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“Second, I filtered my search for places that allow pets, but I see that your description says that you don’t allow pets. Can you please clarify if pets are allowed? We have a small, well-behaved dog that doesn’t shed, and our 6-month old son is very attached to her.
Please let me know, thank you.”
I get a lot of inquiries from people who see are no pet policy but ask if we would make exceptions. this is understandable. my question here is regarding the guests level of honesty. I have found it is a red flag when guests are dishonest in their inquiries. I would consider allowing pets but I have specifically turned down pet requests that seem like the owners being a bit conniving.
I’m wondering - do you find it possible the search was wrong or if you have any experience with this particular question (again my beef is not so much with the request to make an exception a pet policy but more with what seems like a dishonest manner of approaching it?).
Oh, I see you have a no pet policy, but please tell me if this really is the policy.
I think that is really odd and I’d let this one go. Could be trouble.
I have actually read other posts lately where hosts complained that their no pets listing was showing up when guests filltered for pet friendly, so I’d give the guest the benefit of the doubt.
It’s either a search glitch, or an intentional Airbnb move, which I don’t put past them.
I was happy for years to accept pets but our HOA ruled against tenants’ dogs. So now I have ‘no pets’ listings, both on IB.
Yet I still get inquiries similar to the one posted. I like to be a succinct as possible with such inquiries and don’t want to waste my time so usually just say ‘sorry, we do not accept dogs’.
But regarding the level of honesty, we travel with our cat. I think that just about every Airbnb rental we have found to suit us has a no pet policy. So we inquire. In every case we have been accepted. So I have no problem with the honesty of people who inquire about pets.
And strangely, our HOA’s ruling is against dogs only so I will accept cats, parrots, etc.
I sometimes get a request or inquiry just like this. I remind them it is dangerous for pets here and they are not allowed. One time someone came with a Samoyed “Therapy dog”. They said it would stay in their car… They brushed it and threw the hair into our very delicate flush system. It was kind of a bummer.
On Glamping Hub they stupidly put a question mark after Babies/ children and Pet allowed, as if it is negotiable. So, I have to do more convincing not to come on that site, which I think has lowered my ranking there.
I also have a no pet policy. The only ones that I was forced to accept were the ones in which guests claimed they were animal support pets. Others, I declined and told them it was due to allergies.
The problem is that when guests are asking you to break your own rules, you can be pretty sure that they will too.
Giving in to a guest who asks you to is asking for trouble. I hate the host/guest conflict that sometimes goes on but it’s important to establish from the start who is in charge.
It’s a pity the policy can’t be more specific about the sort of pets allowed. For example I am fine with dogs but wont allow cats because I know what my own used to get up to if away from home in a strange place. So I allow pets and then turn people down if they say they are bringing a cat. It is confusing. I love guests with dogs, mainly the dogs, so I don’t want to ban all pets, just the ones which aren’t dogs.
It’s rather like their “infant” category. 0-2 years old???
A walking, talking 2 year old is nothing like a little baby who’s not mobile yet on their own. There’s almost no reason why a 4 month old baby couldn’t be accepted by any host- they can’t even sit up by themselves yet, let alone crawl- they stay wherever the parent puts them, they don’t destroy anything or leave sticky handprints or eat cheetos on the sofa.
But the thought of a 2 year old running around, pulling down whatever is in reach, climbing on chairs to get to what they can’t reach, scribbling on the wall or the linens, and dropping food everywhere, or tumbling down the stairs, is something the majority of hosts, unless they are set up for family stays, would want to avoid.
You could “allow pets” then further specify ih your listing but it could cause confusion since guests don’t read - it could still work with post-booking questions.
I said “almost no reason”, didn’t I? Yes,in a shared space where others can hear through the walls or floor, that would be an exception.
And no, all babies aren’t loud- some barely cry at all. My neighbor right across the way asked me at one point if that had been my daughter who had been staying with me for a week a couple years ago, after she saw her walking up the road with her then 4 month old strapped on her in the carrier. When I said yes, my neighbor said, “Wow, I never heard her cry”. I said that’s because she hardly does, and my neighbor said her son was never a crier, either.
They smell up the place? You mean they soil their diapers? Give me a break. What you mean is that the parents don’t bag up and take the dirty diapers out. The bathroom doesn’t exactly smell like roses after adults relieve themselves, either. Babies don’t “smell”.
And as if dogs and cats don’t smell, or childless guests don’t do things that leave bad odors or leave body odor.
Yes, ridiculous. I have statement next to “Infants Under 2 Years” allowed & in my listing description that we allow non-mobile infants under age 2 and the home and property are unsafe for any mobile child under the age of 12.
We are going out of town with Bella and Loki. I am happy to say we found a pet friendly 1 night Sat. stay only 5 miles from the event we will attend with our 2 dogs! A glamping yurt with breakfast included on the pool deck:)!
Of course I inquired 1st and the host was totally cool with “2 large well behaved dogs”. AND I get to spend our Superhost coupon!! Easy Schmeasy.
Thank you for your pre-approval! We have not travelled very much with both of them. Or very much to speak of lately… Last year we went to Idyllwild, it was really nice<><>
