Question for pet owners who book self-catering properties for holidays

[Clariman]

We have a couple of holiday lets; one of which accepts pets. We have just spent nearly 20K on various improvements including reupholstering the suite. How careful are pet owners in looking after chairs and sofas? Do you keep your pet off the furniture or is it completely impractical to expect that everyone would do that? If your pet would get on the sofa, would you be willing to put a throw on the sofa if one was available and handy? Do you take one with you for this purpose?

What do you see other self-catering properties do? How can we make it work for pet-owners while protecting the property and furniture?

Thanks
C

[AF62]

To comment as a non-pet owner, I would never book a place that allowed pets as I would assume that pets had been allowed to do whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted.

[AsleepInYorkshire]

We have a couple of holiday lets; one of which accepts pets. We have just spent nearly 20K on various improvements including reupholstering the suite. How careful are pet owners in looking after chairs and sofas? Do you keep your pet off the furniture or is it completely impractical to expect that everyone would do that? If your pet would get on the sofa, would you be willing to put a throw on the sofa if one was available and handy? Do you take one with you for this purpose?

What do you see other self-catering properties do? How can we make it work for pet-owners while protecting the property and furniture?

Thanks
C

We have two dogs. We've had dogs all of the 35 years we've been together. As I write the 21kg border collie is sat next to me on the very expensive sofa with her nose in my face asking for some attention. We would never take our dogs anywhere with us. If we are away for a day we feed them when we get home late. They can come and go through the dog door. We wouldn't take them to a holiday let though. We'd put them in kennels. Every dog lover is different. We don't mind our dogs sitting on our sofas or playing in the lounge. But we wouldn't dare to take them to a holiday let as our respect for others property would come first. That aside my late Mum's dog is a Yorkshire Terrier and I've seen bigger hamsters. She couldn't damage a sofa if you gave her a knife.

Our border collie weighs 21kg's and is extremely strong. She would be, she never stops running around in the back garden all day. We sometimes use throws on our sofas especially when she's malting. Both our dogs are older now. But as puppies both chewed throws and shredded them. The collie was a chewer.

I'd be more worried though about dogs urinating in your let. They have a habit of smelling the last lot of pee and weeing in that area.

It costs £30/night for us to board our dogs and they love it. They are kept together and they get plenty of exercise. We don't like to travel them far in the car.

It's a risk/reward question. I'd be hesitant to put myself to that kind of risk in your situation, unless you feel there's a reward to cover the costs of damage caused by dogs. Our dogs wouldn't damage your let as they really are "lounge lizards" and they are kept clean as they get baths regularly - I'd hate to think anyone coming into our home could smell "dog".

You're more than welcome to take our two dogs and put them in your let for a week. You'll need to feed them twice a day, make sure they can wee and poo on demand and that they get plenty of hide chews. I'll have them ready for 5am tomorrow morning

Take care

AiY(D)

[UncleEbenezer]

Surely you'll have wear and tear from a variety of causes. You can't lump pets together as if they all live alike and follow similar rules, because they very clearly don't. Neither do children, nor indeed adults.

Short of coming the day after a classic Party night trashed the place, I'd be most bothered by the idea of it stinking of substances that linger. Like if you'd had smokers, or incense-burning hippies. Pets as such are not an issue: a young puppy or indeed a child might ruin something but won't bring about major destruction.

[PhaseThree]

I am constantly surprised by people being nervous about taking dogs but quite happy to take bookings for groups that include kids. In my experience the potential damage that can be caused by a dog pales into insignificance when compared to the destructive potential of a couple of bored pre-teens.

Our dogs have never been allowed on the furniture, and never allowed upstairs. They usually accompany us on UK holidays (although Brexit may well put an end to this).

[quelquod]

That surprises me too though certainly lots of lets don’t take children either. Dogs get all the mentions but we take our cat with us - more people have cats these days. It sleeps in it’s basket about 18 hours a day, not on furniture (though certainly it walks on everything) and is a good deal cleaner around the house than any child. We’d not take it if it were likely to damage anything of course.

