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?

As you've already asked the caravan park they'll be aware that you want to bring a dog and will probably check your caravan

Don't do it, it's not worth the embarrassment or the risk to people with allergies

But you'll just do what you want cos you're the main character and rules don't apply. Why did you even bother posting

We were staying in a holiday Lodge park where someone did this.

The holiday park management & security did a 'dawn raid' and evicted them at 6.30 am. Put all their belongings on the grass outside the lodge.

Apparently it does happen every season & the holiday park management will be wise to it & be looking out for it.

What a selfish, disgusting person you are. Screw everyone else with allergies, hey, what you want overrides everything. Vile

This is really not enough. I have a friend who's child is extremely allergic to dogs. And as someone who's similarly allergic to cats I'd know straight away if a cat had been somewhere before I went there even if they'd cleaned thoroughly.

Those people will be paying having specifically chosen a pet free cabin. Except it's not pet free because you feel entitled.

You need to ring around boarding kennels. That's your alternative.

Yes this. DH is also allergic to dogs and has had to go to hospital before from a reaction to a “hypoallergenic” dog so we try to be very careful with where we book.

Kennels are great btw, you shouldn’t be snobby about using them.

Easy, your dog sitter can take your silent, non-shedding microdog with them while they attend to their family emergency. Nobody will notice, apparently.

@Ewockdid you not read my post
shes A dog for people with allergies!

Also to add if your holiday is in a few weeks then you have time to do a trial run at kennels as well to get them used to the space and people.

As a dog owner I understand why you're worried about this but I think you need to either do what you can to prep your pet for a slightly different experience than they're used to, or you take it on the chin that you can't go on holiday and ask them if they'll move your booking to a new date.

It’s all very well saying that there’s no one going with you who has allergies - what about the next people? If the caravan site know you’ve had a dog in the van they will do a more thorough clean including hoovering or shampooing the upholstery etc. it’s great that your dog doesn’t shed hair but they will absolutely lose skin cells and lots of people with allergies it’s the dander that they’re allergic to, not the hair. For my DB this would be potentially life threatening.l if we were in the caravan after you.

There is no such thing.

Some dogs are less likely to get a reaction but ALL dogs have some allergens. It’s not just about the hair.

Please don't be selfish. It's bloody miserable for people with allergies to have to deal with a pet free caravan not being pet free.

When the dcs were young, we went on a weekend away in an ostensibly dog free chalet that had clearly had had someone's dog sneaked in - there was dog hair on the chairs and within 10 minutes of being in there my Dd was wheezing and needing her inhaler,, and I was sneezing with streaming eyes.
The owners were sympathetic when we rang and complained but at a bit of a loss - they didn't have another pet free option for us and there was no one on site to do a deep clean. It was late evening in a rural area, we couldn't find a hotel room in the local town, so we had to give the weekend trip up and drive several hours home, worrying about my 3year olds asthma, which at that time was fairly new diagnosed and brittle, as well as dealing with the older dcs disappointment - just because some selfish people didn't respect the dog free rule. We did get a refund from the nice owners but it was still one of our rare family trips ruined.

You may well clean up before you go and the caravan will also be cleaned, but if I hired a van that wasn't supposed to have had a dog in and I discovered it had, I'd be demanding my money back. I have a cat allergy and my sneezing and itchy eyes soon tell me if a cats been around, even after cleaning. You should not take your dog.

There is no such thing as a 100% hypoallergenic dog. Some breeds are just slightly better than others.

Most holiday accommodation even if it advertised as pet friendly, doesn’t allow people to leave their pets there unsupervised whilst they go out. So that would be a concern for me as to whether your dog is OK being left alone in a strange place.

I guess logically that if they are, then they may be OK with Kennels, and it’s probably best to explore this option or an alternative pet sitting service before you go down the route of sneaking them in to the caravan.

Just don't let it into the caravan. It can stay outside and sleep in the car.

What about contacting kennels in the area around the site to see if they have a vacancy?

No, don’t. Allergies etc. Be considerate - not everyone wants to stay somewhere where a fog has stayed. Even if someone has no allergies, a non dog owner can always smell where a dog has been. (Bit like smoking - those that are used to it can’t smell it). 🤷‍♀️

No dog is 100% hypo allergenic as even if they don’t shed hair they will at some point shed some skin cells and it’s often these that people are allergic to. For someone with a severe allergy it doesn’t take much exposure to cause an issue.

You’ve got a few weeks until you go. Put the dog in for a few days between now and then.

I can’t believe people who won’t do this- what if you were ill or suddenly needed to go into hospital for an op? IME it’s really cruel not to get a dog used to kennels at some point. I’d also rather a professional look after my pets than have a put-upon friend do it.

If you categorically won’t consider kennels and can’t get a cancellation for a dog friendly caravan I think you need to cancel and take the financial hit, or start trying to find someone else to go to the caravan with your kids.

Right. This is such an obvious solution. It’s not like it’s midsummer and the car will get dangerously hot! The dog will be absolutely fine.

Well OP, your dog is special, so of course it won’t be a problem.

Your brain needs a factory reset...

Yeah just take it and leave it in your car.

You’d be rather grim to take it into the caravan when it is dog free. I’m allergic to them so I’d have a lovely time if I had to spend time in there after your mutt had been in (clue - cleaning doesn’t get rid of the allergens).

Put it in kennels. It doesn't matter that it's not been there before. Every dog has a first time. You seem to think your dog is more important than considering anyone else.