Dog friendly places - small dog only - WHY?

I hear ya but for my dogs I would not even make an inquiry.  I wanted to attend my nephews wedding last summer but just couldn't swing the trip, gift, and kenneling the dogs.  Plus, one needed special medical attention.  My nephew and his wife-to-be really wanted me to attend and it is up to the bride to arrange accomodations for out of town guest.  She wanted to do this, tried hard for the longest time, but was not successful. 

Here are some sites that will help you find a place in the future, there are plenty around -  

http://www.petswelcome.com/ 

http://www.tripswithpets.com/

http://www.dogfriendly.com/

Whereas I don't think that a true case by case is 'doable' I honestly think there shouldn't be a weight restriction. Dogs or no dogs, period.  Charge a fee, take a deposit, and demand crates if need be, then let the dog owner decide.  And of course the UTD etc.

As for your example, don't get me started ...............

jenns

Sometimes rules just have to be made and lines have to be drawn somewhere.

I agree with your first part but what is the line about?  If you look around you will find weight restrictions from 20-80lbs, so there is no clear line. 

just for reference folks, from dictionary.com, discrimination;

"treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit"

DPU  that just plain s*cks, I am sorry you missed out.  You shouldn't have Great Danes they are just too big you know   (I know you know I am kidding!)

I feel you, Karen.  Not only am I subject to no "large dogs" allowed, I am subject to breed discrimination as well.  Luckily, we can't afford vacations together besides a summer outing with my family and that takes place at my mom's cousin's place so I bring the dogs along.  My landlords now are wonderful.  Their listing said "no pets", but I invited them to call any of my friends and all of my previous landlords, which they did.  They allowed Kenya and even allowed us to ADD Coke later on (and would have allowed another purebred GSD b/c that's what we were looking at).  I offered to pay an additional deposit on top of the security deposit and added to that when we adopted Coke.  Luckily, they have a GSD mix from the pound, and he looks quite like a GSD, so they do not discriminate my breed.  I was not able to find any apartment complexes here that allowed large dogs and did NOT discriminate against GSDs. 

I'm not going to be bitter about it, though, b/c I HAVE known way too many irresponsible GSD owners with dogs that behaved badly and are/were a poor example of the breed.  The best thing I can do is make do with the opportunities I CAN find and use them to set a good example for myself and my breed.  I love my breed and I will take on the challenge of the dogs being discriminated against.  Those sacrifices aren't enough to make me think less of the dogs.

 Lies should the opportunity arise check some of those websites out - there are more places than you would imagine that are fantastic.  There are also weekly and monthly places on rental websites that you can search for pet friendly. Like this one  http://www.vrbo.com/ or this one http://www.seasidegetaways.com/

kpwlee

let's just say that we won't ever agree -  I suppose that you feel that large, young, tall or obese people could be excluded from things then without it being discriminatory?   And that all dogs should be less than 40 lbs or 20lbs as some hotels/B&B's believe.  To be clear it is not me that isn't welcome in these places it is my dog.  And he can't control his size.  I understand that you have a preference for small dogs so you might not be able to be objective on the subject. 

Is it discrimination, sure if you want to look at it like that however many hotels discriminate against allowing any animals.  Why should your dog be allowed but not my snake, ferret, or pig?  At least the hotels that are currently offending you so much are trying to reach out to some of the doggy population.  The fact is though hotels have the right to discriminate against dogs (outside of service ones).

 Some of the things I imagine hotel owners might think about is, larger dog, means larger accidents, more drool, fur, doggy smell, potential for inflicting damage via bite, causing fear in other dog phobic guests, and just larger sized problems in general compared to smaller dogs.  Is this always true?  No, but it isn't hard to see where someone might instinctively think of that when deciding what they will allow.  Just because you take the time to train your dog doesn't mean everyone else does.  Damages to a room are not only a pain because items need to be replaced, but because they loose however many nights of business it takes to get the room back up to proper standards.

Since Gypsy is crate trained, I have never had a problem taking her anywhere.  However, I refuse to go anywhere where BSL is in affect, so this may be part of my good luck in having motels allowing her to stay.

 kpwlee, I know how you feel. This summer my aunt and I insisted on a pet friendly vacation spot. We got approved for 3 dogs... when Misha weighed 65 pounds. He was over what they wanted to allow then... so ... we're just... not informing them that he's just over 80 pounds now.

I hope you find a place that is large dog friendly. I'm sure Bugsy would love a vacation and meeting new people. Even if they thought he was too big. 

Karen - I've been in your place, too, and it does suck.

My family arranged a big get-together for Christmas the first year I had Gracie.  She wasn't even a year old yet.  As much as my sister tried, she couldn't find a rental that would allow dogs.  It was nothing to her to kennel her dogs, but there was no way in hell that I was leaving my puppy on her first Christmas.  My parents felt the same about their dog.  My parents ended up sneaking the dog in, and leaving early.  I brought mine and was super responsible for her. (as "irresponsible" as I was for breaking the rules and bringing her anyway)

I suppose that if someone was injured by a dog on the property - whether the owner's dog or a renter's, that the property owner is still liable. All other reasons for not allowing dogs is pretty much the same regardless of size.  Messes, property damage, noise, and.... the one that I hear most often quoted - ALLERGIES.  Since they rent to so many people, they can't affect folks who have allergies to pets.  Fine - but that allergic reaction would happen no matter how big the dog.

