Dog in bed?

[Laura3135]

Hi,

I have only been hosting for about 6 months so still very new to this, had about 80 guests so far with no real problems, we are pet friendly and had 5 -6 people with dogs stay which has been great very respectful dog owners, except for our last guests...

Our guest rooms are downstairs in our home they pretty much have the whole downstairs to themselves, our guests this morning with a medium sized black dog just left without saying goodbye, which is a bit unusual and when we went downstairs to check the room to our horror they have slept with there dog on and in our queen sized guest bed, and there was dog hair absolutely everywhere all over it and through it.

I am just really wondering is this really our fault for not stating No dogs in beds in the house rules, do I really have to put every little thing in there?

Or should I leave them a bad review as after vacuuming and washing all day the bed spread and sheets and mattress protector, and lint roller I’m still unable to remove all the hair, if you are dog friendly do guests expect to sleep in your bed with there dogs? 

[Suzanne302]

@Laura3135  You can absolutely put in your rules no dogs on the bed. I am dog-friendly and indicate no dogs on the furniture. However, I would not give them a bad review because of the dog hair. When you are pet-friendly, that hair comes with the territory. And if you didn't specify not to let their dog on the bed, then you can't fault them for that.

I've hosted about 40-50 guests with dogs and some dogs shed, some dogs don't. Some dogs don't leave a trace, and others require extra cleanup. It doesn't matter if they're on the furniture or not. If you don't already, I would charge a pet fee to all guests bringing pets to cover the extra cleaning.

[Rowena29]

@Laura3135 

IMO it's NOT ok and the fact that the guests just left suggest that they also knew.

to be honest it's a good idea to state dogs are not allowed on the furniture in the interests and hygiene of future guests.  Guests may not read it, but at least you have stated it.

I'd implement charging a security deposit  - in truth it's' pretty useless but guests often don't know that so it's good bluff value.

I accept pets, but I say not in the house - garage and yard only.  When people ask, can't Rover come inside, he's SOOOOO well behaved I just say - sure  - if you're willing to risk your security deposit. In the past we've had to charge for excessive hair. damaged screen doors and deep gouged scratches on doors and floors.    they almost ALL decide to go elsewhere. which says it all.

Absolutely leave these guests an honest review - mark down a lot for cleanliness, and  for communication

Other hosts will also advise I"m sure

Best

[Anonymous]

@Laura3135  Yes, as the host, the burden falls on you to be clear on where your boundaries lie when it comes to pets. This doesn't mean you have to put "every little thing" in your House Rules, but it's unfair to blame the guests for not being psychic. At a minimum, you should communicate:

- which type of pet can be accommodated

- whether they can be left unattended

- which areas of the property they're permitted in, and which (including furniture items) they're not

- what pet-related cleaning tasks are expected of guests before departure 

It could be that your setup just isn't appropriate for pets, but one option you have (which I find much more realistic to implement than a "security deposit") is a non-refundable flat pet fee that's sufficient to cover professional laundering and extra cleaning to remove pet hair. As someone who loves traveling with my dog I'd rather pay such a fee upfront than be surprised with a negative review because the host felt overwhelmed by the fact that dogs happen to shed.

[Daniela1586]

Hi Andrew - I am relatively a new host and own my own animals, and allow dogs at my AirBnB.  I would think you do need to spell things out to each guest.  I have a black long hair dog and she did the same thing.  She ruined all my bedding.  Perhaps you can leave an extra bed sheet or two for your guests and ask that they use them if dogs are on the beds?  Offer a dog bed as well?  Just a couple of thoughts but I find that dogies are sometimes cleaner than some of the humans who stay at my home.   As for your review, maybe you can add something about using an extra sheet or blanket if dog stays on bed.   ;=)  Good luck.

[Daniela1586]

Sorry - my post should have gone to 

@Laura3135

[Lisa723]

@Laura3135 as others have said if you allow pets but don't want them on the bed (or any other furniture) it's up to you to make that clear in house rules. If you allow pets you are going to be cleaning up dog hair. That's one of the reasons to have a pet fee, IMO.

[Suzanne302]

@Daniela1586  Good point about the sheets! I forgot to mention that I have separate bedding (sheets and bedspread) that are ONLY used for guests with pets. All other guests get a different set of sheets and a different bedspread.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Laura3135 

It sounds like your guest knew they had taken liberties and decided to scarper to not face you personally.

We use a professional laundry for our bedding. The frequency and quantity of dog hairs on Duvet Covers / Comforter covers(?) is ridiculous.

Even if as Andrew listed above, you put full descriptions of your Doggie House Rules and do's and dont's, when they are broken, what recompense do you realistically have? Grown people guests break House Rules and you cannot even obtain recompense for that. Once the animals are in your property you really have no certainty about anything.

If you continue allowing dogs, I too would charge a fee which really justifies the extra work required to make your home pet hair free once more. Calculate your rate for the worst case scenario and hope that the owners are capable of controlling their dogs - and it not being the other way around.

[Sarah977]

@Laura3135  As a dog owner myself, and one who has never allowed my dogs on beds, sofas or any other human furniture, and who doesn't allow guests to bring pets, I can tell you from experience that dog owners who think sleeping with the dog in bed is okay are not going to keep the dog off the bed just because you state for them to. Of course, go ahead and make it clear, so if their dog destroys the bedding or furniture, you have a leg to stand on as far as claiming damages and non-observance of rules, but the reality is, if the dog is accustommed to getting on the furniture, it doesn't know the difference just because it's somewhere other than home, and the owners are quite unlikely to disallow the dog from doing so. 

