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?

And its not fair on the property owners not to follow their rules. if you want dogs on your furniture at home its your choice. If you cant keep your dog of furniture in holiday lets, dont take your dog.

@MyballsareSandy2015

Thats outrageous from your friend!! Crazy 🤯

If I ran a holiday home I wouldn't take a booking from OP.

This just shows how ludicrous dog ownership has become. Many places allow dogs but do not want their bedding or sofas ruined by dogs

Dog friendly has become now to mean..dogs can do whatevrt they like.

On another thread someone recently said dogs and babies have equal rights in a park erm. No. Dogs are pets and animals and need to be controlled around humans particularly children. They are allowed. Ie tolerated in shared spaces

I have a child who is very scared of off lead dogs particularly large ones and we now cant go to any parks because of this

Dog friendly means you may bring you dog not that the space is all about dogs and what they want to do

Yes. Our dog is allowed on a throw-covered sofa at home, with permission. She never tries to get on a sofa when we are elsewhere, including in holiday cottages where she is left downstairs overnight.

Why don't people train their dogs?

This is why as a dog hater (sorry) I could never ever stay in ‘pet friendly’ accommodation. Trusting owners to respect the rules is pretty hit and miss. I can only imagine the smell 🫢

I'd take a couple of old blankets with me to put on sofa and in bedroom, then nobody would know.

Those who have your dog sleep in your bedroom with you… does that not make for a really stinky bedroom? Morning breath and dog breath all mingled together 🤢

It's not extremely hard at all. We've managed to train 4 dogs not to get on furniture away from home.

You say badly trained dogs, I say owners making choices on what to train their dogs to do. I have trained my dog to remind me to stop sitting at my desk when it gets to around 9ish so that he can sit on the sofa with me while we both chill. 😁

I take throws so my dog can sit next to me on the sofa. I also take a mobile child gate for those places where she's not allowed upstairs (at home her bed is on the landing outside my room) as I've found lots of places we've been to have said no dogs upstairs but had open plan living and no way to keep a dog that goes upstairs at home from following you up when she knows you're asleep.

My dog is only allowed on the kitchen sofa, not the sofa in the lounge and not the sofa in other people's homes. They get the idea quickly enough.

If you can't stop your dog from jumping up on furniture then it's badly trained.

Why can't you say no?

Training a dog means training what no means.

I think people have completely lost the concept of what a well trained dog is.

My dog isn't allowed on furniture at home but I can see how for those that are it might be difficult
He always used to come upstairs though even if he wasn't supposed to but he used to just lie on the landing outside the bedrooms so I made sure it was clean when we left if necessary
Last time we to a SC cottage with him he took one look athe steep stairs and decided to just sleep on the lounge floor instead

If you look after you dog's teeth, they don't have bad breath.
Why does it matter anyway? It is weird to be disgusted about something that does not affect you.

Agreed - I feel the same when people let their dog sit on a seat on the train/tube. I have no issue with dogs being on public transport, but don’t think they should be on the seats - aside from the fact a human might need that seat, who wants to find themselves covered in dog hair if they then sit down?

But I don’t want to I stop my dog joining me on the sofa. In fact I trained him to join me there. He doesn’t join visitors when they sit there, only me. Why can’t you understand that other people are not the same as you?

I expect the rules to be made clear about where the dog can and cannot go at the time of booking. If it says a dog cannot go on the furniture then I don't book the place.

If nothing was mentioned and I turned up to find a rule book that basically states anything from "no dogs on furniture" to the dog has to live in the kitchen and boot room (no joke this actually happened once) then I simply ignore it. They should have made their rules clear. My dog usually wants one of her blankets on furniture anyway.

To be clear - I treat their home the same as I would treat my own. Paws washed if muddy, dog dried, no muddy boots on carpets, no wet towels left on beds, no teabags left on sides, (they stain!!), microwave wiped after use (fire hazard if bits are left), tables covered with protective stuff if we have an indian because of the spices and oils etc etc.

I am respectful of a property but specific rules need to made clear up front. The reason they dont state them up front is because less people would book the place.

@YeOldeGreyhound

all dogs have bad breath.

THIS!!

no excuses, it’s just RANK!

dogs can sit on floor , no reason why they need to sit on a seat on a train. End of.

Incorrect. Not all dogs have bad breath.

@CaptBirdsEar

they do because they don’t clean them twice a day as vast majority of humans do.

My friend owns a lovely dog friendly air bnb and says that the dog owning renters who come with their dogs are much cleaner than the ones without.

We went to one that said no dogs on furniture or upstairs.
There was no stair gate up.
In the daytime it’s pretty easy to enforce, but at night what do you do?
If the dog isn’t allowed upstairs it will make its way onto the sofa regardless?
if there’s no gate it will make its way upstairs at night too.
My Spaniel does prefer to sleep in his crate but we did wonder what you’re supposed to do if they don’t?

Same ☺️