AIBU to find pet-friendly cottages impractical if dogs cannot use furniture?

[Butterflyfluff]

I’ve been looking at ‘pet friendly’ holiday cottages in the UK to take our dog and pretty much all of them say dogs are not allowed on furniture or in bedrooms.

I don’t think I know anyone who’s dogs don’t jump on the sofa so how are you supposed to mange this - take loads of covers or just stay at home?

Just take lots of throws with you. They're just trying to protect their furniture and bedding. If sofas get stained it's almost impossible to get the stains out in the changeover window. The next guests then complain

My dogs are allowed on furniture at home (sofa & chairs covered with throws however), and won't realise they can't sit on sofas etc with us on holiday.

I know this, so I take dog beds, clean blankets and throws to cover furniture, and lint rollers to remove excess dog hair from any surfaces before we leave. I can't always stop them wanting to be on a sofa, but I can make sure the sofa is fully covered so that it's left clean for the hosts. It's easy enough to do, albeit I do end up packing more dog stuff than my own stuff!

I would never leave my dogs alone and unattended in a holiday let.

It would be rude to allow them on the furniture... if one was told at the time of booking that they were not allowed on the furniture, but choosing to book it anyway (fully intending to let them on the furniture)

That is incredibly rude, yes.

It usually means there is an outside space which is secure for dogs.

Not in my experience. It just means they allow dogs. The amount of places I look at which are 'dog friendly' which have no garden or no secure garden is unreal. On some sites you can narrow down your search by 'enclosed garden', so I use those sites to save wasting my bloody time wading through unsuitable (for me) listings.

I noted upthread that I actually asked outright about a secure garden and was told yes. Turned out it was shared, so I wasnt' comfortable letting the dog out for pees there anyway.

😡Just be clear on the listing!

If the information was good though, the owner wouldn't need to get lots of people asking though. Just a thought

I would take covers. I would not take a hoover. If I'm on holiday, (in an expensive house which will be cleaned by a cleaner) I will not be doing housework.

I think it’s reasonable to request dogs are kept off furniture and beds. The visitors after you might not have dogs and probably won’t want to find stray dog hairs on their chairs or mattress. No matter how good the cleaner is, it’s going to be pretty hard to remove all traces of dog for the next incoming guests.

Owners of holiday homes - state your rules clearly on your booking page. No sneaking rules in after place is paid for.

Everyone else - book somewhere that meets your requirements. Be it no dogs or dogs on furniture etc

Personal opinions are irrelevant then.

YABU. A Dog doesnt need to get on sofas or go in bedrooms.

I was once looking for places in the cotswolds and the owner had very sensibly put their rules up front for their pet friendly lodge (fantastic!)

However two of the rules (amongst others) were😀

• the dog may not be left unsupervised in any room at any time

and

• the dog is not allowed upstairs.

so...... we're all sleeping on the floor in the living room then?? 😂

😂 some here would have you believe that’s fair!

Those aren't unreasonable requests to be fair. It isn't your home.

So the human guest cannot sleep in the bedroom of the let?

Of course you can - sans chien.

Are we breeding a generation of needy dogs who can't bear to be apart from their owners for a night? Our dogs never slept in bedrooms or on furniture. We used to take them on holiday with us but we camped. In fact this was the only time the dog would have slept next to humans because he would be in the tent.

But that would mean the dog would be alone in another room unsupervised.

which was against their other rule.

---

If I am upstairs where the dog is not allowed, and the dog is downstairs.... Then the dog is alone, unsupervised in another room. Do you see?

I’m sorry but this is bonkers. You buy new duvets and pillows every month? You get your carpets professionally cleaned fortnightly? What a waste of money and stuff.

This whole thread has some bizarre stuff on it honestly!

Who’s to know 🤷‍♀️

D'oh. Of course. Silly me 😊

They are completely contradictory though? 🤨

This is another interesting view - I might be stupid but I always do a basic clean and Hoover in a holiday house - I know it will be professionally cleaned but I just thought that’s what everyone did.

I wouldn’t take a hoover but use what’s there.

It's fine for your dogs to sit on your own sofas and your own beds (and lick their ases!) but I think you're being unreasonable to expect other people to allow it in their premises, especially if it's a holiday rental. Nobody wants to arrive at a holiday cottage and find the place smells of dogs and the sofa and, worse still, the beds covered in dog hair!

Having had a bad experience with bedsheets being covered in dog hairs in a holiday rental, I always now avoid any places that accept dogs. I know it drastically reduces the choice but I prefer to be in a place that doesn't smell and is free of hairs.

They are not dog friendly if dogs are not allowed on the furniture or upstairs. They shouldn’t be advertised as such.

Crate them at night

If they changed the bedding and vacuumed, there shouldn't be any dog hairs on it (or certainly not enough for them to be 'covered'). I'd be more concerned that you were given dirty bedding, to be honest!