What would you consider a 'dog friendly' cottage to be?

[AiNoCorrida]

I'm asking because we booked one and it absolutely wasn't and now they are refusing a refund.

We had to book a cottage very last minute as our renovation project wasn't finished on time. We booked with Sykes cottages, a cottage described as dog friendly which is billed as having a fenced off garden.

We arrived. First thing we see as we walk in is a cushion on the couch in the front room saying 'no dogs on here' and a big sign saying no dogs upstairs (with no doors cordoning off the downstairs). The whole cottage has cream carpets and white sofas. Then we go into the garden and there is a fence on one side (right). The bottom of the garden is completely open to a field (there may have been a few fence posts but no fence). The left of the garden has a solid bush across most of it bar the last 6 foot in the corner which opens onto a public footpath. The bush is one our dog could fit under with not much trying.

The Sykes person we phoned agreed with us and said we could have a refund but the owner has refused and said she stands by the fact that her cottage is dog friendly. I volunteered to pay the night we had to stay there (till we found something else) plus an extra night and the cleaning charge - they have insisted we pay the full 7 nights. I will now do a chargeback on my card but interested to hear what others think.

Oh! Whenever I see a property listed as ‘dog friendly’ I just think it means ‘you’re allowed to bring your dog’, not ‘this house has been set up for dog visitors’. Didn’t even occur to me people might think the latter.

It just means 'dogs permitted'. Not 'adapted to suit dogs.' Have booked dog friendly for years. Never expected more than that.

I tend to assume that it just means dogs are allowed, having experienced the full spectrum of dog-friendliness when staying in holiday cottages. I look separately for the words "enclosed garden" and make sure that it has a lawn, and that photos of the house don't show carpets downstairs or white sofas (we do bring large, thick throws with us, but even so . . .). Otherwise, it's too stressful trying to keep a muddy or sandy wet spaniel away from the carpets and furniture.

I'm always amazed at how many of these "dog friendly" cottages don't have a garden hose. How are you supposed to wash the dog down before taking it inside the house?

@GCAcademic yes that's exactly what happened to us. Arrived v late at night, v dark. Whole cottage surrounded in mud. Opened front door, turned on lights to see the carpet. Had to immediately grab the spaniel and went outside with the torch on my phone to look for the hose only to find there wasn't one. Then had to find the bathroom (which was upstairs where supposedly the dog wasn't allowed!) to then clean him before he could walk anywhere.

Actually the whole set up is giving me a high heart rate thinking about it😂. Anyway lesson learned. I totally get every set up is different but no way would I have carpets - apart from anything else, they must stink after a while.

I hate places that claim to be dog-friendly but say dogs are only allowed in the kitchen. I also have a slight beef with the dogs on the beds thing - if my dog gets on the bed, so what? They're going to have to strip and wash the sheets between guests anyway, so why does it matter? I get not letting dogs on the sofa because sofas are much harder to clean.

However, it has never occurred to me to think that the garden should be dog-proof. If it isn't, then she can go on a lead and her recall is pretty solid anyway.

I think it’s just ‘dogs permitted’.
Same as if children allowed I wouldn’t ever assume ‘ child safe’. I would still expect to have to watch child way more than in own home.

People have different expectations. Ie I would say our home is child friendly, we have a toddler who’s been brought up here since birth. He spends all day running around house and garden with us. Garden is steep and not fenced in to open woods at the back.
But friends recently stayed with child 1 year older and they found the amount of steps indoors and outside and steep garden terrifying as child isn’t used to it.

I wouldn’t ever expect a dog to be allowed on a sofa in another property, even dog friendly. Would take dog bed

Yep this. In my experience, that's what dog friendly means.
Just that dogs are welcome.
Not that it is set up for dogs and caters for them.
I do think the better cottage owners are specific in their 'house rules' descriptions online.
I now always assume dogs wont be allowed upstairs or on furniture if advertised as Dog Friendly.
I would assume garden is secure either, but again, a good cotrage owner should specify as a house rule that dogs are kept on lead in the grounds if it's necessary.
But the onus as the dog owner is also on us to check if its not clear.

It really depends on what the small print says unfortunately. We’ve rejected properties before because dogs aren’t allowed upstairs, and one property claimed to be dog friendly but the dog was only allowed in the kitchen which was utterly ridiculous.

In my ideal world, dog friendly would mean a completely secure garden and the dog would be able to use all areas of the property (although probably not the bed). There would be throws on the sofa which could be washed, and there would be bowls and old towels for drying them off.

It means dogs are allowed.
It doesn't mean dogs can run riot, sleep on beds and sofas, be left alone in the house or that the garden is fully enclosed.

This. After years of staying in cottages with our last dog I don’t think we’ve ever had a secure garden. Some places didn’t have a garden at all. A variety of decor. It’s one of the reasons we crate trained her so she would be happy in it if not allowed on the furniture. We took throws as well.

I agree. I would certainly pursue a refund OP. Go through your credit card company if you have to. I’d be leaving bad reviews where I can.

I think dog friendly simply means dogs allowed.

That said, if a property advertised as dog friendly had specifically listed a fenced garden, I would assume that to mean fully fenced and secure for an average dog.

I've never stayed in a dog friendly cottage that has allowed dogs in the bedrooms or on the sofa. They always say dogs to be kept downstairs and off of the furniture and not left alone in the property.

I've also found 'dog friendly' to means dogs permitted' and I'd much rather they used that phrase or 'dogs allowed'.

It's not especially friendly to have a house that you alllow dogs in but have not got the set up for them.

