accepting pets

[myrtle]

Hi

How many of you accept pets, and if so what restrictions do you apply on their being in the house/kept on lead/size of dog etc etc.   Do you charge more for pets depending on size?

I ask because I actually do accept pets, but as we have our own livestock and pets, will not allow them off the lead in the yard or house.   Large dogs stay in one of the stables for a small fee, but am I being unreasonable?  Do you have problems clearing hair etc up after them?   Our pets arent even allowed free access to rooms/kitchen/dining etc.

We take horses but thats entirely different of course, as no one has ever asked if they could stay in the house  ;-)

myrtle

[betoulle]

We have never accepted pets in the B&B as we have experience of staying in rooms where dogs have been the night before..........fleas, dog hair, smells, stains etc etc....We both love dogs & have cats of our own, but our pets do not have access to the public part of the house as there are people who do not like or are allergic to animals indoors & if there are 'accidents' it just adds to the workload & would possibly lead to complaints from the following guests. If you allow dogs I think it would be impossible to restrict their movements - wedding parties in particular are notorious for bringing 'extra' people so I am sure a much loved dog would be smuggled in in the small hours............We recently restricted access to dogs in our 2 gites following a 2 year poll among our guests (see recent thread on the gite owners forum) who virtually to a man said that they preferred to holiday in pet-free gites.......various reasons being allergies, dislike of pets, smells & hair, past experience of badly behaved dogs (owners &/other guests) Many of these guests have left their pets at home as they dont want to be restricted in their activities on holiday - we have had 2 occasions in the past when dogs were locked up in gites for several hours on end resulting in damage to property.  When we did accept dogs we charged a flat fee of £30/dog/week - impossible to charge according to size I would have thought - could lead to some interesting discussions..  Quite reasonable for large dogs to stay in stables as again it depends on your other guests attitude & reaction to dogs & you should charge something as no doubt you are providing some sort of bedding & shelter, water bowls etc........

This was our first dog-free year & our gites have been fully booked for 5 months & we already have 14 weeks of repeat bookings for next year as our gites are clean & tidy dog & smoker-free zones......may be a coincidence of course.....

[Dick Smith]

When we used to B&B we always sought out 'no-smokers, no pets'. For all the reasons you give.

[Cassis]

Oh dear, this will stir up another nest of bees.  No pets, no smokers.  Not in the house, anyway.  Smoking okay elsewhere.  Used to offer pets room in the barn but too many offended owners, so we stopped offering that. 

[Jo Taylor]

In the days when we allowed pets we had several bad experiences. One couple had a lovely Persian cat, which left lovely Persian fur everywhere. The extra cleaning was not welcome. Nor are crottes in the cupboard under the stairs, stains or smells. Another couple had a lovely little poodle which wanted chickens for its tea. Our chickens. (I do realise that the great majority of pet owners are responsible, and would be sensible enough to rent a gite with enclosed grounds, and not let their dogs poo on the lawns.)

When doing B&B a couple asked if they could bring their well-behaved female dog, with its own bed. We agreed, but what they did not tell us was that she was on heat. The resulting mess on the floors throughout the house and the smell were very unpleasant for other guests - our own male dog thought it was his birthday, couldn't understand why he couldn't have his present, and howled all night...

[Wendy]

Jo,

not many posts make me laugh here but yours has made my day. I hope you sat him down and told him the facts of life. Dont let anymore guests bring anymore canine hussies into your house at such a time.

[Catalpa]

Yes, Jo - beautifully written. [:D]

[Jo Taylor]

[:$]

[SueM]

We're hoping to do some b & b and will also have a small gite  when our house is completed and we intend taking dogs. We have 2 of our own which have free reign of the house, apart from bedrooms. What prompted this decision was talking to the owner of a b & b in Norfolk. He had 2 small houses on the coast, one of which was available to people with dogs. This property was vacant for only 4 days last year, compared with the other, of a similar size, where occupation was a lot less. There are a lot of dog owners out there who haven't travelled abroad on holiday because they don't like to leave their pets in kennels and so it is a reasonably  new market to be tapped. I'm not sure yet how we'll work it but I suppose we will designate some rooms as being permanently dog free for those people with allergies.

