Pets -- should I allow them or not?

[Deborah0]

A common question that has come up in the host community, is whether or not to allow guests to bring pets, and if so, how to make rules about that.  If you don't allow pets to be brought to your house, can you share why you made that decision?  If you do allow guests to bring pets, can you share what steps you have taken to try to avoid problems with guests' pets? For instance, do you allow dogs but not cats, or cats but not dogs?  IF you allow pets, what will you do if a problem with the guest's pet arises, such as it pees/poops on your floor , or tears at your furniture, or barks a lot?  Does your having a pet yourself, influence your decision about whether to allow guests to bring pets? 

If you have allowed pets, what experiences have you had with guest's pets?  

[Queenie0]

I have 2 small dogs and do not allow additional pets. I did have to specifically state that in my listing description because there was an assumption by some guests that, as a dog owner, I would automatically accept guest pets.

I think it's important for those who accept pets to understand that being in a strange place can cause 'good' pets to go 'bad' with excessive barking and peeing from excitement. When we travel, we save ourselves and our pets the stress and leave them with an at-home dog sitter.

[Bronwyn0]

Firstly, I have a dog and love her to bits, but I don't allow pets. I feel that guests who have allergies or are very particular regarding cleanliness may not book. So I maintain a pet free AIRBNB.

Having said that there are some places I have seen that welcome pets with open arms and are getting booked as a result. It is used as a draw card for their Airbnb.

I think the most important thing is to be really clear up front ....either pets, dogs cats.....YES or NO. Then there are no problems down the track.

[Bruce0]

I allow pets (almost always this means dogs) out of nostalgia. When I first moved to this back-of-beyond place it was far more important that a business be dog friendly than child friendly. That regard has flopped over to the other way unfortunately but I hold to it.

Yes Queenie, inexperienced travelers (dog OR human) are often not the best of guests but I realized our location has an unconsidered advantage. A significant segment of my bookings is for you yanks on your way to or from Alaska. For almost all of those, this place is at the end of at least the second or third day travelling so by then both kinds of traveller are used to it or getting so. We are also rural so the noise stress is much less and the brush helps assure my 4-legged guests have a happier pooping experience. Anyway, half my canine visitors have been service dogs so I know they have the control we want as hosts.

What I want to point out is that you have to look at your space objectively in considering welcoming dogs as guests. Does it offer the kind of environment she would feel comfortable in as well as her guardian? Are there factors of your neighbourhood that would discourage his guardian from taking him out for a walk? If what you offer is not a comfy place for a dog then it probably best to keep a "No Pets" policy. 

[Anonymous]

We have been renting for close to three years and I'd venture that 50% of my rentals had their dog(s) with them. Perhaps 2-3 had cat(s). 

That said; I take a dog over a distructive teenager ANYTIME. Pet owners have acted very responsibly. We have a rather large backyard and just about 100% have looked after their pets 'business' and cleaned up the messes. 

We do NOT charge extra for animals which is in stark contrast to some local hotels, where they levy a $25 (or more) fee for the dogs. Where this revenue is used for, is foreign to me, because having been a GM in major Hotels for 40 years, we never shampooed or super-duper cleaned a room used with (i.e.) a dog. Oh wait ... it goes to the bottomline as profit - I remember now. (LOL). 

What allowing does; it helps the regional traveller appreciate your listing and it makes your listing stand out, which turns into higher bookings. (Regional because most owners traveling with their fury companion travel within a 3-4 hours radius) 

Best 

Peter 

P.S. We provide a matt with a water bowl and a food bowl in a 'designated area' (So we stay a bit in control), we ask for the owners cell phone in case their friend starts barking or misbehaves and we provide the pupper scoper and bags necessary to clean up any mess. Finally we SPECIFICALLY ask (prior to them staying) that they bring the animals bedding as we do not want their fury friend on our bedding, furniture etc. Most owners have been happy to comply. 

[Josie0]

As much as I love pets (both cats and dogs) I do not allow them in my condo.  My main reason for this is that there are so many people that are alergic to cats and/or dogs that I don't want to have pet hair around for my guests.

I recently declined a booking as the person was going to have 2 cats staying in the place.

Hope this helps others with their decisions.

[Robin4]

I have had a really relaxed attitude towards guests bringing along pets....but I guess because I assumed the pet they bring would be a dog. We have a dog...an Aussie Shepherd...and she (being a shepherd) has done her share of barking over the years! Only when someone strange first arrives, and then for no longer than two seconds, all the while with the tail wagging furiously....she is not one of these dogs who will stick her snout in the air and bark at the moon!!

