Wondering if that would help bookings. I have 2 small dogs ; its VERY hard to find a hotel that will take them. If you accept dogs has that increased your bookings?Do you make them take the dog with them when they are gone?Do you charge an extra fee?
I have a fenced yard so I offered that as a major perk. Only one person asked about it, but when I said the dog had to be crated when in the house, she declined and said she would never ever consider crating her dog. Unbelievable
I have velvet couches and antiques so that seemed reasonable. But it was unthinkable in her eyes I think the whole dog thing is too much to offer ,
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My first year as host. I am a dog lover and to attract renters I offered this. 70% of my guests have had dogs and are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring them. I charge a flat fee, wish I could figure out how to make it per dog. I have had no negative issues with allowing this and will likely continue to allow. My guests have been excellent about cleaning up after their pets and I make this very clear that is expected.
Good Luck!
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Iâm in Hawaii, so it is sort of a moot point. But one time I did have a guy (a professor from a top university no less!) tell me they were coming and bringing their dog! They had thought my site had said I was dog friendly (when actually it was that a dog lived here)âŚThey even went so far as to book carriage on the plane! I explained that bringing a pet to Hawaii was at least a six month process⌠where you have to begin with rabies vaccinations and several months prior, chipping, as well as hiring a vet to board the plane with your dog and also meet you at the airport in Hawaii to certify the rabies chipâŚminimum $250 each time) or pay a small fortune to quarantine for two months, I believe it is now. I guess he is one of those absent minded professors. 
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I accepted pets for the first two years. It was nothing short of a nightmare. I live a hop skip and a jump away from NYC, the place where people get pets to leave in tiny apartments all day long (and sometimes all night too) while they are out working all day, and getting drinks after. The MJAJORITY were NOT house trained. Many bought pee pads, but the dogs seemed to prefer the down duvets. After one young owner who had clearly never travelled with her dog, but had assured me he would be fine left her dog in the room while she went out and the dog tried to scratch itâs way out through our beautiful historic wooden door, I laid rules, such as they couldnât leave the pets unattended in the room for longer than an hour or so. But they did anyway, thinking we wouldnât notice!
I had never seen such unusual dogs. They seemed shut down and emotionally weird. Our dog for instance if you came to the door when she was in a hotel room, would bark or come to the door wagging her tail excitedly (or both). Many of these dogs would sit on the bed and not react if you entered, just look at you with no excitement, interest, nothing. They seemed depressed. It was a real eye opener.
After way too many accidents on bedding and Persian rugs, I called it a day. No more pets here. I think somewhere else, where people donât just have pets locked up for hours on end without any stimulation and managed to at least take the time to house train their dogs, it would be different. Oh, I also had people lying about the size of their animals. I have delicate bedding and sheets, so I put a size limit (also hardwood floors I didnât want scratched up by really big dogs), but people would lie and say a 50 pound dog was just 30, and of course, they always let the dogs on the beds.
On the other hand, itâs a real pity, because we travel with our dog and cat all the time. Even overseas. They love it. My dog has never had an accident since she was a puppy. She even letâs me know if she needs to vomit, and will wait until I let her outside to do that. I was very dismayed with what I found. I did offer to pet sit for people, but they didnât want to pay for that, which is why they were bringing their pets (unlike us who brings them because we like to have our family altogether). The few I did sit had emotional issues - they had clearly never been out of a small apartment for long. Depressing.
I donât allow dogs and itâs because of the owners not the dogs. Poor dogs are the victims of bad owners that donât care, leave them alone too long and donât give them proper grooming. they want to use the front garden and their toilet and the side walk as their urinals. they allow the dogs to jump on beds and sofa and scratch everything. they put water/food bowls on the floor and the spillage stays around for days. the dogs bark everytime they hear somehting and itâs disturbing to others.
I had a a guest once bathe their dog in MY TUB and leave all the hairs in drain and all over the walls - yuck!
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Nobody is ever going to tell you that their dog marks indoors. They are always going to say their dog is house trained. I used to take dogs but then owners did not pick up after them in the yard. I donât live with the guests so it is not like I can say âhey you need to pick that up.â Small dogs will always be up in the bed with the owners. So that means the coverlet will be covered in hair for just one night.
