Over 4th of July weekend, our family headed to the beach for an extra long weekend. It was a great trip, and while we were there we found ourselves reminiscing about how many wonderful vacations we have enjoyed with dogs. By our count, Beau has stayed in over 20 dog-friendly vacation homes in 10 (or more!) states since we adopted him in 2011, and Mama Julep is close behind since she joined our family in 2017.
Here is what has worked for us in landing vacation rentals where our whole family is welcome….
1. I start searches on VRBO / Homeaway (the websites are owned by the same company and have a lot of overlap in listings) and search on Airbnb second. I prefer VRBO/Homeaway for two main reasons: (1) the sites allow you to filter by “waterfront,” which is usually what we’re looking for and (2) they both have lower fees than Airbnb.
2. I don’t filter by “pet-friendly,” or at least not to start.
3. If I find a place that is exactly what we are looking for but it says “no pets,” I message the property owner and ask permission. In that email I share that Beau and Mama Julep are house and crate trained, well-traveled, that Beau is an AKC certified “Canine Good Citizen,” and that Mama Julep is a certified therapy dog. In addition, I invite them to look at the reviews on my profile, the majority of which are from trips that included our dogs.
4. I estimate that my track record for owners of “no pets allowed” vacation homes replying with either “yes” or “I’m considering it but need more info is over 50%. If they want more info, I send them our dogs’ “resumes” which include the above certifications plus vaccination records. (StubbyDog has a great resume template on their website!)
5. I always always offer to pay a refundable pet deposit.
6. If the owner is pushy about asking what breeds our dogs are and won’t drop the issue when I explain they are rescued, mixed breeds, or if they ask to see photos so that they can determine their breeds, I move on. (Visual identification of dog breeds has been debunked by science time and time again….)
7. Before booking a vacation home, I always check Animal Farm Foundation’s website to make sure we are not traveling anywhere that might discriminate against our dogs – or worse, seize them for the way they look. (Pro tip: dogs that look like Beau and Mama Julep aren’t the only ones at risk, some ordinances include a variety of breeds including dobermans, German shepherds, akitas, bulldogs, and even small spitzes!)
8. Once the owner agrees, I ask a lot of specific questions, mostly related to privacy so we can gauge whether our dogs will be able to run around off-leash safely without bothering anyone. (Examples: “how close is the nearest house?” “is the beach I see in the photos dedicated to the house we’ll be renting?” “are there a lot of dogs in the neighborhood?”)
9. Once we’re booked and it’s time to go we pack more than we’d ever need for any unexpected situation we can think of: 50 foot long lines, first aid supplies, a crate for each dog, a baby gate, lots of towels and blankets to cover furniture, etc.
10. We follow the owner’s rules to a T during our stay, and never leave the dogs unattended inside unless they are crated.
Have you ever rented a vacation home with your dogs? Share what worked for you in the comments below!
Note: this post originally appeared as an instagram story over at @ourpitstop – thanks to the clever followers who encouraged me to make it into a blog post!
