Taking the Dog on Holiday Without Telling the Caravan Site… Am I Mad?!

[oceanmountain]

So I’m going away in a couple of weeks and had a dog sitter all sorted… and now they’ve just cancelled because of a family emergency.

I’ve tried everywhere and can’t find anyone else to take the dog on such short notice, and I really don’t want to cancel the trip and upset the kids. So I was thinking of just taking the dog with me and not telling the caravan site.

Has anyone ever done this? My dog’s tiny and doesn’t shed, so I honestly don’t know how they’d even notice.

My friend said I shouldn't do it but I cant see any other option?

My last dog did badly in them..my mum's dog and our childhood dog are absolutely fine. Because of our experience with our last dog we don't book holidays we can't take the dog on now.

OP hasn't actually tried them, so there's a chance they might be fine. But she'd rather break some rules and potentially cause some harm or issues for other people than seeing if her dog is fine a d possibly give herself another option here. Or just not go.

If it is that small perhaps it could sleep in your car. You would still need permission from the caravan site, but on no account take it into the van. Allergies are life threatening.

I think you get the idea from everyone else's responses.The caravan you have booked is not dog friendly.
YABVU and selfish.

Sorry, but you're setting yourself up for a fall here. I used to work at a holiday park and we had a dog smuggler. And make no mistake, if you take it in the van and say nothing you are in that category.

Rules are there for a reason. Don't be that one person that thinks she is entitled to ignore the rules just because. Make no mistake, you risk being thrown out, with no refund and charged the cost of deep cleaning the van and probably an admin fee as well. Good luck with consoling the children. No doubt you'll blame the park instead of yourself.
Your dog WILL shed hair. Even if it's only a few that the eye can barely see.. And you WON'T be able to give the van the deep clean needed to make it as though a pet hadn't been in it.

Don't be that person

Thats how dogs die. You have to do a lot of research before trusting a kennel.

Do a search for dog sitters where you are going. Then you can take doggy, and pick her up when you go home.

Then don't take your kid to a pet friendly caravan park. Good luck finding one though. Most people teach their kids how to get over irrational fears in public places.

If you do this then I truly hope the site management find out and evict you from the park. Without a refund. Ideally on day 1.

Incredibly self entitled and risking the wellbeing of those with allergies who may have the caravan after you.

People like you are disgusting! You didn’t pay to take your dog and now making every excuse and arguing with everyone who disagrees with you. Why come on here and ask if you didn’t want to hear the answers?
Regardless of, if you even bother, cleaning, it can still be a problem for subsequent guests with allergies. Companies use different cleaning methods when they know pets have stayed. That won’t happen in your caravan because of your deception. You are totally in the wrong. Let’s hope you get caught out!

I truly believe the world has gone mad in this regard. People who own kennels aren’t monsters who want to abuse dogs. I’m sure you get the odd dodgy one same as day nurseries but they are generally run by people who like dogs and care about their wellbeing. People have been putting dogs into kennels for years and only since Covid have people decided it is somehow terrible - and so the insanity of dog people persists

I've never seen a thread with such a strong YABU, where the OP is hellbent on doing it anyway. There are no dogs which are completely non-shedding. As someone who spent University holidays cleaning in lodges/caravans, we had to put in longer cleaning times for pet-friendly accommodation (+2 hours from memory... it's a long time ago), and have an understanding that, if you are coming to a pet-friendly accommodation, you might still have some small amounts of allergens left, as you can't always get 100% of everything out, even with the additional time/products.
You are supremely selfish, whether you think you are or not. I get that it's your holiday with your kids, but it's also the holidays of others. If it weren't for the upset to your kids, I wish you would be found out on the first night, and either chucked out - or charged a fortune for the additional cleaning requirements. It's not fair to your pet, and also unfair to all those who follow the rules.

Because it’s so easy to teach some children with additional needs to just get over something…

I am 50/50. Part of me thinks yes just take the dog. Nobody would know, or probably care. But there's that part of me that thinks what if someone used the caravan after me with a severe dog allergy.

Another great example of responsible dog owners

An excellent post from someone in the know.

Only one unhinged a*hole on this thread and it’s the entitled OP who thinks her tiny “toy accessory” breed dog is exempt from rules.

you sound absolutely awful, I hope it rains every day for you.

It isn't something I would do.

Can you message abd say you are now considering bringing your dog, and ask if there are any dog friendly caravans available. If so would you be able to swap to one if you decide to be8ng the dog.

I am guessing there is an extra charge to bring a dog, because the caravans are cleaned in a different way. They will therefore be able to tell if someone has booked or been allocated a dog friendly van, but isn't bringing a dog, and look into swapping you over.

Could your friend ir a family member have the dog.

Well there’s your answer - go there for your holiday instead or leave the dog there 🙄

Claim on your travel insurance then, for your dig sitter falling through. Ah, let me guess…

Like everyone else said, don’t be a dick.

You don’t think allergies are real? A dog spending a week in a caravan will shed a lot of dander. That a cleaning person who didn’t know a dog was there would not necessarily use the right cleaning technique. And someone booking a non-pet caravan would be thinking they are fine when really a dog has been there. But you do you, babes. Who cares if a child with allergies suffers 🙄

You sound rather dishonest and entitled. As others have said, you can't take the dog with you, it presents a risk. Just cancel the holiday and tell your kids that it's part of responsible dog ownership, which is exactly what it is.

Where do you live @oceanmountain ? Or where is the holiday?
if you’re near me or the holiday is near me I’d happily allow your dog to join my 2 little fluff balls rather than you risk being kicked off site.

Ah this is so frustrating. Of course you should tell the site you're bringing a dog. You're giving those odd people who dislike dogs for no reason ammunition to be even more annoying.

If someone had an allergy and the site had to ban dogs full stop you'd have pitchforks at dawn

I’m glad you’re gonna go for it. I’m sure you’ll be fine, just try not to be obvious. I hope
it goes well and you have a good time. The rules are there for everyone else. 😂

Ps if you can’t see the difference between having your dog in a pet free caravan for a week and taking them to “Pandora” for 20 mins (also mental btw) - I think this thread is probably quite pointless.