Oh believe me Cabinhost, itâs not just the small dogs. People let the monsters on the bed too. Oh yes they do! And what do dogs do on a bed pray tell? They dig around with their claws as if they are in the dirt until they get in a cosy spot. A little dog like ours doesnât cause much damage (but we ask her to stop it so she doesnât do that (and she wonât come up on the bed anyway, even though weâd like her to occasionally because I trained her not to as a littlâun ), but a big heavy dog with huge claws, or even a small dog that persistently digs? Your bedding will get torn up. At least I am not prepared to risk my delicate stuff that has too many places for claws to get stuck and rip. Hairs come off, although I admit they are a hassle and extra cleaning, but I always charged an extra $20 when I allowed dogs for the cleaning. Funnily everyone claimed their dog was so clean and not a shedder. I donât know if people are deluded or liars.
We let our 90lb.puppy for almost 16 years in our bed, he wouldnât have it any other way:). When it was cold, he climbed under sheets to get close to body heat. After he was gone, for a few months I was finding his hair everywhere. And he was a short haired.
He peed in a dining room, always the same corner when we left him in unussual time when we were supposed to be home, like in the evening, despite us leaving door for him to the backyard. He knew better but he still did it. I can go on and on, may be we spoiled him terribly but thatâs how he was.
I wold never ever allow guests with pets because I know how it can be.
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The answer is they are liarsâŚha!
I know a person who would not hesitate to bring her pee pad dog to someone elseâs home. I think the pads are just to convince herself that he isnât hiking his leg on anything and everything in sight. She is also the type to fully not disclose how many guests she plans to bring. She asked me recently how things were going and I told her it is often like babysitting grown adults to try and pull teeth. She said âOh well thatâs to be expectedâŚI would lie too.â
I used to get $15 a day for the dog, but even that wasnât worth it - only because I really didnât have time to properly clean the entire home in between guests. It was just so stressful with having to wash the coverlets right after I had just washed them. I know, I knowâŚsome think thatâs gross. I always wash duvets in between guests. But I donât always wash the coverlet in between each guest. I usually wait for a stain and then it gets thrown in the wash. But with a dog it had to be washed each time.
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Itâs so disappointing to hear people have such ethics that allow them to believe they neednât bother to respect others or their property. I think this is where certain hosts struggle more than others. I was brought up not to think of âme firstâ but of âothers firstâ, and am surprised (less and less so unfortunately) when some people donât think it is important to consider others beside themselves, although I understand people come from different backgrounds. A few hosts on this forum think those of us that take umbrage to the never ending bad behavior, disrespect, dishonesty and damage that these guests create possibly consider it normal or to be expected at least. Expecting damage and the rest would mean turning my home into a different place, which is impossible. The difficulty then is trying to weed out the dishonest and disrespectful people, and I can tell you, itâs no mean feat. So, the least we can do is cut down on the possibility of extra damage wherever possible. Everyoneâs home, visitor base, furnishings are totally different. Finding out what works and what doesnât work is a (pardon me) work in progress.
Yes, I agree it is always a work in progress to see what minimizes damage the best. It was so refreshing when the last guests left a note saying âthank you for sharing your home with us.â What?? I havenât heard a comment like that in soo long. Most now seem to think if they are paying for it, then they can treat it like a hotel room. They would never dream of letting their kids run like wild animals if they were going to a friendâs house. But they have no problems doing it if they are paying for it.
Yeah, it is kind of interesting - the varying views from hosts. I donât consider disrespect and dishonesty the cost of doing business, and I should just suck it up. If I hadnât put my foot down with the linens/towels a long time ago, I can only imagine how often I would have had to replace them. Why should I just toss out a new set of sheets or towels because I donât want to offend the guest by telling them how to treat things? I used to spend twenty minutes just pre-treating linens/towels after guests left. Now, I just quickly go through them looking for any spots, and it is such a world of difference. And I can tell now that many think twice before eating/drinking in bed. Before, at least every other set of guests spilled something in bedâŚsigh.
