|
Post by CollieSlave on Apr 2, 2013 15:24:30 GMT
I've been perusing the YD 'Where to Stay' booklet that arrived this morning with the latest mag.. And I am interested to note that 31 of the 50 properties make a charge for dogs. What EXACTLY am I paying for if I have to shell out a payment to take my dog? I can accept, grudgingly, that £10 or £15 per week might be justifiable to cover additional cleaning if you have a squalid, hair-dropping dog, but even so, £15 would pay for quite a lot of extra cleaning at the going rate for cleaners. This is, surely, just another way of ripping off the customers. How can you POSSIBLY justify a charge of £30 per dog per week, or, how about this, £20 per dog PER NIGHT!! Most spectacular of all (unless it's a misprint), I can stay in a CARAVAN at Great Billing and take my dog for just £16.50 per dog PER NIGHT (" .. the staff seemed genuinely pleased to see dogs ..." - I bet they did at these outrageous charges). As far as I am concerned, I'll stick with the cottage in Somerset we are renting this month where we pay £5 per stay to take Bryn - we sometimes go to superb Landmark Trust properties where, despite the very high standards, dogs go free.
|
|
|
Post by SarahHound on Apr 2, 2013 16:52:47 GMT
We have a hotel and don't charge extra for dogs (well, I should say 'pets', we have a cat coming to stay this week!). The majority of dog owners are fine, their dogs are clean. However too many have absolutely no respect for the place. We had one dog that came, a black Lab, and their owner let her in the bed between them everynight. Each day we had to do a full change of the bed, everything in the room had to be hoovered, as it was black. It also took hours to clean it when they left.
We've also had puddles and stains left on carpets, full poo bags left in the little wicker baskets in the room, drool up the walls, great big clumps of hairs, dead ticks, chewed furniture, stained towels, etc. I can understand the odd accident, but most of it is not acceptable and sometimes, due to these owners, I can totally understand why places give a charge. I'm a dog lover, but if my dogs did any of those things in rooms I would be mortified and offering a charge, or if I knew they would do those things, I simply would leave them at home.
|
|
|
Post by CollieSlave on Apr 2, 2013 17:48:21 GMT
I appreciate what you say, Sarahhound, but I still ask, WHY do many places make NO charge (do they get all the good dogs?), while others make a moderate charge, and yet others make an ENORMOUS charge? I think that the vast majority of people behave responsibly and do not allow their pets to wreck the place (that seems to be the experience of friends and relatives who rent out property) so I suspect that the majority who are civilized people (and pets) are paying for the rare vandal pet (or owner) - and that most charges for dogs are pure additional profit over and above the rental charge!
|
|
|
Post by caz2golden on Apr 2, 2013 20:04:32 GMT
I think I will stick to sharing a motor home with family. I go thirds on the pitch and pay my adult nightly fee. My car is used as transport for the week and we share the petrol costs!
A lot cheaper than just the dog charge if it is £16-£20 a night!!
Most places only allow one or possibly two dogs so when I do holiday which is with family we cant really rent as their are three dogs!!
|
|
longhope
Settling in well!
Posts: 63
Pets I own: Parsons Russell Terrier puppy, previously owned an English Springer Spaniel.
|
Post by longhope on Apr 2, 2013 21:00:16 GMT
Not experienced taking a dog into a hotel or cottage before, however in September attending a rock n roll weekender with Lotty in Bournemouth. The hotel is charging £10 per night, the alternative could be a kennel for the weekend, costing even more.
Generally, like Caz, we go away in our touring caravan. The dog usually comes back knackered and sleeps for best part of the week. Although the majority of camp sites charge nothing for dogs, there are some who do and some sites that refuse dogs.
|
|
|
Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 2, 2013 21:03:24 GMT
Cost makes a barrier around most things in life I'm afraid...
|
|
|
Post by caz2golden on Apr 2, 2013 21:28:39 GMT
Must be lucky so far all the caravan club sites we have been to are happy with dogs and we tend to choose sites with access to open land around them for the essential walks. So far never been charged extra for the dogs!! CC sites are another matter, my aunt has been caught out a couple of times when there was restriction on numbers of dogs. She used to have three dogs!!
|
|
|
Post by gladys on Apr 3, 2013 11:07:16 GMT
It's not just charging extra for dogs. A lot of places we have stayed in over the last few years have a £10/£15 cleaning charge that you can take or leave. If you decide not to pay it you have to make sure the holiday home is left the way you found it, so there is not a lot of cleaning for the owners to do before the next holiday maker arrives. If you pay it then they usually have more people come in to clean and you don't have to worry about what state you have left the kitchen cooker in?!?! I have found that the places we have gone are either pay extra for booking dogs in or you can pay extra for the clean up option. But I have never seen both. If there is a clean up option payment we always take it (unless a silyl amount) as the last thing I want to worry about while packing up to head home is scrubbing the bath tub and cleaning out the oven. But I don't understand people who have no respect for other peoples property??? I also treat the holiday place like I would our home. And although I don't dust or hoover while away I tidy and keep things nice. And I would never let Cooper damage anything (although he wouldn't anyway).
|
|
longhope
Settling in well!
