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.

If people don't want to stay somewhere where dogs have been, they shouldn't book dog-friendly accommodation.

We stayed in a cottage once that said on the website that dogs weren't allowed on beds, but when we spoke to the owners themselves, they were more than happy for him to sleep in the bed and on the furniture.

So, I wouldn't take what the website says as gospel.

I'd assume it just means dog/s allowed as truly dog friendly self catering properties are far fewer & tend to market all their benefits i.e 6ft fence secure garden, dogs on sofas, bed/crate /bowl provisions, few limits on numbers for the multi-dog owners.

I'd expect to see any restrictions within the listing so I could decide if would suit my dogs. One place was very strict like dogs in kitchen/diner only and for some people that's same as home so fine. Most lets don't allow dogs on sofas/beds but I'd take coverings to protect because it's bit much to expect a dog to understand this sofa has different rules straight away. I always looked through the photos to try and work out whether it's suitable, is it carpeted throughout? is there room in lounge/bedrooms to put the dog beds? etc.

I'd take issue with 'fenced off garden' as that suggests a secure boundary and could make some judgment from photos type of fencing/height suitability. If hadn't mentioned at all you may have contacted for clarification.

It's a bit daft to not have a door or provide baby gate to separate downstairs off but I doubt all hosts are dog owners themselves to spot issues.

I have a dog friendly cottage. It has a secure garden with a secure gate that opens onto the beach, hard floors downstairs and darker carpets upstairs. We also provide a dog bed and food and water bowls. I'm kind of relying on the goodness of others though not to make a mess, like I don't mind if the dog has a cuddle with the family on the sofa but I would be annoyed if there was muddy paws all over the sofa. We have a dog and take our dog there sometimes. I want the owners and the dog to feel welcome and relaxed.

When you say unsupervised do you mean at night or do you go out and leave your dog ? I would not expect to do either of these things - but not would I expect to leave a dog in a holiday rental .

In terms of what I would expect from dog-friendly I suppose it does just mean dogs allowed - but I would be very disappointed if there wasn't the feeling of being able to relax in the property - and it's annoying if the dog can't just be let off lead in the garden . It's helpful if the
Cottage owners provide throws for the sofas rather than just instructions to keep your pet off . I wouldn't let my dog into the house with muddy paws and I would hoover before I left but would otherwise let my dog access the property as he does at home .

I've never heard anything good about Sykes cottages as managing agents .

No dog friendly cottages will allow dogs on any sofas, or upstairs/on beds. That’s a given but then equally those are the rules in our house two with our DDogs.

As for the garden situation; we had the same issue last year. No enclosed garden and the photos made it appear fenced off. I should have double check but to be fair, they did refund us when we explained that we couldn’t have the dogs with open access to the road. I would be pushing to have your money returned.

Oh yes, and most cottages have a blanket rule that dogs are not to be left unattended/unsupervised in holiday cottages.

No dog friendly cottages will allow dogs on any sofas, or upstairs/on beds. That’s a given but then equally those are the rules in our house two with our DDogs

That’s not true - I’ve stayed in properties where they’ve been allowed on sofas (using the throws) and upstairs. Beds, no.

I agree with @SirChenjins - we stayed in two cottages last year where dogs were allowed everywhere, they just asked you to use your own duvet cover/ sheet if your dogs slept on the bed. The same letting agency has dogs on the sofa/upstairs in all its properties and on the beds in most.

Do people really not leave their dogs alone in a holiday rental when they go out? What about if you are going out for an evening meal or an activity that doesn’t allow dogs?
We always leave our dogs alone for an hour or so, they will happily sleep after having a long walk (obviously wouldn’t do it if they were barkers or chewers!!)

All the places we've stayed have had a no dogs left alone rule. Even the super dog friendly ones where they provide throws for the sofas, allow dogs on the bed with your own bedding, hot water taps for washing etc. Some have had the option of arranging a pet sitter.

There will be exceptions although in a previous life I ran 400 cottages (not mine, not on my own). This was the policy for most and definitely not to leave dogs in the cottage on their own. Most T & C will say similar to this but really many don’t read the small print:

Pets - Pets are not allowed unless we say so on the website. You must add your pet to your party at the point of booking. We recommend that any dog must have insurance which includes sufficient pet liability cover.