I have two small dogs and advertise the fact but also donât allow guests to bring dogs. It is true that when people see that you have dogs many will assume you are pet friendly. We are not though. My dogs are well trained to stay off people beds (they have their own) and do not go into the guest room. The problem is most people donât train their dogs like I do, and chihuahuas (my babies) are territorial anyway. So far nobody has brought in an animal. I may need to consider adding to house rules. Iâm a city dweller and just not equipped to accommodate any more than my own dogs.
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Cute Jackulas. I still get requests, despite not having pet friendly ticked. And now with this one I got tonight, I am left having to âdenyâ, again, and it was a very unpleasant so and so to boot.
Hi your place looks lovely, I have a 10b yorkie/bichon whoâs super cute and very well trained, is that ok. Thanks
Oh, if only I hadnât heard that so many times before (with disastrous results) I might have fallen for the âsuper cute and well trainedâ. I mean, not to be rude, but this person canât even be bothered phrasing a decent question. So I said this:
Hi Ciel,
I see that you are new to airbnb, so I can help you look for places that accept pets. That way you can find out without having to ask people info that they have already posted. The thing you need to do is look for listings that have the âpet friendlyâ box ticked. You can do this by narrowing your search - this will give you different options including the pet friendly one. People that do not have the box ticked will not accept your dog, no matter how little, so itâs a good idea to only stick to those that have themselves marked as pet friendly to save yourself and the hosts time.
I hope that helps.
Sandy
And then I thought I would see if she would remove the request so I can stop having to decline these idiots, to disastrous results!! I said:
PS, I think if you can remove the request to book, it will free up my listing. Much obliged!
The response?
Its because Iâve been on Airbnb for a very long time that I know that asking can sometimes sway a person to open up their doors to pets when they are not that buys with guests. As for the request, thatâs not standard procedure for someone whoâs inquiring about a room to remove the request!? Thats for you to figure out
This person has been a member since March, and has no reviews to her name. I shouldnât have responded, but feeling cranky after the hoo ha with the cancellation with the guy today, I replied:
I was confused by your lack of reviews. Unfortunately I have heard the line - âvery well trainedâ too many times to count, and it is very subjective to say the least, and exactly why I do not allow dogs any more (despite having and traveling often with my own dog). In my opinion someone that is willing to try to âsway me because I am not busyâ is also liable to say whatever they think I want to hear. Thereâs no need to be polite and remove the request as asked - itâs just that hosts having to decline a booking has a negative effect on the hosts ratings.
She said:
ok bitch, get a fucking life!
Sandy, so glad u called her out. Longtime user but with a new account & zero reviews - she prob created a new account after a host finally gave her the negative review she deserved.
Iâd forward the exchange to airbnb & say this person is abusive & needs to be removed from the community. (Esp given how helpful your initial response was, lol) You must be just kicking yourself for having missed the opportunity to have this woman (& her super cute dog) in your home⌠You really do deal with some fd up Manhattanites.
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Can you report her? They should close her account because of the insult.
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Agreed. Inexcusable. Either way you were right to trust your instincts. Looks like you dodged a major bullet there. Speaking of which, give us her full name. I want to be on the look out in case she ever decides to visit LA.
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Iâm not a dog person, Jackulas ,but yourâs are beautiful!!
I actually did call Ciel Rose in to airbnb, because I think people with this poor impulse control shouldnât be allowed in peopleâs home. I have also had guests that felt that âswaying peopleâ with words such as âsuper cuteâ and âwell trainedâ have turned out to be absolute disasters (as I have recounted here!). They have not a care in the world for being honest, just getting their way.
Airbnb told me that when they get complaints about people for this kind of behavior they get flagged, and after three strikes, they get their profile canceled. I believe that must be the case for hosts too. In fact, there was a host in Bankok who recently lost his account, wrote a big thing very shocked etc. He had posted an article here once, and when I found a few things to discuss with him, he wasnât interested in it however. I believe it is likely there were some serious complaints about his behavior, and after a few too many of those come up, you canât stay in the game. Iâm just wondering however, if because he was considered an airbnb big shot, if he was allowed to get away with more than the âordinary personâ. I hope not.
HeheâŚThank you! That pic I posted of them there is from last winter when they were decked out for the Oscars. They donât usually wear clothes at this time of year, since itâs hotter than hades in L.A. right now.
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