Posts: 63
Pets I own: Parsons Russell Terrier puppy, previously owned an English Springer Spaniel.
|
Post by longhope on Apr 3, 2013 20:46:49 GMT
Like you Caz, we use the Caravan Club sites, particularly the small sites in the middle of nowhere, where the dog(s) can roam without worry, though we need to avoid the small holding ones. caravan rallies are fantastic as you get to know a group of people over time who will look out for you dog if you have to leave them for any reason.
|
|
|
Post by migsy on Apr 3, 2013 22:13:20 GMT
Sarahhound;I too would be mortified if my dog had an 'accident ' in a holiday home or hotel.But it is amazing how little respect some people have for others property.Most,like Gladys treat them as they would their own home,but it makes you wonder how some people live if they leave poo bags in rooms bins etc.A neighbour had to replace carpets after people just left dog mess in carpets,it's incredible. One place we stayed in was spotless,but when I decided to wash some towels in the washer dryer,I found it chocker block with dog hair.After spending ages clearing it all and clearing the filter,I had to do a hot wash on empty befor I dared use it.We couldn't complain as I didn't feel the cleaner was responsible for inspecting the washing machine too.Previous holiday makers had probably bathed their dog and washed all dogs bedding and towels befor going home,just a pity they didn't think to clear the dog hair.
|
|
|
Post by SarahHound on Apr 4, 2013 9:58:17 GMT
I appreciate what you say, Sarahhound, but I still ask, WHY do many places make NO charge (do they get all the good dogs?), while others make a moderate charge, and yet others make an ENORMOUS charge? I think that the vast majority of people behave responsibly and do not allow their pets to wreck the place (that seems to be the experience of friends and relatives who rent out property) so I suspect that the majority who are civilized people (and pets) are paying for the rare vandal pet (or owner) - and that most charges for dogs are pure additional profit over and above the rental charge! I think the ones who make no charge are genuine dog lovers, like my family not charging for dogs in our hotel rooms when we have every right to considering the state some dog owners leave. Perhaps the ones who have a huge charge don't really want dogs staying and hope the charge will put some off, or perhaps they do have to pay their cleaners more for cleaning up after dogs.
|
|
|
Post by migsy on Apr 5, 2013 22:06:45 GMT
Glad Spark Bridge wasn't mentioned in holiday booklet,there should be a guide for places to avoid,it would deserve first place.That place was a nightmare,most dog unfriendly place we have EVER visited,we even came home early.When we did find places to walk nearby,some big hearted locals had strewn piles of holly and brambles along them,and we saw No Dogs signs all over,so had to take a ride out for any dog walking.Felt really wierd to come across so few dogs. Couldn't even sit on chairs in tiny front garden as there was lots of ants,aargh.Only saving grace was the local pub The Royal Oak,very welcoming and dog friendly,and the food was absolutely wonderful.The other local pub was reported as good too,but didn't think it possible to top the food at the Royal Oak. Will stick to the Keswick area for hols,most people have at least one dog and it's so dog friendly.Many shop workers say they prefer the dogs to children.
|
|
|
Post by johnl on Apr 6, 2013 9:09:19 GMT
I have also been looking at the supplement, £2,200 for a cottage in Wales, PLUS £25 per dog!! Are these owners serious??
|
|
|
Post by gladys on Apr 6, 2013 17:11:32 GMT
As we have been going to the same cabin in Scotland for a number of years we have become good friends with the owner. They only charge £10 for booking a dog in, I'm not sure if this is per dog as we only have Cooper at the mo. She says she does it to make people think about the fact that taking a dog means more work for the cleaners. After we have been there you wouldn't even know that a dog had stayed, mainly because Cooper is VERY clean and also I make sure he only goes on a throw if on the sofa and he never goes in to the cabin with dirty paws. But we have stayed in some places and you can tell others have been there with dogs, hair and the faint smell of damp dog?!?! I don't mind paying an extra fee for a dog, although I think £25 per dog is a bit silly and would probably not stay there but either £10 per dog or an extra cleaning fee is ok by me. The place we are going to this year, we also went last year and they allow 2 dogs without an extra fee but you have to make sure the rugs are dog hair free etc. Or you can pay £15 extra cleaning fee, in which case you don't have to worry about where the dog hair is?!? But I will still treat it like I do my home, throws on the sofa so Cooper can enjoy an evening cuddle in front of the fire and all four paws being wiped before going inside. But there are a lot of people that don't care and maybe they will think twice before mucking up the place if they have to pay extra or even go somewhere else which keeps the nice places for more responsible dog owners. I wonder if we wouldn't mind so much if we could also guarantee that we could take our fur family members in to more eating places, shops and visitor centers while we were on holiday???
|
|
|
Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 6, 2013 17:50:36 GMT
I think most places to stay make the owners pay extra for dogs if they want to keep them with them in their room/cottage/hotel etc. Sometimes its better to get a good, reliable, kind family member who's had dog experiance before to pet sit your dog while you go on a little holiday. I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for my Earl to come with me on holiday. I do think £25 per dog is a little silly - I would say about £10 or less for the dog! There is absaloutely no point whatsoever in charging holiday makers a ridiculous amount og money for their dogs to stay on holiday with them, because those holiday makers will simply refuse and that place for holidays will loose a customer if you like.
I am liking the series 'In Search of Dog Friendly Britan' in Your Dog - I've sent a letter in to s.wright saying how much I think hop owners should just open up to four-legged friends! If it was just me shopping, no parents, I would try to ignore the shops that do not allow dogs, as much as I can. A lady sent a letter in in this May YD issue, saying that the lady simply carried her dog into an anti-dog shop and waited to be kicked out. That was her chance to point out her thoughts about dog friendliness... in a way I thought that was a little rude of her, but at least it is showing those anti-dog shop owners how many people (and dogs!) they are just because they do not allow dogs.
|
|