Hi all, more questions re: animals/pets and my pet-free home. This is murky stuff and you good folks have set me straight on service animals (I now know I have to say yes) and even the fact that guests don’t have to ask about/disclose them. So, given this, my cleaners informed me that the young couple who rented my 1br schoolhouse def brought a dog–smelled like dog, dog hairs on the floor. They also were tough on the house–burnt pot, broken scissors. Otherwise, house ok. I gave my cleaner $25 more than her $75 fee bc the gig is not for a house with pets and she spent some time scrubbing pot back to life. So now I’m baffled about the review I should leave. I’m not one to be picky and say, ooh, they broke a glass. Stuff happens. Not even one to say much about one scorched pot left soaking (though it would have been nice to know). BUT… can I rightly mention the animal? Maybe it was a service dog and they chose not to disclose? I don’t really have proof (no one saw the dog). In instances like this, when they’re a bunch of small and/or murky things, I’m inclined just to skip a review, but how would you folks handle it?
I wouldn’t unless you are 100% sure that it was truly the case that the guests brought a dog. The guests could argue to Airbnb that your review wasn’t accurate and try to get the review removed.
We have a local dog that likes to run amok a bit when he’s being walked. On one occasion, until I had a word with the owner, the dog ran into one of the apartments when the guests were having lunch. (Here in South Florida guests sometimes leave the door wide open).
We also have a stray cat locally and, thanks to one guest feeding it canned tuna, it sometimes tries to get into that apartment.
So animal hair, or ‘dog smell’ doesn’t necessarily mean it was sneaked in by the guests.
So the only evidence that there had been a dog there was the word of a cleaner who got extra money for cleaning up after it?
Absolutely mention it in your comments. Even if it was a service animal the guests should have mentioned they were bringing it. I would encourage you to stick to the facts rather than any emotional language: “Dog hair and smell was prevalent upon their departure” rather than “I was really upset that they brought a dog without saying anything.” Either way, it is important for future hosts to know what to expect.
Good luck! 
Jaquo (above) brings up a good point that the evidence may be less than adequate. You can always say, “Though I never saw a dog in person, there was animal fur and smell in the house that made it appear one was in the house during their visit.”
I think unless you can prove it, and you are relying on a third party’s word no matter how much you trust them, it’s not something I would put in the review. But that’s my opinion.
Who knows, maybe one of the guests were just smelly (My mind goes back to 20 something year old guy I had as a guest and the odor he left behind.) Maybe they did have a dog at home and transported dog hair from home.
What you need is proof next time so go and get yourself a camera! Put it on the doors going in and that way you know for sure who is coming in or out.
If you do want to give a heads-up to other hosts that these guests might possibly have snuck a dog in, you’d just have to stick to the facts- “My cleaner reported the smell of dog and dog hair in the unit, but I have no actual proof that there was a dog present- I suppose if they have a dog at home, the smell and dog hair could have been on some of their belongings.”
That would at least alert the guests that it didn’t go unnoticed, without accusing them, and giving them the benefit of the doubt, while warning future hosts to emphasize that they either have a no-pets rule or that any pets need to be disclosed at booking time.