Should I make my vacation rental pet friendly?

The perks of pet-friendly accommodation

Who lets the dogs in? We do! There are 3 plaws-ible reasons why you should make your accommodation dog friendly. Hosts are meant to be accommodating, that’s the nature of the letting beast – to be accommodating and all things friendly. Except when it comes to being ‘pet friendly’ and including dogs as guests. Pre-hosting, we had real difficulty finding a holiday rental that would take the whole family (two-legged and four-legged to boot) – so you would assume it a no-brainer that when we began hosting, we would automatically jump to add ‘pet friendly’ as our top dog amenity. Yet we didn’t. Because there was much to consider. Like, allergies, impact on future guests if we missed a hair during cleaning, age restriction and size. Or, what if a puppy gets left alone and decides to chew the place down out of boredom or because of separation anxiety?

It’s no walk in the park for hosts here when it comes to footing the bill for damage incurred. But for every hundred reasons as to why we wouldn’t have a ‘pets allowed’ policy – there was one that constantly barked back. Remembering what it was like not being able to bring our own dog on holiday with us. The past couple of years have been pretty ruff, and during that entire time our pets stayed by our side – so doggone it, they deserve a break away too.

Make no bones about it. Furbabies, interspecie family members, BFFF (Best Furry Friend Forever) – whatever term of endearment we want to collar our pooch with (and I make no bones about mine) they are like children to us. Needing the same constant love, care and affection. So why leave them Home Alone when you don’t have to.

Every dog should have its day – or two. Dogs’ lives are shorter than humans, so take them with you on breaks – make a lifetime of howling memories together. Throw every stick you can find at it – laps on the beach, scampering through forests and mountains – and at the end of a playful day, enjoy a rewarding curl up on the couch together watching ‘Inside the Mind of a Cat.’

As sick as a dog (the oppo-sit is fact!) – and here’s the twist in this tale.  Pets come with health benefits. Scientifically proven, having a dog (ultimuttly) prolongs a human’s life by providing companionship, affection and a reason to get up off the couch and move. Studies have also shown that the very act of petting a dog lowers blood pressure. Only to rise again when we’re forced to leave them behind whenever we go on holiday without them. You pining over your dog pining for you. And at the heel of the hunt, that is no holiday. 

Pictured above is Lady Margaret, Pooch Super Host at The Rose Suite, shot by our Super-Duper Human Host, Emmett Vaughan. At The Rose Suite we love to see little paws, big paws – whatever sized paws, under the kitchen table. Because to us, that’s what home-from-home really means. The beautiful Rose Suite, in Kenmare, Ireland, is available to book here. 

Join Grace and Emmett, along with thousands of other hosts, who are using Travelnest to advertise a vacation rental for free, on over 30 different booking sites. You have the freedom to choose your house rules, amenities and pricing rates; and we build the listings for you on sites including Airbnb and Expedia.