A Dog Rules Enforcement Question

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
Martha
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A Dog Rules Enforcement Question

Post by Martha »

We rarely accepted dogs in the big chalet for a variety of reasons. However since COVID we've swapped, we are living in the big chalet and letting the small one. It's gone very well so far in spite of the pandemic, which is great.

We decided we would accept dogs on request with rules, and no problems so far. I appreciate there are lots of people who want to have a winter holiday and bring their dog.

However France seems particularly bad for people bringing dogs and leaving them alone all day while they ski. Friends who live in holiday apartment blocks often hear locked in dogs howling and barking.

So our rules state very clearly that the dog mustn't be left alone in the chalet. But the current guests (who have read and confirmed the rules with me) are leaving their dog in on her own from time to time.


It is not in this case a big problem. They aren't leaving her for long, she's a sweet mellow old girl and doesn't seem worried, isn't chewing things (I think!) etc. And they seem responsible in all other ways with her, so no biggie. If they'd told me "we're going to go do some shopping and we'd rather leave her here for a couple of hours, she's settled and happy" I would have probably said, no worries

But it got me thinking...what could I do if someone turned up and left their dog inside all day? :/

I think I'm going to beef up the dog rules a bit, and I've been thinking about taking a special 'dog security deposit' for a while. Maybe that would help.

I did consider, if someone continued to do it after being asked not to, I could say dog daycare has to be arranged and if they won't, I'll arrange it and charge for it. But you can't just remove someone's dog and give it to someone to look after.

Perhaps the best thing would be to add a short sentence clarifying why these rules are in place.

I never mind seeming pernickety about dogs, it's a beautiful place and I don't have a problem being seen as strict about dogs. As a responsible owner I understand and don't mind when other people are.

In fact I've turned down two bookings already who said that this rule wasn't reasonable, because that was exactly what they wanted to do. "Well, how are we going to ski???" ( I do send dog-sitter links)

But I do wonder what I could possibly do if someone just decided to ignore the rules. When this has happened in other context EG overcrowding I've stepped in and billed / moved people accordingly but I am not sure what I would do in this situation. Thoughts welcome!
Chalet la Foret, Chamonix
LotBoy47
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Post by LotBoy47 »

Do your T&Cs state what action you’ll take if dogs are left unattended?
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Cymraes
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Post by Cymraes »

What do you want to do?

I always leave my own dog with friends when we go skiing because combining dogs with a skiing holiday is always going to be problematic.

If you want them to leave if they break the rules then you need to make sure that is in your terms and conditions. I also take dogs and say they are not to be left alone but I'm well aware that plenty of them will be home alone when the owners head to the pub in the evening! Most of them will be fine - fast asleep after a tiring day on the beach or the mountains.

Could you compromise by not accepting dogs during the skiing season?
akwe-xavante
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Post by akwe-xavante »

A dog can do a serious amount of damage in a short amount of time!

I know someone who had £14K's worth of damage in a couple of hours whilst the owners went out for a meal.

Guests refused to pay for the damage, they were not insured even though they claimed to be on booking and my friends insurance policy did not cover damages caused by dogs as dogs do not accidentally damage anything, they know what they are doing.

She couldn't afford the repairs and had to sell the property and did not get a good price on sale because of the damage.

Does your insurance policy cover you for damages caused by dogs, i'm 99.9999999% sure you are not covered
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

akwe-xavante wrote: Does your insurance policy cover you for damages caused by dogs, i'm 99.9999999% sure you are not covered
In the UK many holiday let policies provide cover for damage done by guests’ dogs, but it’s definitely a detail to check and not assume. I recall checking out alternatives to our insurer (NFU) a couple of years or so ago, and was surprised to find one of the popular names in the business (can’t remember which now and I’m not going to guess!) did not include that cover.
Martha
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Location: Chamonix

Post by Martha »

Thanks for the input!
Checking insurance is an excellent move. I will do that.

"Could you compromise by not accepting dogs during the skiing season?" - in fact this is what we used to do but have now moved to accepting them if there's a non-skier in the party - often the case and of course in the current situation it's always the case!

T& Cs - well, that's the question. I have no penalty specified in the T's and Cs for breaking these rules and I am not sure what it would be.

Having thought it over, I think I'm going to clarify at the top of the dog rules that we are here all the time (so we'll know if your dog is howling and miserable) and state that the dog must be placed with a dog-sitter if needed (numbers provided). I feel like there's only so much you can do really.
Chalet la Foret, Chamonix
jafa
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Post by jafa »

If you accept dogs, then why not a higher deposit required? At least if there is any damage, you`ll have something in the pot. And they may think twice about leaving it, as I`m sure they know whether the dog is trustworthy or not.
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Martha
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Post by Martha »

I do ask for an extra deposit for dogs :) another €100 taking it to €400 total.
Chalet la Foret, Chamonix
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