As far as dog hair is concerned, if you are going to allow dogs, I don't think you can legitimately complain about dog hair clean-up. You might provide a shop-vac for guests who bring dogs, and ask the guests to vacuum up as much of the dog hair as possible before leaving, or charge a pet fee that would cover the extra cleaning. My dog is a heavy, constant shedder and if I booked a place that accepted dogs, I'd feel bad about leaving the place full of dog hair and would appreciate it if the host offered a way for me to clean up the bulk of it before leaving, but that's just me.

[Rowena29 · Accepted solution]

@Laura3135  and @ everyone who commented.

Not trying to be smart, but the option we are given to tick is "pets allowed" not "pet friendly" 

To me that's a subtle but substantial difference.

I allow pets but I would never describe my listing as pet friendly because I state they're not to to come inside - for all the reasons people describe on these boards.   Of course I realise that they probalby WILL be brought inside by the doting owner, but I figure that they will then make an effort to clean up  a bit and hide the evidence.

This is why I personally do not charge a pet fee - my personal take is that it's unfair to add an extra charge to everyone in anticipation of some ignorant guests. I ask my guests to clean up poop etc in teh back yard. If they do that - I've not really any  major extra cleaning to do   I've had lots of dogs stay, and since I"ve goto my mojo and been strict and tweaked things not had any issues - even with excess hair and I know dogs have been  inside.

I feel for you @Laura3135 because I think the hair that you describe is well in excess of what you have normally experienced having hosted pets before. I really cant' say I agree with the other posts saying you should just suck it up because you didn't' spell it out - there's mess and there's mess and to me this sounds excessive.  

The great thing about these boards is that you will get a huge variety of ideas and opinions - some stated more forcefully than others.  MIght I suggest you read them all, and then take on board what you think fits best with your personality, your style of listing. etc.

A word of warning re the pet fee - this need to be collected via the "request money" feature after a booking has been made.  I've only had to do this once, ( not for a pet) and it was useless, even though the guest accepted. My request I ended up with no money and wasted hours and hours of time talking to airbnb Cs on the phone who had royally stuffed up adn not done what they had said they would.

I realise this is just a personal one off and perhaps not typical, but you need to be aware it may happen.

I find that Aussies and Kiwis do tend to be influenced by the security deposit. I have a really substantial security deposit ( $700 - but I have an entire house with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms) and even though I never ever mention it, most guests DO so it's definitely something they are thinking about which is exactly what I want. 

The great thing about airbnb is that you can try one strategy  and if it doesn't work, move to another

I can see you've added no pets on beds or furntiure to your house rules - great start - but could I suggest to say this in the description also so it's super clear?   eg "We are happy for guests to bring their pets with prior arrangement. However for the comfort of future guests and for hygiene purposes, animals are not allowed on our furnishings or in the beds. Substantial extra charges will apply if this occurs"   

when a guest books and indicates they are bringing a pet, I would state it again in messaging.

my experience has been when you are very firm, clear but fair, you weed out the guests such as the one you've just had, but responsible dog owners still come along. 

Just my opinions and thoughts which you may or may not find valid and useful.

I still think this family did the wrong thing by you and I personally would still be inclined to mark them down on communication and cleanliness. In what world do you think it's ok to  allow you dog on another persons bed ? the fact that they slunk off says it all.  

Good luck @Laura3135!

[Laura3135]

Thank you everyone for your posts and help, I will be going somewhere down the middle I think with the house rules update idea, one thing I can’t get my head around and I’m very surprised with, a lot think because I have in my listing “pets are allowed” this means dog owners that are a guests in my home with there dog don’t have to respect my home and furnishings, and leave my space in reasonable clean condition when they leave, like Myself (and I’m sure all of us) expect from every other guest we host In our homes.

And it’s up to me to write a detailed rule book as such on how guests should be behaving when they stay in someone else’s home with there dog, like I think Andrew posted guests aren’t psychic.. like you have to be psychic to have common sense and respect someone’s home.

Our German Shepard was a member of our family and recently died of old age, and my husband is a carpet cleaner so the extra dog hair clean up and if there was any accidents is no problem at all, and we don’t mind doing it for no extra fee, we have a large yard and don’t mind dogs visiting us in our area upstairs we love animals.

Of course I expect accidents dogs are dogs but letting your shedding dog (as it’s summer here) sleep with you in someone else’s guest bed when your a guest in someone’s home with white sheets and a lovely white Duvet cover and pretty much wrecking it, please...

thanks again everyone for your help 🙂

[Anonymous]

@Laura3135  The fantastic thing about sheets and duvet covers is that you can put them in the washing machine. I've never had any problem getting hair out with this newfangled method, but maybe I'm just lucky to have a good washing machine.

[Sarah977]

@Laura3135  Yes of course, people should respect your home, including not allowing their dog to mess things up. But in my experience, dog owners fall into 2 categories- those who are careful not to let their dog disturb others and those who think everything their dog does is acceptable. I have a friend who once brought me a pile of her clothing to repair-her dog had chewed them all. She thought this was normal, saying he was just a puppy. Except he wasn't a puppy- he was over a year old. And a clued-in dog owner gives even a puppy acceptable things to chew on, they don't just let the dog chew on whatever and think that's okay.

People who sleep in bed with their dog will do that everywhere- they would consider not allowing the dog to sleep with them to be mean, as if they were expecting their child to sleep on the floor. That's what I've noticed, anyway.

So yeah, it seems ridiculous to have to spell out for people exactly what consitutes "respectful", but sadly, it seems to be a reality.

[Emilia42]

@Laura3135 

Do you have microfiber (not 100% cotton) sheets? Do hair will cling and embed itself into this type of fabric and I find it impossible to get out as well.