So I am happy with a dog as long as it is not inside the hosted space, and I say that in my listing...some people are allergic to pet hair and I make potential guests aware of that. We have a large secure rear garden and our Betts would love the company of another dog at times.

With one recent booking however the guests were travelling with two cats. She assured me the cats were well trained and travelled caged so, after some thought I allowed these cats into the facility....after all you can't just stick a cat out in the back yard!!

The next morning I asked them how their stay was, and they said it had been wonderful but, they did have a little 'accident' (why is it little animals have 'little' accidents?) during the night! One of the cats knocked over a vase and broke it!!

We don't 'sweat the small stuff' and I told her not to worry about it but, it could have been much worse...there is thousands of dollars in art on the walls in there and the damage could have been really substantial! So, I think in future my policy on allowing pets will harden considerably....I won't say I won't have them but, under much stricter conditions.....Cheers....Rob

[Monica4]

I only allow hypoallergenic dogs, and then only with a $100 cash deposit upon check-in. Airbnb does not have an option for a deposit for those with pets only, and I don't want to charge a deposit for everyone.

I used to allow all dogs but have some horror stories.

1. One of my guests was allergic and even though all floors as washed between guests and the couches are "pleather", he knew there had been a dog in the house.

2 Even though I had a strick rule that dogs cannot be left alone in the house unless caged, one guest locked their dog into the sun porch where he chewed through the insulation of the electrical wiring coming from the panel. Thankfully they were the neurtal connections. The same dog also broke the screens.

3. One small dog chewed the front of the rockers of an antique rocking chair and punched holes with his nails through one of the couches (I had a rule about no pets on the furniture).

4. A guest was too lazy to walk his dog in the morning so he let it do its business in the porch.

So, although I am sure that there are responsible owners, me being one of them, I no longer take risks. If they are willing to trust me and their dog with a $200 cash deposit upon check-in I am fairly certain that dog will not be problem.

[Monica4]

That should read $200 for a deposit. I also need to ad that I do not advertize that I accept dogs but if asked will allow hypoallergenic breeds as long as I get that deposit. That also means that I need to be available at check-out to go through the house before giving the deposit back.

[Kathleen39]

Thank you! I found your stories very helpful. However, AirBnB says you cant charge anything that is not listed. So how is this handled. I don't have CC access, so do you charge cash and then hand it back when they leave is all is ok?

Kathleen

[Ron323]

How do you get the cash deposit upfront?

[Ireen0]

Pets... I just loooove the word. Pets: your favorite white mice, a baby aligator, a pitbull (nicely trained or not trained at all) and so forth and so on. Honestly Slash used to keep snakes.... multiple. He just loved them to peaces.... So glad he did not use airbnb back then!! Pets are clearly not just dogs. For that reason and to avoid endless discussions my rule is 'NO pets'... 

[Tashi1]

My cat gets too upset around other animals, so I don't allow pets, simple. 

[Sophia7]

There are a few reasons I dont allow pets in my home

1- I have a small dog, and this is HER home. I don't want another animal coming in and her being territorial. Would be a bad experience all around.

2- My room is downstairs, and guests rooms are upstairs:

    2a: If people are allergic to animals, there will not be pet hair in their room, my dog is only allowed on the lower floor of the house, and only sleeps on my bed, the living room couch, and her bed. 

    2b: If a dog is left unattended in a room upstairs, other guest rooms are up there and I dont want them to be bothered by the noise

3- Cats: I actually want to get a cat, but have decided not to because there are many more people with cat allergies than dog allergies. That mixed with the fact that I cannot really stop a cat from going into bedrooms, going up stairs, etc whereas dogs are easier to contain in their respective areas of the home.

That said- having a dog and traveling with her, it is SUPER appreciated when someone allows her to tag along, and also SUPER hard to find Airbnbs that will let her 🙂 Being a host myself is somewhat of an advantage when I ask other hosts, though, since we are on the same page in regards to how hard it is to keep your place clean and as allergy free as possible.

[Vivek39]

Recently I got a guest request with Pets. He has guinea babies and disclosed that they are clean and well looked after and caged for 24/7.

But I declined the offer, as it was against our building rules. But I am just concerned if I did the right thing.

I would like to know from anyone who had good experiences from hosting pets and what are the possible precautions and per-emptive measure to take