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?

The entitlement of dog owners! So what if your dog has never been in kennels? You're ignoring perfecty sensible solutions and hoping you will get validation.

Um I'm a dog owner (3 dogs) and would never in a million years dream of doing something so selfish!!!

We have had to cancel a holiday last minute a few years ago as our dog sitter fell poorly and we had no other options. We just had to lose the money and suck it up.

Oh wow, could you please send me some special nuts for people with nut allergies? 🙄

This has to be a (bad) joke. Surely no one is this stupid?

Small dogs are nothing new, theyve been around for around 10,000 years.
They are as proper as any other dog.

As such, if OP cannot switch to a dog friendly caravan on site - then she needs to cancel the holiday, or find alternative secure accommodation for the dog, and completely ignore mini internet bitches who get their jollies from dripping poison about dog sizes.

Please don't do this. Apart from anything else, someone coming in who doesn't have a dog will smell your dog has been in it as will the cleaners probably

🤣

My dog has never been in kennels but we are for our next holiday because we can’t find a reliable sitter. I can’t say I’m comfortable with the idea however we’ll never know how it will get on if we don’t try. It comes on all uk holidays but this is abroad and too hot.

Have you thought about trusted housesitters? I’ve heard good things about them.

in response to your question, no I wouldn’t take the risk! It’s not a dog friendly caravan for a reason. If you get found out you will get thrown off and you may not be allowed back

do you have any travel insurance??

I think you have missed the point. It doesn't matter whether your family have allergies it's the families coming in after you that might. Even if you supposedly clean there could still be hair lingering.
Very selfish of you to consider this, and if you do it I hope you get caught and banned from the site.

No you can't do this OP
I have a dog; we book dog friendly accommodation (such accommodation used to be the naff end of cottages and caravans etc but not now) and I'm unsure why you didn't do this? Kennels/catteries are fine: you can check reviews.
Our cat used to love going to the cattery!

No dog is non shedding- they all do. And it's the dander!
It would also leave the site owners open to complaints if someone with an allergy became ill after staying where a dog had been.
Who would want that on their conscience?

You cannot leave your dog alone in the caravan even if it was a dog they knew you were bringing and you were in a suitable caravan.

My grandson is allergic to dogs, it's not the dog hair but shedding skin cells and saliva. The protein in the saliva which triggers a reaction can persist on soft furnishings etc.No dog breed is 100% hypoallergenic.

Even with dog friendly caravan/cottage/apartment etc they normally stipulate that dogs should not be left there on their own

I have 2 dogs and tbh it's owners like you who cause problems for the rest of us!

Bit ironic that the OP initially booked a nice clean no-dogs caravan for her own benefit! She can't even say she was going to book one originally because the way it's phrased "I don't have a dog friendly caravan and they have none left" suggests she tried to change it to a dog-caravan and was unable to.

I was allocated a room I was told was dog free, and found out it wasn’t at 3am when I woke up wheezing and breathless.
turned out a dog had stayed in the room just the previous week.
if you do this - and you sound a bit selfish and dim, so I think you will - I hope you get caught immediately.

Try the Rover app for short notice dog sitters. We usually can find something at such short notice.

OP you're giving dog owners a bad name. If your dog is so little trouble can't you ask a friend to have him stay?

OP, even it pet friendly accommodation, you can’t usually leave a pet while you are not there. I will probably be decried for this but if the dog doesn’t mind being left, could you leave it in your car? I stayed at a dog free hotel once and the owner, who had a dog, left the dog in the car.

But no dog has ever been in Kennels until the first time they are put in kennels!

I think that your best solution would be to book your dog into kennels as close as possible to where you are staying on holiday, and then take your dog out with you during the days when you are off site.

If you will be near the coast, most beaches allow dogs at this time of year, and if your children are still young enough to enjoy making sandcastles, you could all have great fun on a beach, and maybe take a ball and play catch - our dog used to love trying to catch the ball, and running through sandcastles!

If you also take two large flasks away with you, you could have one with tea or coffee in it, and another with hot chocolate, in case you couldn't find a cafe that let's dogs in. From my own childhood I can tell you that in bad weather, car picnics were fun, especially if there was a nice view, and the promise of a (short?) exploration outside whilst well wrapped up and wearing wet weather gear. You may well be aware of my last idea, which is that many of the larger garden centre cafes also allow well behaved dogs in.

But please, whatever you do Do Not take your dog into your caravan. Many of the other guests will be annoyed if they see your dog, and you really do not want to be stood over while you pack up and leave. But the main reason for you not to do it, is that you Will Be incredibly selfish to be willing to risk other peoples health by taking your dog into a dog free caravan. Please believe the PP's when they are saying that a dogs hair or fur is only one thing that can cause allergies! Most animals, including humans and dogs, are constantly shedding dead skin cells, and their saliva and tiny wee and bum drips can frequently cause allergic reactions, and also several very dangerous diseases. The next family in the caravan might have an 8 month old baby crawling on the floor, and a normal caravan clean does not deep wash, or indeed wash at all, a caravans floors. A very quick vacuum is all that the floor gets between guests!

Lastly, please teach your children by example, that breaking the strict rules of places that are providing a service for you, is just as bad as stealing from others, and potentially as nasty as going into the special care unit on a baby ward at a hospital, when you have a streaming cold!

You could also try and find kennels/dog care near where you are staying and take the dog out for the with you.

I am really allergic to dogs. I can get an allergy simply sitting next to someone who has a dog. I’m also allergic to dogs which don’t shed (I’m particularly allergic to poodles)

i only ever stay in dog free places for this reason. There have been places I’ve stayed where I got ill (I have asthma so it’s not simply a runny nose when I get ill, I have been hospitalised before). When I approached the owners once after feeling wheezy? they admitted a dog had been there (and this was about three stays before mine).

it’s not just left over hair, it’s their dander too. And unless you can clean everything (including sofas etc) you will leave residue behind. Please don’t do this, it’s so annoying when people do.

Then you cannot do it.

There's another thread going about a woman who can't book hotel rooms, as any dog hair shed can trigger a serious (ie hospitalising) asthma attack.

eh? All dogs who use kennels will have had a first time!

My child has such severe allergies to dander and fur that she breaks out in weeping, red raw eczema if she comes into any contact with dog/cat used furniture. It can trigger an asthmatic reaction which can be deadly. I would be livid and probably sue the caravan park if their dog-free accommodation had residual pet dander/fur in it. Don't be so utterly selfish.