However, as a result I would not expect a secure garden, dogs allowed on furniture or upstairs. The cream carpet I would just assume they were fine with it getting muddy to the level it does when the dry mud can be vacuumed off but never truly removed.

However, if I'd been promised a secure garden and not provided with one, I'd be pissed off.

I would expect dog friendly to have a secure garden and hard floors.

I don't expect dogs to be allowed upstairs or on furniture though, and I'd think they were pretty daft to have cream sofas just because of dogs brushing past them.

I can't recall the site right now, but there is one that has a 'dogs allowed' filter and a 'dog friendly' filter.

Past experience has told me not to assume anything with regards to rules. I'm ok with property owners setting whatever rules they want but they should be stated up front, not a laminated leaflet on the side when you first arrive.

Yes absolutely a secure fenced garden, for any size of dog. Should state height of fences in case you have a big dog who can jump. Secure gates etc.

Suitable for dogs to be downstairs, hard floor or dark carpets. If dogs not allowed upstairs then there should be a door or some kind of gate provided to be able to stop them. I would not expect them to have to stay in kitchen only downstairs.

If dogs are welcome then it is foolish to have light/cream sofas. The very least you should provide blankets for protection, not necessarily for the dog to get on the furniture, but they could brush against it and or have wet paws or coat.

The owner needs to realise that dog owners have a very wide range of standards from people like my mother who would let her dog in the bed with her to others who keep their dog outside or crated.

We had a holiday let and we let dogs in. No cream carpets or sofas. I’m not a madwoman.

I run luxury holiday lets that are marketed as dog friendly, but specify on all booking sites that dogs are not allowed on furniture or in bedrooms. as we have 800 tc linens. Getting paw prints out of a snowy superking duvet can take hours and does not always work therefore costing £115 to replace. That is not mentioning the white towels at £45 each. It is easy to close doors to bedrooms.
There are tiled kitchen diners and hallways and wooden floors in the living room with a rug. Dogs are fine to sleep and roam there.
I have fully fenced and secure gardens but most of our guests say it is a rarity!
If the garden being secure was a priority you should have emailled and confirmed, many of my guests do.
On rare occasions l have found that a dog has been all over the beds and those guests are blocked from rebooking, as it puts the prices up for everyone else.
I have a lively working breed dog, but he does not go on furniture or in bedrooms so seems normal to me.
Cream carpets is a terrible choice !

Yes, same. We've stayed in a lot of dog-friendly cottages over the years and I always scrutinise photos and reviews to make sure it fits the criteria we need. I wouldn't assume anything other than they are allowed.

In terms of wording, I tend to look for places that specifically mention perks for dogs (treats on arrival, holiday tags, etc.) as that is a sign they are really dog friendly.

Did they not have photos on the listing? I always check and disregard any with cream carpets!

Ah, the difference between 'dog friendly' and 'dog tolerant', sounds like this place was the latter. It's not what I would hope for when taking my hound on holiday.

It means that they allow dogs. That's what I would assume any way. If I took a dog there is no way that I would allow it on the furniture or upstairs. I would still respect a dog friendly holiday home and not abuse it by letting a dog do what it likes. The same as at home.

As for the garden, what did the description/reviews say? I scrutinise things like that in detail. Once bitten, as they say.

For me, dog-friendly means a secure garden, dogs allowed on the furniture and beds (with blankets or your own bedding), and dog bowls, towels etc. provided.

However, my experience is that most places mean "dogs are allowed in the property" which is why I only ever book holiday cottages via personal recommendations or direct via the owner, and double check dogs are allowed on beds/furniture etc. before booking.

We've taken our beagle away several times - he's basically had free roam of the house as long as we used blankets and our own bedding. I wouldn't take him away if we had to restrict him as it would be miserable and stressful for all of us.

We travel with pets a lot. 'Dog friendly' should mean a lot more but experience has taught me that it can mean only 'dogs allowed' and even 'dogs reluctantly tolerated'. Reading the small print for each cottage and asking the questions important to you before booking is essential.

I have seen 'enclosed gardens' advertised but found, in the small print or when owners are asked directly, not to be fully enclosed because of gaps in hedging or low fencing. Picking up after your dog is always expected.

Sometimes there are hidden restrictions on number, size and even breed of dog. Some cottages advertised as 'pet friendly' will only accept dogs - perhaps only one small dog - and no other sorts of pets.

It seems to be the norm for pets not to be allowed upstairs and into bedrooms. Often they are not allowed on furniture downstairs, and in some cases owners stipulate not even if you take clean throws from home to cover sofas and chairs. Vacuuming hairs and cleaning away any evidence of your pet having visited is also sometimes expected. That seems reasonable unless it is obsessively so - one mentioned, in a disgruntled fashion, having found 3 pet hairs! - or an extra cleaning fee for staying with a pet has been charged.

Some owners allow pets to be left if crated if you go out for short periods, others state pets must not be left at all.

Only once have I come across an owner who only allowed dogs in the porch and kitchen, expected them to eat and sleep in the porch and did not allow them in the sitting room. We didn't book that one because that's not how we live or want to holiday.

We have experienced it all from 'pet just about tolerated' to the pets being as welcome as the humans, if not more so and getting the better welcome basket!

Photos aren't always up to date and it is best to do your research before booking via the small print, direct questions in writing and reviews.

Because the duvet will smell of dog after no time. The room will smell too.

I'm not a dog hater. We had one of our own and look after our daughter's dog, however it's slobby not to respect the other people who will be staying in the home after you.