Dogs or No Dogs? Pros and Cons

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So it’s really slow these days. There’s a glut of airbnb’s in the Boston area and in order for my suite to be found (I’m just 7 miles north of the city) I have to keep my rates very competitive.

I have been thinking about letting single dogs stay in my suite. I can offer a fenced in section of my backyard so that both my dog and their dog have separate spaces. My dog likes other dogs but I’m not sure how he will feel having another dog stay in the STR above.

I’m worried about barking, extensive cleaning, (I have wall-to-wall rugs in two room) and overall noise since I live below. Also, will I lose a lot of booking because of allergies?

How bad is the cleanup after dogs. Do you charge a dog cleaning fee?

For folks who allow dogs, what are your thoughts. The good, the bad and the ugly.

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I have just done the same thing, because there have been so many new airbnbs in my area, and when i was doing some snooping (or, searching) i noticed few places were pet friendly. So I changed my listing to allow pets. Not ideal but it puts me right to the top.

I also have a dog (a medium/large dog) and of course well trained, he rarely barks and I think (based on dog park experience) he is a nice dog. I am a bit worried about people with little dogs, who bark a lot and are not so well trained/socialized, and those little dogs always sit on the furniture, right? I am concerned about the owner of such dogs realizing this, and then writing a bad review due to their embarrassed behavior. So far my 2 recent bookings both guests have promised their dog is “well behaved” and I can’t help but notice this language, and be on alert.

I’ve only had one situation, a 5 day booking, where the owner had a dog and there was a LOT of dog hair left behind. But this really only meant that the vacuum had to be slow and diligent, that’s what the pet fee is for. No other damage, and in my experience, dog owners are lovely people (which was true in her case, and she left the kitchen squeaky clean, and she didn’t use any of the snacks I leave for my guests)

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As you probably recall, I allow dogs in my Airbnb rental which is attached to my home but separate from me. I also board dogs in my home so have quite a bit of experience with someone else’s dog in my home.

I took the carpet out of the Airbnb room after a guest’s dog had a diarrhea accident. She cleaned it as best she could, informed me right away and paid for professional cleaning. But I still had the carpet taken out after a couple more months. After a lifetime of wall to wall carpet, I now think carpet is gross. I know you are in a two story cold climate and carpet plays a number of roles. In the months I allowed dogs with the carpet I think there was only the one mishap, so maybe a 5% rate?

Barking is sometimes a problem but again, a low percentage.

I don’t think so. You say it’s really slow…you aren’t getting a lot of bookings because you don’t allow dogs. How can you lose something you don’t have?

My current fee is only $10 but that’s because it’s usually a one night stay. Also I have no rugs, no drapes, no upholstery. I buy the inexpensive Vitmossa throw from IKEA and leave it in the room with the instruction to spread it on the bed if the dog is allowed on the bed and then “feel free to take it with you for the rest of the trip.” But yes the kind of people who take their dog on a trip are going to be the kind who allow the dog on the furniture.

You can make rules about not leaving the dog unattended but then you have to enforce it. You can make rules saying only small dogs as some hotels have a weight limit. But in my experience some of the biggest dogs are the best dogs and they literally lay quietly in the room.

Since you are coming up on the busy season, maybe just wait it out until fall and see if you make enough for the year. I think allowing dogs is something that more hosts should consider. But one must have the right mindset. You are a host with a lot of particulars about your listing, things you want and don’t want and dogs are just going to add to your stress level so it might not be for you.

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I no longer allow dogs although I wish I did. The HOA banned tenants from having dogs (owners’ dogs were grandfathered in).

When I did have dog guests, I never had any trouble with them at all and only once did I have additional cleaning. (Dog hair everywhere including in the kitchen sink…)

However, bear in mind that my rentals are as guest-proofed as possible. They have tiled floors with no rugs. The sofas are leather which will wipe clean. There are wooden blinds so no curtains to harbour a doggie smell.

Hosting dogs for me was another way of demonstrating hospitality. I provided dog treats, collapsible dog bowls for use in the apartment or while out and about, those :poop: bags, dog beds, throws and a list of dog-friendly restaurants and cafes, directions to the dog park, which sections of the beach are dog-friendly etc.

I once had a guest who brought 4 dogs (!) and there were no problems at all. I’ve also had guests who have brought multiple cats and they have been fine too, although as I said, the rentals are almost guest (and dog / cat) proof.

Everything has to be cleaned anyway after every guest, with or without pets so had it not been for the HOA, I would still be hosting them.

I never had a pet fee and if there was any barking noises then I’d go to the apartment in question (one is next door to me, the other diagonally opposite) and tell the guest that their animal was disturbing the neighbours. That only happened a few times so it’s not a typical experience and no problem for a host who is on the premises or nearby.

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Our listing also does not permit pets, nor children under 12. I, too, have wondered what we can do to increase occupancy, especially as I’ve seen other listings not nearly as nice IMO be occupied at very high rates.

