Guests Dog Ingested Weed...

[Ashley1276]

My husband and I are fairly new to Airbnb and this past weekend we had our first terrible guest experience. They broke one of our beds, had a party, smoked in the house etc. Our cleaner found a cigar on the counter as well as ashes in the toilet and the house smelled of cigarette but there was nothing alarming outside of that. 

We had a new guest check in on Monday and we received a message today that she was at the vet with her dog who seems to have ingested weed while at our Airbnb and is likely going to need their stomach pumped. She asked if we knew if there was weed in the home, how much and what kind and we informed her we have no smoking rule therefore there should not be weed in the home however our cleaner did find a cigar and ashes in the toilet from our last guests. 

My question is, should we offer to pay vet expenses for our current guest? Or refund some money back to cover the expenses? They are staying with us for a month and a half so it's quite a long stay but not sure how to handle the situation.

[Huma0]

@Ashley1276 

That's an unfortunate situation. I would feel responsible for what happened and offer to cover at least part of the vet's bill. While it's not your fault that the previous guests left weed, the listing should be thoroughly cleaned in between guests and nothing left behind. I know a small amount of weed could be easy to miss, but as there were other smoking related issues, a thorough inspection of the property was in order. What if it had been worse, e.g. a syringe or a more harmful drug?

Also, did you file a claim for extra cleaning? I don't know how easy it is to do (hosts report differing levels of success), but according to the new Aircover policy, you can claim extra cleaning costs when guests smoke in your home. If you haven't done this, it's probably too late as you are normally required to produce evidence (photos etc.) but it's worth bearing in mind for the future.

[Ashley1276]

@Huma0 

Appreciate your advice! After talking with the guest further she believes the dog actually ingested the weed outdoors in our backyard. Our assumption is the previous guest threw a joint into the yard therefore it would've been very hard for us locate. We have reminded our cleaner to be extremely thorough regardless. We have also offered to cover some of the vet expenses. 

We have not filed a claim with Airbnb just yet as we are waiting for the review period to be over. We do have photos of the cigar and ashes from the previous guests as well as photos of the broken bed and plan to ask for compensation. 

We are planning to update our house rules to be more clear and will require guests to pay a fee if any house rule is broken in hopes to avoid this in the future and/or have the ability to be compensated and cover a cost such as a vet bill. 

[Huma0]

@Ashley1276 

Ah, okay. I hadn't considered that the weed could have been outside. Yes, even the most thorough cleaner could easily miss that.

RE your claim, good idea to wait until after the guest reviews. Just be aware that you have only 14 days to submit the claim (same as the review period) so, if the guest doesn't review when that 14 days is almost up, don't wait!

Also a good idea to include in your house rules about fees for breaking them, especially smoking. I think you can safely say that smoking in the property will incur additional fees. That's not to say that it's never going to happen again, but I imagine that would a deterrent for some.

[Mark116]

@Ashley1276  That's awful!  I also think you should pay for part of the vet bill, even though, technically it isn't your fault, especially if the weed was outside of the house.

I would give the previous guests a negative review, don't mention any drug use as that could cause removal.  You can say what you found...ashes and a cigar in a no smoking property and mention damages, etc.

Also, look back over the exchanges with the previous guest and see if there was anything you missed that might have alerted you these would be careless poor guests.

[Laura2592]

@Ashley1276 this happens occasionally:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Hosting-hazard-marijuana-edibles-and-pets-and-NO-support...

I stand by my advice given there. You cannot be responsible for any small, unanticipated hazards found outside on your property. Anyone could throw something that is a choking hazard into your yard. Poisonous plants can spring up. Guests are responsible for monitoring their pets at all times. That's why we say that dogs must be leashed in our yard (how else will they know where they poo??)

We have found edibles and all kinds of substances left behind by guests, usually between sofa and chair cushions, so make sure your cleaners actually lift those up between stays. I would DEFINITELY leave a review for the guest who left the "surprise" that says something like "guest left behind items that could have been hazardous to pets or children if ingested."  That gives the idea without calling out drug use-- saying it bluntly (pun intended) may get your review removed.

[Kelly149]

@Ashley1276 how could anyone reasonably expect that you should pay for "something" that "may" have been ingested by a non-verbal creature in the outdoors... you could ask them for documentation that you will provide "to your insurance company" to see if there is any help... but that whole scenario is a stretch... 

[Laura2592]

@Kelly149 right. And its the pet owner's responsibility to monitor the pet and what they eat. Not a host's. 

