Guest left early because her dog did not get along with my dogs

Kathryn213
Level 2
Cottonwood, AZ

Guest left early because her dog did not get along with my dogs

I want to do the right thing here, so I'm asking the community.

The guest booked for 2 nights and said it was herself, her husband, an infant and a dog. They were moving cross country. Their got here yesterday and our dogs ran up to her dog, who bared its teeth and started to lunge at our dogs. We sepatated them and I told them to let me know when their dog wanted to go out and I would keep mine inside. I did not hear back from her. Then she emailed me about our internet (if we had internet), even though our guest information is sent to the guest with the password to our wifi. It is also posted on the refrigerator.

Anyway, this morning my husband told me that the guests were packing up to leave. I went out to say goodbye and she was very sweet and said they figured they would go stay in Phoenix since our dogs didn't get along and it was too far to drive to L.A. today. She told me she would send me the required additional deposit for cleaning when a dog is in the home.I told her not to worry, that I would check our casita and get back to her.

I just entered the casita and the floor is a MESS. We had a good monsoon storm yesterday before they arrived so the ground was wet, but it will take the person who cleans a while to clean the floor alone. 

My question is:

a) My policy states clearly that dogs are welcome if they are socalized. Their dog was not. Should I refund them? Compromise and send a half of a day?

b) Should I include this in the review? I do not like giving negative reviews. They were a sweet family.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Kathy

17 Replies 17
Suzanne302
Level 10
Wilmington, NC

@Kathryn213I had a guest book for two nights and the next morning she messaged me to say something had come up and she needed to be back home so she left around 10am. According to ABB cancellation policy, the night is non-refundable.

 

However, she was super sweet and it didn't really matter that I lost a night of booking so I refunded her 50% of the nightly rate through the resolution center. I messaged her something like, "Unfortunately ABB's standard policy is a 24-hour cancellation notice so you won't be able to request a refund through them. However,  I'm happy to send you a refund of 50%."  Stated that way it makes ABB out to be the tough company, and me, the host, to be very accommodating! (and it is true, ABB will NOT refund per policy for that)

 

I hope that helps you a little with your decision!

Thank you so much, Suzanne! That does help quite a bit. They were super sweet and they are moving across the counry with a small child. I'm sure expenses are tight. I think that is an excellent idea!

Suzanne302
Level 10
Wilmington, NC

PS - As for the review, I would include the dog's behavior. I wouldn't say he wasn't socialized (she might try to refute that), but I would describe what happened exactly as you did here. Other hosts will get the picture.

Yes, I think this is also a good suggestion. My dogs have always been very playful with the other dogs who have visited here. I even leave dog treats at the front gate so that guests can make friends with the dogs upon arrival. This dog was a rescue dog with issues, which is what the owners told me. I wonder why they chose to book my place if they knew this?? Ahhhh. The stress of moving!

Dogs can be unpredictable. It is possible that their dog is generally fine but was stressed by the move and/or situation and/or just took an atypical dislike to your dogs for some reason. This is especially likely in a rescue with unknown history. However, of course if they knew the dog to be aggressive they should not have booked with you.

I think it was a combination of the move and the dog not getting along with other dogs. The  husband told me that the dog did not get along well with other dogs. I think he had trained the dog to listen and back off of my dogs, which the dog did after being told to do so. The guests apologized to me, knowing that their dog had started it. I think they probably should not have booked at our place, knowing that their dog was not social.

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

Compromise is always good, keeps things friendly. I would reconsider the dog policy, because you have dogs; just too much of a wild card for everyone to get along.

Hi Fred,

The reason I decided to allow dogs was because most hosts do not. It really has given me a bit of an edge in booking. Also, I clearly state that the dog must be socialized. Perhaps I need to make decisions on a case by case basis....this could have turned bad if the owner did not have control.

@Fred13  I agree, my dog does not like other dogs. I could never bring her to a place that had other dogs. I know this, but some owners may not know this about their dogs until faced with the situation like in this case. I'm still not sure if she likes the hamster I'm babysitting for summer or if she wants to eat it lol...

It is a little risque, most owners always feeling their dog are 'no problem'. It is an attractive feature, if all goes cool.

Suzanne302
Level 10
Wilmington, NC

@Kathryn213 That’s exactly why I allow dogs too. 90% of my guests bring dogs and I’m sure it’s one of the reasons I stay booked up. 

 

There’s always the wild card, but for the most part dogs are not the nightmare many hosts think they are! It may be different because I share my home guests on the whole seem to be more respectful of the property knowing the owner is on site. 

 

I charge a modest $25 extra cleaning for dogs because the hair takes extra time to eliminate!

 

I have two dogs and sometimes they meet the guests, sometimes they stay in separate quarters. It’s never been an issue. 

This brings up a question. By the way, I agree with you. Permitting dogs really has helped my bookings. My question for you is, how do you charge this. Currently, I send a money request for the additional cleaning fee. Is that how you charge yours as well? I could not seem to find a place where the additional fees are lcoated for a dog cleaning fee.

@Kathryn213 the lack of a pet fee feature is a major ongoing complaint among pet-permitting hosts. Nobody seems to know why Airbnb will not address this. Using the resolution center as you are doing seems like the best work-around.

Suzanne302
Level 10
Wilmington, NC

@Kathryn213 I have found it is easier/faster to get guests to respond to a REFUND,  rather than a request for additional money, so I include my pet fee in the cleaning fee. For those who are not bringing a pet, I send a reservation alteration after they book and give them $25 off.

 

This may make me seem too expensive to people traveling without dogs who are searching by price and don't notice that they get a discount, but, I haven't had any trouble staying booked. Is this the best way? Who knows! But it's worked for me so far!

 

I really, really, really, just wish ABB would add a "pet fee" button, just like they have for extra guests.