It’s apparent to me that in our area if you’re willing to host pets and children you’ll get more bookings at a high rate. I’ve even seen a few complaints in reviews how dog poop has been left over the yard, pet hair left after the cleaning – but this does not seem to deter high occupancy and high rates. Offering pets here seems like a ‘Get Out of Unoccupied Free’ card. [Maybe not so ‘free’ to set up.] They’re making money.

So, were I you I’d strongly consider permitting dogs but you’d need to ‘dog-proof’ the unit first. Tiled floors? Throws for furniture? No dangling cords to chew on? Other recommendations by others here?

If you decide not to permit pets, I would suggest taking another look at your listing’s language and photos to see how you can sharpen it, improve it. Put it up here for input.

If your listing is such that you can expect repeat guests, perhaps reach out to past guests if you have a list of their contacts and make some kind of offer, perhaps tied to events in/near Boston and your own neighborhood.

If you do any marketing, beef up your social media on the attractions/restaurants right where you live rather than Boston. Beef up your guidebook and the ‘location’ aspect of your listing with hyperlocal places to go, eat at, see. Show your love for the very spot of your listing.

Tempt the reader to want to stay in the hidden gem neighborhood of your STR and barely miss Boston. Anyone can stay in Boston, but do they know about your neighborhood?? I bet there’s history, artisan shops/eating, delightful parks/trails right there where you live. Make these come alive.

Maybe your place is for the digital nomad who can get out to Boston just on weekends but can stay all week in a lovely walkable, delightful New England neighborhood and discover there an unexpected find of something wonderful.

I don’t know what your reviews are like, but again ‘sharpen’ your practices on communications, amenities to generate reviews whose words ‘wow’ prospective guests and – if this is your market – encourage direct bookings. Forget the stars; focus on your words; model the words you want guests to say and like a Jedi mind trick they’ll seize on them.

I don’t know if some of this is pushing on a string, that your market inevitably is for those wishing to be a tourist in Boston without paying Boston prices. That’s for you to evaluate.

I understand that these are the ‘basics’ --nothing new here – and that most of us are doing these kinds of things anyway, but if you don’t change the basic parameters of your offer (pets) what else is there to do but re-double your efforts – but with some well-defined ‘angle’ I’m suggesting the hyperlocal appeal of your neighborhood as that angle, Maybe you’ll find a better one.

I have a feeling others here might chip in their two cents on that ‘what else?’. Good luck.

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I really don’t understand those pee pads. Unless the dog owner is disabled and simply can’t take the dog out for a walk, or the dog is elderly and incontinent, or ill or injured and can’t walk, it just seems like total laziness not to house train a dog and take it out often enough to do its business. And even if the dog was incontinent or ill, if it’s a small dog, you could just carry it outside.

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I had a group of 3 Québécois families using my dog boarding services when I first started dog boarding. One woman with a Maltese explained apologetically to me that the dog was pee pad trained because in the winter in Quebec it’s quite the ordeal to take the dog downstairs, clear the snow away from the door and then stand there in the freezing cold and watch the dog stare at you refusing to go out in the yard because the snow is taller than the dog.

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Thanks everyone

  1. I’m going to hold off until my slow season.
  2. The carpet is a problem because I need it for the soundproofing. ( I have special padding under the carpet to help with sound in my apartment.)
  3. I do the cleaning now and I don’t really think I want to add time to my cleaning ritual.
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It’s not necessarily that it isn’t cleared from the doorway. When I lived in Canada, my area didn’t get much snow and when it did snow, it usually warmed up and melted pretty quickly. But one winter we got a huge dump of snow and the temps were really cold, so it stayed on the ground for weeks.

I had shovelled a path from the back door to the shed, so we could bring in firewood. But when I opened the door for the cat to go out, who didn’t have a litter box and was accustomed to going outside, she took one look at the shovelled snow banked up a meter high on both sides of the path, and gave me a look like, “You have got to be kidding”, and refused to go out.

Also if it’s been heavily dumping snow all night, the dog would probably have to do its business in the morning before one had a chance to get out and shovel a path.

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I wouldn’t live in a place with that kind of snow and I’ve never had a small dog so I’m not in a position to address the issue. However most dog problems do seem to arise when people don’t spend enough time on the issue.

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The one time I took my dog on a car trip, it never occurred to me that she was so used to being free to roam in my countryside neighborhood that she wouldn’t do her business while on a leash. She was used to the leash when I’d take her into town, but only for a short while, so that issue never came up. On the road trip, I’d stop for gas and coffee, put her on the leash, and walk her around for 15 minutes, but nothing. So I’d put her back in the car. She’d hold it for 8-10 hours until we got to wherever we were spending the night and I found a safe place to let her off-leash.

