I can’t think of any way to make anyone read all the rules before they inquire. So I’m not sure what else to do.
It’s the guest credo- don’t read anything!!! 
So very true. It’s amazing to me. I had one guest show up with two kids that he didn’t tell me were coming with him and his wife. And then just before we all went to bed on a freezing cold night, he tells me he has a bird in the car. It was a two-night booking and I told him that he knew I wasn’t going to let a bird die in the cold, nor was I going to turn away two children at this hour, but that I expected him to check out the next day. They did.
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The thing is, even if you are afraid of dogs, a true service dog is super well trained and there is nothing to fear from them. They are never aggressive, they stay where they are told to, they don’t run around off-leash.
So it’s a matter of asking the 2 questions you are allowed to ask if someone claims they have a service dog, and reiterating the Airbnb rules for service dogs- they must be housebroken, they aren’t to be left alone in the accommodation, they are to be kept under control by their handler.
That will usually ward off the guests with fake “service dogs”.
And if you have a homeshare, you might be able to get away with not accepting even service dogs, if you are emotionally traumatized by having a dog around.
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Hey Muddy! I can’t figure out how to private message you on this forum to save my soul! Guidance?
Who travels w/ a bird in.the.winter. 
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Click on any poster’s circle with the letter or picture in it, then click on “Message”.
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It’s altogether strange to me to have a bird as a pet anyway. Seems cruel to keep an animal whose main natural method of locomotion is flying in a cage and to clip its wings.
Imagine someone cutting off their dog or cat’s paw so it couldn’t run away- someone would call the SPCA or Animal Protection services.
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They said they were moving from one apartment to another here in Vermont. And he hadn’t read my site, so he didn’t know I didn’t accept pets, and he didn’t know I charged for extra guests, etc. etc. I was thoroughly disgusted. And they were therapists. I told him that I knew that therapists rely on honesty and authenticity, and he would appreciate my honesty when told him that his flagrant disregard of my rules meant that he could not stay under my roof.
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I was lucky. I guess she came with her service animal really did require the dog. So it wasn’t a scam. And he was all of the wonderful things that you just listed. It was a pleasure.
And now, for the REST of the story… with the help of forum members and an unnamed “secret pal” (you know who you are!), I composed a letter stating my case. Although I didn’t think I needed to, I asked for an exemption. Well, I guess they liked what I said, because they notified me this am that the case has been “received and resolved, & they are reviewing the info to evaluate my request for exemption”. At least they’ve opened up my calendar…
Thanks for the advice, taking the time to dig through policies & just letting me rant. I’m glad to have the help of fellow forum members. This was a joint effort, & it’s been a learning experience for me. You guys ROCK!!! 
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Would really appreciate the Service Animal Rules.
I also have a fear of dogs that I don’t know. I was bit twice as a child by strange dogs for no reason. It is getting increasingly difficult for me to shop in grocery stores because so many people insist on bringing their pets (not service dogs) to our local grocery stores despite their NO pet policies.
I am also discouraged by the increasing presence of dogs. Before I retired from the college where I was teaching, the campus was starting to look like a doggy daycare. One of my colleagues even had a pitbull in her office right across from mine, and one day when it lunged toward me and I screamed, her response was, “oh, you’re afraid of Luna?“ I said, “yes I am afraid of Luna because she just ran at me and jumped on me.” Her attitude was that only the worst kind of people didn’t like dogs. Now they’re coming into restaurants, which is patently, unhealthy, and supermarket, which is patently unhealthy. I have also been bitten. But I’m not afraid of service animals so I wouldn’t want a blanket exclusion.
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Only the worst kind of dog owners let their dogs lunge at and jump on people and then act like it’s the recipient of this behavior that has a problem.
While I sympathize with the idea that dogs don’t belong in restaurants and grocery stores, to me that is because some people may be fearful or allergic to them, and they present a tripping hazard to wait staff. (Assuming the dog is calm and doesn’t roam around bothering people) Otherwise there’s nothing unhealthy about having dogs in those places, as long as they aren’t relieving themselves indoors, or coming in contact with food. Dog owners don’t generally bar their pets from the kitchen at home, and it doesn’t make anyone sick.
I can assure you there are all kinds of unhygenic things humans do in restaurants and grocery stores that you don’t see or think about. For instance, you have no idea if the shelf stocker at the grocery store just sneezed into their hand in the storeroom before putting the apples out in the fruit bins.
That is far more of a threat to human health than a dog walking a few feet on leash into a restaurant and then lying calmly next to their owner’s feet while they have a meal. (However, I am not defending dogs in restaurants- unless it is a true service dog, there’s no reason why a dog needs to be brought into a restaurant or grocery store.)
You may be right on the whole. However, I sat in a restaurant one time and watched a dog’s hair sailing through the air after it shook itself. I literally had to swing my plate away so that it wouldn’t land on my food. I also saw a dog in my local supermarket get up on its hind legs and sniff and lick the food in produce bin. I don’t actually dislike dogs, but some of their owners I could do without.
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While it would certainly be a turn-off to have dog hair land on your food and unfair for dog owners to subject other diners to that, it’s also unlikely to make anyone ill. My most recent dog was a constant super shedder and all she had to do was walk by and hairs floated through the air. I often had to pick a dog hair out off my plate and it never made me sick.
Of course a dog licking the produce in a grocery store is disgusting.
I once worked in a roadside fruit and veggie stand. The owner witnessed such disgusting behavior from customers that he used to refer to them privately as “the worms”. One day a woman came in and spent an inordinate amount of time at the corn bin, then left without buying anything. When he went to tidy up the stack of corn that she had made a mess of, he found 5 ears that she had peeled the husk back on and taken a bite out of.
OK, great, it won’t make me sick. I still don’t want to experience it since, as you point out, it is a turn off.
And I know that human beings can do disgusting things, too. But I haven’t had much success in having them barred from restaurants and supermarkets. 
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