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?

We have always stood the seat cushions on end overnight so that the dogs didn’t go on the furniture if we’re sleeping upstairs, and left their comfy beds on the floor.

But why would I suddenly not want the dog on the sofa because we’re on holiday - that’s just not fair on them

same here.

It’s unavoidable. In our local café Nero, owners let their dogs sit on the sofas and fabric chairs all the time.

It’s nothing to do with training. I absolutely could train them to stay off the furniture if I wished to and they get down on command. But I don’t want to, I want them with me. They are much happier snoozing with me on the couch than pretty much anywhere else (except maybe meal times and walking!)

A family member has a dog who is allowed on furniture at thier home but nowhere else. Just keep telling the dog to get down. Should be trained to do so.

Dog crate 🤷‍♂️

It’s for people who don’t want to sit in your dog fur. Increasing numbers of holiday lets are dog friendly and it’s hard to find one that isn’t. Many people accept a dog friendly cottage as it otherwise suits their needs but don’t want to be sitting in dog hair - surely it can’t be that hard to understand?

Because it’s not your sofa…

It’s not about you - it’s about other guests!

Then that is your choice but you limit your options of holiday rentals.
Just like everything in life. You make your choices then have to accept the consequences.
Maybe try being grateful that at least there are places that will allow dogs at all. Plenty don’t.

I wish you could too. DH and I both have allergies and he particularly is affected even if there is no current dog there. We have tried but it just ruins some trips.

Who will never know

“Dog friendly” doesn’t mean “only for dog owners” though.

Other people will book it expecting that dogs will have been in the property, of course, but not that they’ve been on the furniture.

I really hope no one is allowing animals on the beds in holiday properties as that’s very anti social.

How do you mean, 'not fair'?

If you mean it isn't fair to confuse them with a situation you haven't prepared for in your dog training, then you are right: Anyone planning to take their dog into holiday accommodation, should have trained them to stay off furniture unless given a cue to get up on it.

If you mean 'Poor doggie not having the same comforts as me' then you are wrong. Dogs is dogs, innit.

The pet friendly accommodation I have used has always said 'no dogs on furniture'. A combo of training and/or crates, and/or room restriction has meant this isn't a problem.

It would definitely be unreasonable to allow a dog up when the owner has said no to this.

Stay at home then I guess so your dog will be happy on holiday.
I think places need to stop saying dog friendly as the friendly seems to give the impression of more than it just being dogs are allowed.
Just like child friendly doesn’t mean there won’t be a million ornaments a three year old could smash.

I genuinely don’t get the uproar about dogs on furniture when pretty much every holiday rental will have manky sex stains and sweaty body juice all over the place - do you ever really think this through?

I don’t need to stay at home, as I have already said, I take brand new throws and clean before I leave, no one has ever complained. And, as I have also said, the filthiest people in my holiday rental are the dog free ones!

How gross would the sofas/beds be in these places if dogs were allowed on the furniture though? Heavily stained, smelly and no matter how hard you try to hoover them, covered in hair still.

Id rather they have this rule and people stick to it or bring their own blankets and throws to cover the sofa.

Thats what we do when we take our dog away.

I found a lovely pet friendly cottage, then read that dogs were only allowed in the boot room, nowhere else in the cottage. So basically allowed in a small and enclosed entryway- I don’t see how they could sell themselves as pet friendly when they weren’t really allowed in!

I would always keep the dog off the sofa, at night I’d cover the sofas in blankets and take a dog bed for when I’m not there to police them. I imagine most pet friendly places will have had dogs on the furniture at some point.

I love my dog snuggling on the settee with me. He is part of the family so, of course, he is allowed on the settee.

Oh, and newsflash, NOT ALL DOGS MOULT!

Some dog people really cannot understand that some other people really really dislike dogs and find them dirty and disgusting. Esp when on sofas and beds. Doesn’t mean those people love sex stains 🙄

Accepts Dogs and Dog Friendly are two very different things.

I know what you mean, my Dog is pretty good at not going on the sofa if we’re there telling him not to but unsupervised not so much because he is allowed at home so how is he supposed to know the difference (we use throws/blankets).
The worst one was the “dog friendly” cottage I booked that didn’t allow dogs upstairs but hadn’t told us this beforehand and also had no doors downstairs or a stair gate! Pretty impossible to keep dog downstairs in that scenario when they’re allowed at home.

That’s what I’m finding.

I guess it’s like all things though - we have covers on the furniture at home so we’d do the same where ever we went - but some people are probably quite manky - with or without dogs!