[Anonymous]

@Ashley1276 Maybe it's too late now, but it's never a good idea to offer any kind of monetary compensation to a guest while a stay is in progress. There are times when a partial refund at the end of the stay is necessary - like if a major amenity wasn't working - but this should only be addressed at the end of the stay, when you can inspect the home for damage and assess any relevant documents (such as the vet diagnosis, as @Kelly149 wisely advises). Reflexively throwing money at guests when they report an issue sets up a dynamic that even the nicest people can't always resist abusing.

Of course, since the guests are distressed about the sick pet, it's good customer service to check in periodically about the dog's health and offer to inspect the backyard for potential problems (mushrooms, pest poisons, irritant weeds, etc). But don't back yourself into a corner by insinuating any kind of responsibility for what a dog may or may not have ingested. It's still ultimately the pet owner's responsibility to supervise the animal and keep it from nomming stuff it shouldn't. Every household contains thousands of normal and legal things that could harm a dog who eats them.

[Kia272]

@Ashley1276 I'm sorry your first guest experience was so crappy. Simply put, there are crappy people in this world. 

Aside from that, I don't know how weed would attract a dog. It doesn't smell good or taste good, and that's what dogs like- thing that smell and taste appealing. Weed is generally pungent and smells skunky. I just don't see a dog gobbling up some random joint in a yard, let alone having to be treated at a vet as a result of that. That's a real stretch for me. The dog might have gotten really sleepy and binged on a bag of Doritos, but other than that, I'm just not feeling this whole scenario as truthful. 

The dog could have eaten anything anywhere and needed to go to the vet. It's the owners' responsibility to monitor the dog and keep it away from harmful things and substances. It's a bit far fetched that the first crappy guests actually discarded enough weed in your yard to do a dog harm. Most people like to hang on to their weed so they can smoke it, rather than toss it in the yard. 

I think you're being taken for a ride. Just sayin'. 

Good luck getting this straightened out. 

[Mark116]

@Kia272  I believe there is a documented increase in dogs and cats ingesting weed since it became legally sold in so many places and decriminalized in many others.  Mostly in the form of edibles, and I would imagine something that would have an impact on an adult--get them high--would definitely disorient a dog to the point that a vet visit would be called for.  Edibles come in a lot flavors, I'm sure some are enticing to various animals.  Other hosts have mentioned that stoned guests have lost/left edibles so I don't find this really far fetched at all.

[Laura2592]

@Mark116 it happens. I posted a link to a host who had a very similar situation.  

My dog will literally eat anything except kale. I'm not even kidding.  He likes celery, lettuce, bread, Brussels sprouts, etc. He tries to eat things that are toxic to him on a regular basis. And many edibles are disguised as tasty food. So I buy that its quite possible to happen. 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  "That's why we say that dogs must be leashed in our yard (how else will they know where they poo??)"

There's no way my dog would do her business while on leash. That only works for inside dogs who get walked on a leash, not outside dogs. My dog was ( I had to have her put down this fall- she had cancer and was old) somewhat unusual in that she was very private about her elimination. She wouldn't go anywhere around where we were living- she wouldn't even pee in my yard. She would trot off to the back of the field behind me, or down by the arroyo near my house. 

When I travelled with her and stayed at friends' places who had fenced yards, she would go to the very back corner of the yard, as far from the house as possible, if she needed to poo or pee.

She was used to being on a leash if I took her into town and such, but there is no way she would pee or poo when leashed. I once took an 8 day car trip with her. I'd stop every 3 hours to gas up, have a coffee and walk her around on the leash, but she wouldn't even pee. She would hold it all day until we got to wherever we were going to spend the night and I could find a safe place to let her free. 

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977 yes....I understand.  And sorry to hear about your pup. But we aren't suitable for an outside canine guest. It would only be a matter of moments until a skunk found them. 🦨

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  Haha. Dogs actually steer clear of skunks if they have ever had occasion to have run into them once. Same with porcupines. Dogs that are used to being outside aren't stupid about what wildlife to avoid.

There were 2 little skunks that used to run up on my porch at night, grab a piece of dog kibble out of the dog bowl, then run back down to their hiding place behind a plant pot, and I could hear them nibbling away and chattering to each other. They would keep repeating this for like 20 minutes. They aren't the same kind of skunks you have up there- they're called civet skunks and they're the cutest little things. 

But they still spray and smell like skunk. My dog and cat just lay there and watched them. There were never any spraying incidents. The pets ignored the skunks and the skunks ignored the pets.