Dog-Friendly Hosting: What do you do?

[Alexandra316]

Left to right: King Bexley, Alonso, and Coogan the Terrible

Hey all, I've been a dog-friendly host since I opened my Airbnb just over 2 years ago, and I think I've hosted over a hundred dogs at this point. I chose to host dogs because I have three of them myself, and I find it tough to find accommodations that will accept them. At the moment, I offer dog treats, bowls, paw towels and dog sheets, but I'm wondering if anyone else does anything special for their canine guests.

Also, I was thinking about starting a dog wall of fame where people could post pics of their dogs. I wasn't sure how to do that: I was thinking of maybe leaving a Polaroid camera and encouraging people to take a photo and pin it to a board. Has anyone else done anything similar?

[Sarah977]

@Kevin1322  I jokingly suggested that awhile back to @Cormac0, the curmudgeon (I don't think he'd mind me calling him that, he seems to wear it proudly) when he posted saying Airbnb would be fine if we didn't have to host people.

[Kevin1322]

@Sarah977  yea, completely understand. Our retail business was 25 years old last saturday.  

99 percent of our customers are lovely.

The other 1 percent make you lose your faith in humanity 😭

[Alexandra316]

@Kevin1322 Doggie day care is definitely quite pricy: we used it briefly when we had one dog and we were selling our house because we couldn't leave him there if people were coming to see the property. It was about $50 per day, and as he's a greyhound I was always quite nervous that he was going to eat someone's small fluffy dog.

Although I think it sounds like a great idea, the liability aspect scares me.

[Jen144]

Do you charge extra for dogs usually?  What do you do if a visiting dog damages something - same as human - charge for replacement? 

[Kevin1322]

We don't charge extra for dogs.

We are more concerned that our own dogs won't eat guest dogs.

We find (as dog owners ourselves) that people don't usually travel with troublesome dogs.

It is quite hard work travelling with a difficult dog, also very hard work travelling with an older dog.

In our case we have our own dogs, so the ground floor is "dog proof" so if anything happens it's just wear and tear.

[Alexandra316]

@Jen144We also don't charge extra. Airbnb makes it awkward to ask for extra money for pets, so we don't bother. 

Yes, you can charge for replacement: it's never come up for us, knock on wood. One word of caution: you can't claim pet damage through the Host Guarantee, so if the guest refuses to pay, you're out the money. 

[Suzanne302]

@Jen144  I charge $25 per dog, per stay. I rent a room in my home, but for a whole house rental an extra $150 is not unheard of and as a dog owner I've paid that before and found it reasonable.

I've never had a dog damage anything, aside from having to wash an area rug for pee. I've had multiple humans cause damage!

As @Alexandra316  said, Airbnb will not back you up on pet damages so you're on your own. But really, most people who travel with their dogs are realistic about how their dog will behave. Sure there are exceptions and you could always get unlucky and get that "one" but the odds are in your favor!

[Stacey147]

I allow up to two dogs in my 'entire home' rental. I provide a couple of stainless dog bowls, blankets to cover furniture and a medium sized dog crate in case they need to leave the dogs unattended. Personally I do prefer the large breeds, as the smaller ones can be quite yappy and seem to leave piddle marks on the carpet when they get too excited. I do love knowing that families can travel with their fur babies!  

[Suzanne302]

@Stacey147 

"Personally I do prefer the large breeds, as the smaller ones can be quite yappy and seem to leave piddle marks on the carpet when they get too excited."

All. Day. Long.

Why is it that so many places (not necessarily Airbnb, but def hotels and landlords) freak out over big dogs and only allow "dogs under XX pounds" when the little ones are ALWAYS the most trouble?! LOL!

[Sarah3256]

I have a question!  Are you responsible for  a dog's safety in any way?  If a dog gets out of the yard and gets hit by a car - who is liable for the vet bill?  If someone enters the property and doesn't shut the gate and the dog gets hurt - who is at fault?  This is a concern I have with hosting pets!

[Ute42]

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@Sarah3256 

I would think the one who left the gate open is responsible.

If it wasn't You, I guess You're out of the picture.

[David7870]

We have been hosting dogs for almost a year. Love them love their owners. We provide a private yard and bowls food treats a dog bed and dog approved bedding. Here is the catch…. Two weeks ago we were surprised when out cat peed outside the rooms inner door( private outside entrance so this door doesn’t get used by the guest. And after the next guest she went straight to our Ethan Allen sofa sleeper and smelled the corners. As did my old dog. I got out a black light and discovered at some point male dogs have been spraying. Furniture , walls , curtains, the dog bed and the bedding. It didn’t smell but my assumption is the owners might have been cleaning it up albeit not great.  

Love boy dogs but can no longer host them.  Might not host dogs at all this summer and just host girl dogs in the winter.  

The whole experience really left a sour note for me. I had no clue it was going on. 

So sad.