Air bnb owner ott or do we deserve to be chucked out?

[Pilloh]

We were forced out of our house due to a water leak in the house. The insurance company said we had to move out due to the severity of the work.

A bit of a nightmare for us as we have a large dog. He’s been called a wonderfully mannered dog by a qualified behaviourist outside the house who really doesn’t care about people/other dogs. But he is a breed used for guarding and therefore very barky at home (we have a command that gets him to be quiet but it doesn’t stop the impulse to bark initially). Not to make excuses, we were working on this with the behaviourist pre-pandemic but our progress stalled so we just manage the situation. Ie we have gates all around our house/garden, don’t allow strangers and the dog to meet inside the house (he’s totally fine with people when they are not on “his” property). Our house is basically Fort Knox and only DH and I are here so it’s all pretty easy to manage.

We told the air bnb owner that please tell the cleaner not to enter house or garden without telling us as dog will run up and bark at strangers. He agreed. We explained the situation and he said he understood.

Yesterday pm, cleaner comes into the garden when I was playing footy - she was fetching something from shed. Dog ran towards her and barked. I gave the recall command which worked initially but then my dog ran back to cleaner and barked. It’s no doubt intimidating. After 20 ish secs dog was in the house and I apologised. Recall is not full proof hence why we never rely on it. We would never have found an Airbnb where we were not assured we would be informed of any person entering the property.

Owner has messaged now saying the cleaner won’t return whilst we are here and that means we have to leave as the owner is not ok with the house not being maintenanced.

Cleaner has visited 4 times without incident as the right procedures were followed.

Who is being unreasonable?

GSD, then?

Either way, YABVVVVVVVU. It's one thing to be told a dog isn't friendly and another to witness it/have an employee witness it. Your dog is clearly out of control.

No one outside of those working in the middle of bloody Kazakhstan (edit to be clear those 'guardian breeds' are used to keep WOLVES at bay and hence why they are needed) need a 'guarding breed.' No one.

I would be with you if it was a retriever or a collie, if you have a pitt bull or a rottweiler it is a totally different story.
I would not want any accident on my property while you are there, so I'd ask you to leave. Nothing personal. It is business.

YANBU. You asked to be told when the cleaner was going to be there. She turned up unscheduled. Her fault.

It is the same as if a cleaner was to walk in on someone naked in a hotel room, after being told always to knock first. If they dont knock then it is hardly the guest's fault!

Dont follow rules - you get what you get.

(Though blaming the pandemic is really annoying - that excuse has got old very quickly)

Look up fb group reactive dog holidays. There are lots of properties that are uses to having strangers danger dogs staying and won't come in at all.
I think YABU as this sounds like an unsuitable letting, if a cleaner needs to turn your to get stuff it isn't an ideal property for you all.

We did not merely say dog is unfriendly. We went so far as to say he will bite (he hasn’t but we wanted to convey the issue)

Is your sister OK with that?

What breed OP?

I think people with scary dogs obviously see the soft, gentle and loving side of them and forget that to others their animal is terrifying. Especially when out of control. I think that may be happening here?

Incidentally re the vets saying dogs are lovely - I find I’ve never known a very to say “What a horrible dog get rid of it”. I saw a clip from Vet on the Hill (I think k that’s what it’s called) of a family with a Rottweiler that they can’t take out because it tries to attack everyone and every dog. They muzzle it but this dog was insane. They took it to the TV vet who had to sit in a room with it for hours before it finally let him sedate him so he could have a lump examined. It would have killed this vet had it not been muzzled and restrained. The vet kept saying “I can see deep down he has a lovely nature” 🙄

You're not being unreasonable. You discussed the situation and agreed terms, which the air bnb owner has broken.

The owner put the cleaner in danger in the first place. He either didn't pass on the message they'd be coming or didn't explain to the cleaner how important it was not to make unannounced visits because of the dog.

Why are people asking what breed? Why does that matter?

The owner was told clearly (and I presume OP also told them the breed/ they saw with their own eyes) how the dog would react.

Either they or the cleaner didnt do as OP asked, yet OP now has to find somewhere else to live!

@TrishIsMySpiritAnimal of course, but the vet explicitly said “x is the loveliest [breed] at this surgery”. We read his report as well (behaviourist required it). Many comments in his report call him lovely.

I’m just here to find out what you have in your house that you need a big guard dog and for it to be like Fort Knox ……

I’m hoping for some sort of rare penguin breeding programme or the cure for something ideally 🤔

But I digress. YABU. Their house, their rules. And you can’t really complain re them taking your money. You paid whilst you stayed there, and now you have to leave, you will cease paying. So that’s a moot point.

Good cleaners are like gold dust and I would prioritise mine over any guest

YANBU - regardless of the dog, the cleaner should not be letting themselves into the property without warning (whether a call to let you know or even just knocking when they arrived) while a guest is in residence.

I have been a cleaner in hotels before and it was always standard practice to knock on any door before letting yourself in, even if you watched the resident walk out past you a few minutes earlier, as you have no idea what is happening behind the door - you could have been doing naked yoga on the lawn for all the cleaner knew! - and knocking gives the resident chance to get themselves together before they answer.

If she had knocked then this would have prevented this whole debacle as you would have had chance to secure the dog in the house or by putting a lead on etc so that they could not approach the cleaner but you weren't given that opportunity because of their lack of basic respect for what should be a guests private space.

Why won't you say the breed?

Because if it’s a Rottweiler that’s obviously more dangerous than a chihuahua

They're changed their mind. They now realise it's a faff they don't want now they've seen it in action. You can keep saying it but things have changed.

I'm sorry man. Being turfed out of the house for repairs properly sucks.

OP I think all dogs have lovely qualities and I’m sure yours is lovely - but think about the fact you have to go to the lengths you do to protect visitors. Think how that seems to outsiders - the AirBnB owner is protecting their staff, and it seems this reaction is proportionate.

I hope you find somewhere in the meantime

How long are you there for? Would suggesting that you don't have a cleaner visit not work?

I think it's very usual not to have cleaners (or anyone) intrude unannounced! I'd be shocked if this happened at an air bnb I was in (and I rent one or two a year, never has a cleaner come without prior warning).

Presumably you've only been charged for the days you've been there. The owner thinks you’re not suitable enters because of the dog. He didn’t refuse to rent to you from the start, but after time he’s realised he doesn’t want you there anymore.

I'm with you op. Plans were made and not kept to, but the owners have the final say. I hope you're back home soon x
And I don't own a dog!

I don't know why people are hanging on to the Fort Knox comment. If you have a dog that guards rather the house, you need barriers and back up barriers, the end.

I'm guessing dog is a GSD or a Dobermann.

We went so far as to say he will bite (he hasn’t but we wanted to convey the issue)

The owner might not actually have appropriate insurance to cover this and now that there's been an incident has realised, or he might risk losing his cleaner, or both. Can't you find a rental that can cater for a reactive dog?

Lots of dogs are fine with people out and about but do guard space. Doesn't make them untrained, especially if it is genetic. It needs to be managed very well. That is why there are trainers, and then behaviourists. This isn't a training issue. Dogs can be trained (meaning to demonstrate a skill) whilst still having wider behavioural challenges. Some of the best trained sporting dogs around are reactive outside of the setting.

Think you need a new behaviourist ASAP if you spent thousands on it. If your in the UK all your dog needs to do is scare someone now to be reported! Also if your worried etc some breeds pick up on it and can become more protective

It doesn't matter what the vet or behaviourist said. The owner doesn't want you there anymore as your dog is intimidating and scared the cleaner. He's allowed to change his mind.