When we stayed with some friends on that trip who had a fenced yard, I went around looking for any poops she had done to clean them up. After searching all over, I finally found one in the very back corner of their yard, as far as she could get from the house.

And at home, she wouldn’t even pee in my yard. She had her private spots at the back of a big field behind me, or down by the arroyo below my house. She just somehow knew it wasn’t cool to foul your own nest.

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I hear the same thing is happening with kids these days, in diapers until they are 4 or 5. Misguided parents who believe the kids will self-train “when they’re ready”. Such BS. My kids were all out of diapers by the time they were 2 and a half or earlier, and they certainly didn’t develop any traumas because I taught them where to poop and pee when you’re no longer a baby.

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I don’t allow dogs in my homeshare, but can say that before we decided to do AirBnB, previous owners obviously had pets who had urinated on the carpeted areas of the house. We didn’t see stains, nor did we notice an odor. Friends came to visit w/ their dog, who peed on numerous places…. More than likely where other animals had urinated.it’s what they do, right?! :joy:
Flash forward to when we replaced the carpet prior to doing an AirBnB. When we tore up the carpet & padding, we discovered countless urine stains on the subfloor. I Kilzed the entire subfloor, & that validated my decision to not allow pets/ESAs in my home. Even though we have two dogs of our own (who have never been in the rented suite), I know that the first animal that I allow, will, undoubtedly “mark their territory”, thus opening the door for endless problems. Easy decision- no pets- dogs, cats, iguanas, monkeys NADA!
Now, as to my neighbor who does allow pets in her AirBnB, she has countless stories about “pet cleanup” issues. I get it, we’re “pet people”, & want to offer guests who travel with their pets a great place to stay, but think HARD about the extra cleaning, noise & liability before you go there.

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Yes, THIS! My dogs sleep w/ me, but they don’t get to travel w/ us- Uncle Deloss takes very good care of them while we’re away!

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+1. I did exactly this as well, in an effort to be more visible as new places have come onboard, and my apartment is in a duplex owned by me, so I make the pet rules. I have a dog so I’m aware of the realities of dog life, so i provide sheets for guests to use on furniture, and I openly mention this to them. I am also noticing that every guest tells me their dog is “well behaved”. I haven’t done enough dog stays to know if that is true, but I am skeptical.

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You’re responding to your own post? There is an edit feature if you click on the three dots on the right next to the reply arrow you get a menu with more options. Click on the pencil icon to edit.

100% of dogs aren’t going to be well behaved but the vast majority will be. The question is if the 1 of 100 that scratches the door, or chews the wooden knob on a drawer or has an accident on the textiles is going to annoy the host so much that the extra hundreds of dollars just isn’t worth it. In my opinion there are no more issues with dogs than with humans. But it will increase the chance of an issue.

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Of course. What are they going to say, “My dog tends to bark neurotically, sometimes has ‘accidents’ in the house, sheds like crazy, and has been known to chew the furniture legs when she gets anxious, which she usually does in unfamiliar places.” ?

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I’ve only had 2 booking requests in 10 years that said they couldn’t stay if dogs had been in the house. Initially I said no dogs but then realized requests who had that caveat were FAR fewer than those asked if they could bring their dog. Plus, I am a huge dog lover. So I decided to word it that I prefer no dogs but if they want to bring one to let me know. So I always say yes, but that means I get specific information about the dog and can send a few of caveats (flea free, won’t be left outside to bark, not allowed on furniture and beds, and won’t claw the doors). I charge a meagre $25 extra but it’s enough to feel okay about some extra dog hair. I do have wall to wall carpet in portions of my house but I use FOLEX spot carpet cleaner - it is truly miraculous.

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I have two large, wonderful, friendly, beautiful, white English labs. We live in the house where our Airbnb unit is. Our dogs have been trained to never go downstairs into the Airbnb unit. They have never , ever set foot in the Airbnb.
I don’t allow other dogs in our unit, why? Because the next guest may be allergic to dogs.
Our dogs are available to be pet and greeted either at the top of the stairs or outdoors in our very large yard.
We’ve had guests come BECAUSE they saw photos of our dogs and wanted to meet them.
So you don’t put poison plants in your unit to deter animals- and yes done anxious dogs may eat them, but so may small children if you allow guests to bring their babies or toddlers as we do-
If you want to broaden your horizons make your unit kid /baby friendly - we get people specifically for that reason.
So “no dogs allowed because the next guests may be allergic and our dogs have never been in the unit” is the easy answer.,
Good luck!
Margi

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I have a home share, and have a large friendly dog, who has the run of the house except for the guest room. I allow guests to bring a dog, but they must agree to having the dog with them at all times. They are not allowed to leave the dog in their room (or roaming the house) when the guests are not there. That discourages a lot of people.

So far, I’ve had good luck with the furry guests–with the exception of 1 guest whose dog POOPED ON MY COUCH. They were there at the time, and paid for cleaning. It was a tiny dog, thank goodness.

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