Dogs and Pet-Friendly Hotels

Our pooches are our canine companions and they travel with us. If we stay in a hotel, they do too. But first, there are some steps we must take for our stay with our dogs.

Plan ahead
Before we leave home, we pack up to date medical information and obtain knowledge of the nearest veterinarian and/or animal hospital. We double check that our dogs have all their identifying information and that we've packed everything for their security and a comfortable stay. 


Hotel Scouting and Reservations
In all cases, we’ve scouted out the hotel, online, in advance. Pet policies vary greatly. Many hotels have restrictions on the size and number of pets. It is true that some hotels include pets in the room rate.  However, many hotels only offer a flat rate per day, while others may have separate fees per night - per pet. We definitely do not want to arrive at our hotel with four dogs and find out only two dogs are allowed in our room. 

Choose the appropriate room.

We get a room on the ground floor and strive to get a room near the entrance/exit as we usually take all dogs in / out at once.

Check-in

Once we arrive at our destination, one of us goes in to pick up the room key and checks out the hotel, making sure the place is safe and in great condition.

Create a comfortable space. 

When we are in the room with the dogs we try to prevent noises that may scare the dogs. We keep the television on to help mask noise from outside and our dogs are generally quieter than at home.

Crating

Most hotels require that you crate dogs if you leave them behind. This is not something we've dealt with as we never leave without our dogs. 

Green Space

We look for green space at and around the hotel. And, when taking the dogs outside to potty, we make sure the waste is disposed of properly. 

Fence Fun

We check online for parks in and around the area. We like to hike and active dogs, like ours, need a space to run. Our dogs love their fence fun at the dog park and two of our dogs like water so we look for dogs beaches too.  

Dirty dog days

As most of you know we generally stay alongside a lake. So, we try to prevent the dogs from tracking sand into the hotel. This requires us to walk our dogs on green space prior to taking them back into the hotel room. Yes, occasionally, we have to get out a towel and clean their paws before entering the hotel.

Routines and expectations are important. Our dogs know if we open the door to exit the hotel room, they will soon be heading off on their next adventure.