I had trouble finding overnight hotels that would accept my large dog when I moved across country.  So, just finding a new hotel isn't as easy as it might seem.  Even if you're willing to shell out the $100/night non-refundable deposit, etc.

miranadobe

All other reasons for not allowing dogs is pretty much the same regardless of size.  Messes, property damage, noise, and.... the one that I hear most often quoted - ALLERGIES.  Since they rent to so many people, they can't affect folks who have allergies to pets.  Fine - but that allergic reaction would happen no matter how big the dog.

That is my point exactly.  Not sure why that is so hard for some to understand. 

KrissimKlaw again I will iterate we just disagree - if a hotel allows dogs it is discriminating (by definition) when it sets weight limits.   Just as if it allows people but than says but not if over 300lbs or not with blue eyes or whatever. If it allows dogs it is not discriminating when it excludes ferrets, snakes, etc. they are not dogs.  That is using pure logic.

And yes it is great that so many places allow dogs/pets and I hope that more and more will stop this ridiculous weight limit business.  The benefit is not born out in reality. 

edited to delete unnecessary content 

    I'm afraid I don't get it. My husband and I travel for our job and often stay in motels for two to three months at a time, I show the dogs a number of times a year, and we travel to Ohio, and Phoenix to visit family, and we rarely have trouble finding a motel room, or other rental. We usually have four to five Border Collies with us!  Motels/hotels are private property, and as such the owners can make whatever rules they see fit, even if us pet owners think it's unfair. As so many others here have mentioned, often an owner will make exceptions if you have refrences, or they meet the pet, or you offer to pay a pet deposit.

     Our main criteria when traveling is a good place to walk the dogs, so we avoid city centers and high rise hotels. Small communities on the outskirts of towns are often eager for the business, and we don't mind a little extra drive time. We also make sure our dogs leave a good impression on the motel owners by being extra careful and extra clean! 

kpwlee

if a hotel allows dogs it is discriminating (by definition) when it sets weight limits.   Just as if it allows people but than says but not if over 300lbs or not with blue eyes or whatever. If it allows dogs it is not discriminating when it excludes ferrets, snakes, etc. they are not dogs.  That is using pure logic.

Sorry, I do not find this to be pure logic at all.  We are talking, once again, about a hotel for people, not a doggie hotel or boarding facility.  Therefore it is not the same as not allowing people over 300lbs and I can't even believe that that comparison is being made.  If you were talking about a boarding facility, where it's purpose is for dogs, than yeah the weight limit would not make sense.  A 90 lb dog is physically "more dog" than a 20 lb dog.  THAT is pure logic and the reason behind the weight limit.    If you two take 2 dogs, both having the exact same behavior, one small and one large, the large dog has the capacity to do way more damage than the small dog just based on the laws of physics.  Pee and poop is bigger,  they are stronger and they can reach higher.  The same way that 2 dogs is more than 1, and 5 dogs is more than 2.  I can certainly see how it can be frustrating for you, but If you find weight limits discriminatory, than how can you say allowing one species and not others isn't? There are plenty of people that find that to be unfair even if you don't.

 Personally, I don't care what happens with vacation homes, motels, etc.  You don't have to take a vacation to survive, or to have your dogs survive.

But, I think many of you might change your tune if you end up elderly, or you lose your money, and can't keep your home, but you have a dog over 40 pounds, or have two dogs.  Then, you'll have some landlord or some public housing authority telling you to give one or all of your "kids" up.  I believe that if someone is willing to tell you that a place is your HOME, then you should be allowed to own a pet (or several pets), so long as they aren't a nuisance to anyone.  Even those of you who think you are young and healthy, be sure your animals, please trust me and have a place to go if something happens... I work with this crap all the time, and the animals suffer - many of them are great pets, no trouble, and their only sin was that they were 50 pounds, or 10 years old.  They die anyway, when families don't want to take them, and the elder cannot keep them.  This isn't just about motels, it's a larger issue.  It's also a great reason for training your dog, even your tiny dog, to be clean in the house, to respond to your cues, and not to be bark-y or destructive.  JMTC

I've never had a problem finding a pet-friendly hotel, either.  I generally stay at Super 8 or Days Inn whenever we travel for agility trials.  Quite frequently those are the host hotels, so they're obviously VERY dog friendly and expect to be overrun with dogs on these particular weekends.

I've never encountered a size limit, either.  Some hotels say that only two dogs can stay in a room, but I know a LOT of my agility friends fudge on that one.  The hotel I'm staying at this weekend has a $10/dog fee.  We'll have three dogs in our room and the hotel (Days Inn) doesn't care so long as we pay the fee.

We are reminded at every trial to be courtious guests and to clean up after ourselves at our hotels.  It is very important to our dog sports that we keep good relations with hotels so that they continue to remain dog friendly.

I own a big dog(Rottweiler) and two small dogs(Boston Terriers) and on certain vacations, I will bring the smaller dogs with me as it's easier to accomodate them than the Rottie. I usually vacation at Indiana Beach and there's only one place that allows dogs up to 20lbs. Some of the rooms are really small so I can understand the size restriction but at the same time, I consider it a privilege and not a right to bring my dogs. If I were told I couldn't bring my dogs then I'd either not go on vacation or have someone come in and watch my dogs. Yeah it sucks when you can't bring all the members in the family but often times, there's reasons why big dogs, or any dogs, aren't allowed. Perhaps the property owner had bad experiences with big dogs, perhaps it's insurance purposes, etc.. etc. We may not agree with those reasons but the property owner does have the right to enforce such rules.