[swill453]

I'd give instructions that pets should not be allowed on furniture, but expect them not to be followed.

But the existence of the instructions should at least make the pet owners take a bit of care. Having throws available is a good idea.

Scott.

[Lootman]

I'd give instructions that pets should not be allowed on furniture, but expect them not to be followed.

But the existence of the instructions should at least make the pet owners take a bit of care. Having throws available is a good idea.

.
Not specific to holiday lets but as a landlord I would sometimes allow pets with stipulations, e.g. no dog over 20 kg., or a short-hair cat but not a long-hair cat. Pets in cages or tanks were fine.

And I would charge an extra "pet deposit".

[Dod101]

I am constantly surprised by people being nervous about taking dogs but quite happy to take bookings for groups that include kids. In my experience the potential damage that can be caused by a dog pales into insignificance when compared to the destructive potential of a couple of bored pre-teens.

Our dogs have never been allowed on the furniture, and never allowed upstairs. They usually accompany us on UK holidays (although Brexit may well put an end to this).

So talks a dog owner.

Dod

[Clariman]

I am constantly surprised by people being nervous about taking dogs but quite happy to take bookings for groups that include kids. In my experience the potential damage that can be caused by a dog pales into insignificance when compared to the destructive potential of a couple of bored pre-teens.

Our dogs have never been allowed on the furniture, and never allowed upstairs. They usually accompany us on UK holidays (although Brexit may well put an end to this).

So talks a dog owner.

Dod

Well I did ask for the opinions of pet owners!

[Midsmartin]

Young dogs or puppies are prone to chew things, or jump onto chairs even when it's against the rules. So if possible I would say "no dogs under the age of two" or two and a half. An older dog is much more content to curl up and sleep without the need to seek entertainment.

Our dogs are not allowed into chairs or upstairs. Once or twice in other houses they will test this rule in order to find out if it still applies.

We have also had a visitor who invited their dog onto our sofa even though our dogs clearly aren't allowed.

Is it possible to have a room,eg the kitchen, where dogs can be shut for a while with no access to sofas?

Finally, if you do allow them., I'd recommend supplying a bottle of anti-pet-smell carpet cleaner, a bucket, sponge, kitchen roll, in case there is an "accident". This stuff works well. It's to do with enzymes or something. A guest can't clear up a mess if you don't provide the equipment to do it.

The other key is supervision. A "don't leave dogs on their own" rule would seem prudent. Most dogs are very well behaved, but you only need one that isn't. Just like people. If I could, say, sure the dogs on the kitchen while I popped out for milk, that would work too.

[didds]

I suspect this is a question whereby ask twenty people, get twenty different answers.

As a dog owner, that doesnt take our dogs away with us, my input is not better or worse than the other twenty people you may ask

I think one thing that really stands out for me at least (and at least one other above), is that for every pet owner you attract with a pet-friendly approach, you may lose a customer (pet owners themselves or not) that is put off by the potential of <insert animal related effect concern here>.

I wouldnt be providing "nice" stuff in an environment that animals may accientally damage - or I would consider a substantial deposit and not be afraid to use it, but inevitably that will lead to arguments and conflict.

I'll get me coat now.

didds

[swill453]

Dog-friendly accommodation tends to not be as "nice" as others. If an organisation has a number of units, then as they get older and in need of refurbishment they are rotated to be the dog-friendly ones.

If you've got just one or two and you want them to be premium, then I wouldn't expect them to take dogs.

Edit: dog owners expect and accept this.

Scott.

[Dod101]

We have a couple of holiday lets; one of which accepts pets. We have just spent nearly 20K on various improvements including reupholstering the suite. How careful are pet owners in looking after chairs and sofas? Do you keep your pet off the furniture or is it completely impractical to expect that everyone would do that? If your pet would get on the sofa, would you be willing to put a throw on the sofa if one was available and handy? Do you take one with you for this purpose?