Sue M

[Miki]

Some rooms ? How many is some, remembering the maximum is 5 or 6

(depending on how many problems you want from the authorities !!)

You say you let your two dogs roam all over your own house but don't

let your dogs roam in to your bedrooms. Why then will you be happy to

allow other people's dogs to stay in your bedrooms ? And why then do

you not allow your dogs in your own bedrooms ?

By allowing  rooms for people with a dog or two , what will happen

when those rooms are fully booked and the next enquirer has a dog and

wants a room for 5 nights ? The obvious temptation is to put them in

one of the rooms, so called designated as dog free for allergic folks

(and believe me, it isn't only allergic folks who cannot abide rooms

where a dog has been)?  Not really very workable as a commerce, I

think it's dogs allowed or not, to be honest.

Just seemed worth a couple of questions.

[SueM]

Because they take up too much room on the bed.

As for your other question, who knows. Maybe we won't take any guests without dogs.

Sue M

[Coco]

Hope you've got plenty of savings to fall back on until your reputation builds!  We've only been asked if we take dogs about half a dozen times in 4 years!

[Miki]

Sorry Sue but I have to agree with Coco, it is pretty rare that we are

asked us as well. Whether there is a niche B&B market (yes we know

there are the odd hotels that cater for pooches) for you to aim at,

well I have to say, rather you than me if a living is needed from it.

[Cassis]

[quote user="SueM"]

What prompted this decision was talking to the owner of a b & b in Norfolk. He had 2 small houses on the coast, one of which was available to people with dogs. This property was vacant for only 4 days last year, compared with the other, of a similar size, where occupation was a lot less.

[/quote]

I wonder if the acceptance/non-acceptance of dogs the only thing that distinguished the two houses.  If the doghouse was so popular and the other not, why did he not make them both dog houses?

[Russethouse]

 The must be 'doggy' magazines, (no rude jokes please [:)]) if you are happy to take dogs why not advertise there?

[Cassis]

[quote user="Russethouse"] The must be 'doggy' magazines, (no rude jokes please [:)]) [/quote]

Tch!  Spoilsport!

[nimportequoi]

You could try getting listed in the Pets Welcome guide to France (there seem to be some areas that have no listings at all) see here

I take well behaved pets, but get hardly any British guests who want to bring their dogs, however quite a few French guests do. Once, a young couple from Paris stayed and brought their mouse with them.

[Cassis]

[quote user="SusanAH"]

Once, a young couple from Paris stayed and brought their mouse with them.

[/quote]

Now that really is asking for trouble.  Hair all over the carpets and curtains, chunks taken out of table legs, scratch marks on the ceilings, broken light fittings, horribly soiled towels. 

These Parisians have no idea how to behave.

[SueM]

Re Norfolk Houses - it was his first year of having one house for dog owners and I think he was surprised at the level of occupation.

Sue M

[myrtle]

As we only let 2 rooms, I accept pets only on the understanding that the dog can sleep in a clean indoor stable and be exercised in the ley fields, on a lead at all other times to save my poultry cats and ducks from a fit of the vapours.

So far in the three years we have been operating, Ive had several french people quite happy with this, and 2 or 3 english clients not so happy and declined to stay with us after finding somewhere that allowed their dog in the rooms. 

My own dog is not allowed in most parts of the house including the hall, dining, kitchen or bedrooms. Therefore I dont see why other dogs should get that privelige.  We had a cat stay once, but it was an overnighter and he slept and stayed in his carry box.  Never been asked about mice or other pets so not sure how I would react really! 

I dont want to 'blanket ban' pets, and as I have said, we take horses in stables/grazing. I dont want to offend pet owners either

Its interesting to see the different opinions of you all...thank you, thankfully this time without anyone getting stroppy and telling me what  'I dont want to hear'.

It was a genuine 'poll' and as a result I err on the side of next season, declining pets altogether particularly as Ive actually had more clients asking about low allergen and special diet requirements (which we are happy to deal with)  than ask about pets to be honest.

thanks all

M

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