You are wholly responsible for the supervision and behaviour of your pet at all times. If you take a pet with you, it is not allowed upstairs, on beds or furniture, or in any shared facilities, such as swimming pools o r shops. You must not leave any pets unattended in the accommodation, including any garden, and you must keep dogs on a lead within the boundaries of an accommodation (including the garden). Children must not be left alone with any animal. Registered assistance dogs are allowed in most accommodations featured on our websites, even if the accommodation description says that pets are not allowed. If you or any member of the party has a pet allergy, we cannot guarantee that dogs, or other pets, have not stayed in your chosen accommodation, even if the Owner does not allow pets, nor can we accept any responsibility for any subsequent health reaction. Sometimes, Owners may take their own pets to an accommodation. It is your responsibility to make specific enquiries before booking. You should also read the information on taking pets on holiday included on our website. If there is a charge for taking a pet, you will be told at the time of booking.

@VeronicaTimeTurner in reality I think this means do not leave your dig alone if it's likely to bark or destroy furniture.

The one time we left rookiedog all of 20 metres to enjoy the on site hot tub, the blinking dog attached himself to the window and looked out mournfully until we were shooed out of the hot tub by the owners. That was an allegedly "dog friendly " place that had No Dog signs everywhere as well.

I think every dog owner stays in one of them, then learns what to ask when booking somewhere else - good reviews from other dog owners is generally a positive sign.

In OPs case the unfenced garden is what to focus on - that should have been provided if advertised- and easy to demonstrate that it wasn't.

This sounds like the owner wants as many punters as possible but is not really aware of what "dog friendly" means. IME, it definitely means a fenced off garden and dog friendly furnishings, i.e. not cream coloured!! And it definitely does not mean your dog needs crated!!

I've never seen any dog-friendly holiday accommodation that allows you to leave your dogs unattended. Ours comes with us all the time when we take him on holidays.

If the dog causes a nuisance, I imagine you could be asked to leave for breaking the terms of your agreement.

We always read the small print @Allfizzandfun - and we contact the company or owner directly to confirm that our understanding of what’s allowed and what’s not is correct. I like everything confirmed in writing so I don’t get surprise bills at the end.

Please could you share the name of the agency? My sis would love to take her dog away with her but can't as dog will not tolerate being left downstairs- sleeps on the bed at home

Dog friendly just means that dogs are allowed. It doesn’t mean the property is wholly designed with dogs in mind.

These two companies both run cottages in Norfolk that are well set up for dogs. Many allow dogs in bedrooms if you provide your own bedding.

Pack Holidays

https://www.packholidays.co.uk/

And East Ruston

https://www.eastrustoncottages.co.uk/

There’s also a v good facebook group called Dog Friendly Holidays UK where owners can advertise and your can recommend (or otherwise!) properties

@SirChenjins and @UnaLaguna
Thank you will pass on

I've never booked with Sykes - too many bad reviews. But all the sites I use have an option on dog friendly to select ( or not) an enclosed garden. If it isn't advertised as such I wouldn't assume it. Beyond that, my dog doesn't go on furniture, but so many do that I'm not sure anyone would adhere to such rules. I certainly don't agree that dog friendly = just "dogs allowed".

@cuwins - @UnaLaguna beat me to it as we booked through East Ruston cottages, and will do again this year. They provide crates if you want them, dog buggies, dog bowls and toys at all the cottages, even dog tags are provided

Thank you

We have a dog friendly cottage we hire out. We make sure all our listings say Dogs welcome.

We offer a paddock for their own use and garden with secure fencing and concrete at the base to prevent the diggers from escaping.
We also offer dog sitting so owners can go out without the dogs.

We have a dog shower and utility room with dog shampoo and towels.

Even a dog blaster if your dog is used to it.

There is a special sofa in the sitting room for the dogs- we prefer them not to use the other sofa although we do offer throws on both.

There is one bedroom that is dog accessible we prefer the others not to have dogs in them as washing duvets after each visit is costly.

We supply dog beds, bowls and tags with cottage address on them

We list issues that may affect some dogs eg dates that fireworks go off due to local carnivals etc

There are large freezers for raw fed dogs.

There is a groomer and qualified dog behaviourist on site.

We are on our own land so have a large area where you can walk reactive dogs with no worry of meeting other dogs.

We do not charge extra for dogs and you can bring multi dogs to the property.

We are fully booked until 2024 so there is a big market for dog welcome cottages.

However the extra cost of having dogs is quite large and people still take the piss and abuse the situations. Many owners leave dog poo in the garden even when we supply poo bags, they let their dogs dig up the lawn and still leave dogs unattended in the property even when we offer sitting. Dogs have chewed through the doors and rugs when left alone.

I just knew this would be Skyes.
We've had similar issues.
Worst company ever.