What do you see other self-catering properties do? How can we make it work for pet-owners while protecting the property and furniture?

Thanks
C

I am not a dog owner but my daughter and her family have two well behaved spaniels (well the youngest is still a puppy and rather more boisterous)

They have a holiday let and they accept pets. I have just spent a few days there because it is empty in January and I must say it looks good and does not smell in the least 'doggy'. They supply a basket and some throws. They have a leather suite which will be easy to clean so clearly it can be done but I am one who thinks there are far too many dogs allowed to walk freely in the countryside anyway and if I had a holiday let and could fill it without having to accept pets I would, but I guess that is restricting the potential number of tenants.

Dod

[Clariman]

Dog-friendly accommodation tends to not be as "nice" as others. If an organisation has a number of units, then as they get older and in need of refurbishment they are rotated to be the dog-friendly ones.

If you've got just one or two and you want them to be premium, then I wouldn't expect them to take dogs.

Edit: dog owners expect and accept this.

Scott.

That's exactly it Scott. When this property was our holiday home that we also rented out, we didn't accept pets. However when we acquired our second property 11 years later, the new one became our main holiday home and the risk of some damage to the first one was not a big deal with an 11 year old suite etc. But now we've upgraded it, that equation has changed.

[Midsmartin]

If a dog comes back muddy from a walk, does the property make it easy to clean the dog? Now, of course this is the dog owner's responsibility, but if you make the job easy then you will get less mud on your carpet.

Again, I'm thinking that I maybe want an uncarpeted room where I can shut a wet dog. Maybe provide extra dog towels. Maybe even a Mud Daddy (https://www.muddaddy.co.uk/products/mud ... ing-device ), a plastic water tank that you pump up like a water pistol, with a brush and hose attachment. We have one and it's fantastic at keeping the dogs clean.

[AsleepInYorkshire]

Dog-friendly accommodation tends to not be as "nice" as others. If an organisation has a number of units, then as they get older and in need of refurbishment they are rotated to be the dog-friendly ones.

If you've got just one or two and you want them to be premium, then I wouldn't expect them to take dogs.

Edit: dog owners expect and accept this.

Scott.

That's exactly it Scott. When this property was our holiday home that we also rented out, we didn't accept pets. However when we acquired our second property 11 years later, the new one became our main holiday home and the risk of some damage to the first one was not a big deal with an 11 year old suite etc. But now we've upgraded it, that equation has changed.

Dod & swill have made some good points. Our sofas are leather. In all fairness there is more wear and tear from us than the dogs. But beware there's leather and there's faux leather. I suspect the latter isn't as tough as the former. As I've alluded to, every dog owner is unique. We don't walk our dogs. Which does sound cruel I know. But we do have a large back garden and they can come and go as they please through the dog door. And trust me when you see a 21kg border collie in full flight going through a dog door it's quite a sight. Both dogs get far more exercise than we can ever give them walking them. We do also take them to a private fully enclosed field which we pay (iirc) £16/hr to hire and they can run without their leads on. They have chews (postman's chins) and if bored will chew on them. They play regularly with each other all day long and take naps in between. It's currently nap time One is on the sofa and one is at my feet. We have a patio door to the rear garden too. There's a "sacrificial" mat at that entrance when the door is open in summer, which protects the carpet.

As I've said in an earlier post we pay £30 (£15/ea) a night to board them at kennels. I'd suggest you would be able to increase the cost or your let as I suspect most pet owners would expect to have to pay more for this. Also I'd suggest that you use a washable paint in the rooms the dogs will be allowed in, even if only up to dado height. I wash a small area of our kitchen walls down probably about once a month. It takes 5 minutes. I wet the wall with water, leave it for 2 minutes and wipe off with disinfectant.

AiY