.
I think I need to do some more research before accepting this booking. Many thanks.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

maria, a greyhound is like a 100m sprinter, all speed and no stamina. We know several rescue greyhounds. They charge around the local field for a couple of minutes at full tilt, then get very tired.
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enid
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Post by enid »

I stand corrected about greyhounds but I would still think long and hard about a long let with a dog - I never mind being proved wrong though :)
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vrooje
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Post by vrooje »

Agreed, it's not that it's a greyhound (we know greyhound owners and they assure us that theirs really is a couch potato), it's the idea of having a dog at all for 6 months.

If I were to consider it at all, I'd need to meet the dog and know the dog's age (no puppies and no very old dogs) and quite possibly have references and so forth.

But I'd probably just say no. :)
Brooke
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Post by la vache! »

Do you have carpets? And how much does a greyhound moult? If it is like a pointer, they don't shed hair. I had a 2 month let once with a hairy german shepherd cross and it was a nightmare, but have never had any subsequent problems with people who bring dogs. If the dog is walked regularly the woman sounds like a responsible owner. You could always ask for an extra large security deposit to cover yourself.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

As a dog-lover, I think even I would say no to a 6 month let with a dog. One or two weeks is one thing, 6 months is another. As the owner of a hairy German Shepherd cross, I know how much mess those muddy paws and constant molting make, although she doesn't molt nearly so much in the cold weather in the Alps.
CostaBlanca
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Post by CostaBlanca »

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I think that I am convinced. Even though we only have rugs in the apartment and I am guessing that greyhounds dont shed too much hair, it is enough to worry about our guests without having the extra concern about their dogs. :)

On a related matter, I have a reservation (awaiting deposit) for my villa. The guest has informed me that her sister will be travelling in her motorhome through Spain with her collie. She has asked for permission for her sister and collie to visit for a day or 2. There would be no overnight visits, the collie would be on a leash at all times and would not be allowed inside the villa. Should I have concerns? 2 requests for doggie visits in 2 days!!
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Iwas reminded by hubby last night, why we turned down a long term let for this winter. We already had a couple of bookings, and the two gentleman concerned were willing for us to keep them, and rent the remainder of the winter season. However, they asked that we refrain from taking our own dog there for our New Year break. As I am now fully booked, for the whole winter (and in profit compared to the winter let), I am justified in refusing.
jess
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Post by jess »

I wonder where that information about greyhounds is from. Yes, they like yeards, but they are excellent apartment dogs.

I recently wrote an article on this, and talked with the local SPCA, have talked with the greyhound rescue socieites, greyhound owners, and done my own research.

Greyhounds are very very happy on a couch and asleep.
jess
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

My experience with greyhounds is also that they are actually couch potatoes. They may NEED exercise, but like me they don't seem to really WANT it.

However, why I would have misgivings, despite being an animal lover myself, is that I advertise as not accepting pets, and one chap said when he booked that he alwys picked an apartment that barred pets because of his son's asthma.

So I guess you win some, you lose some, but I don't think I would accept it. I was amused recently by a non cat-owning friend of ours who rents out a charming house very near wher we live. Last year he said that the tenants had asked if they could keep a kitten. "I said yes," he said. "After all, what harm can a kitten do?"
Well I should have invited him to see our ragged settee, pulled threads in the curtains, and a back door that looks as if it's been made of raw untreated wood.

Actually I fib, because that particular cat died 9 years ago and we've had everything repaired since then, but the damage that one small cat can do can be phenomenal. And dogs can quite surreptitiously, while everyone is watching tv, chew the end of the settee or shred a rug. Or in my case, chew completely through a shoe that I had kicked off while relaxing.

So I wouldn't!

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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

My dad had a lurcher (similar to a greyhound) such a mellow dog.
I agree with the other comments about greyhounds. Our lurcher (greyhound cross) is quiet, gentle and sleeps all day in the kitchen in winter and in the garden in summer. Never barks and only wakes up around supper time. Doesn't even like going for walks if it's cold or raining. Our previous lurcher was exactly the same.

There may be other reasons why you wouldn't wish to take this booking but I wouldn't worry about the dog if the owner is responsible. Insist that she hoovers regularly, wipes the dog's feet after a walk and takes its bedding to the laundry once a week.

Jim
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remote
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long let with dog enquiry

Post by remote »

I too am the owner of a lucher ( greyhound x) and can confirm that they like walking little and often. It is true that they are couch potatoes - literally. Leave them in a room with a comfy chair or sofa and they'll be on it in a flash, regardless of how much training they've had. If I forget to shut the door I can tell that the dog's been onthe sofa as she'll be lying beside it looking as butter wouldn't melt with a little guilty wag! So if you decide to take the dog get enough of a deposit to cover replacing the sofa as it will certainly smell after 6 months, even if covered with a throw. Don't you just love 'em!
Mandy
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