What Does "Pet Friendly" Really Mean?

3/29/2014

al·low əˈlou/
verb 1. admit (an event or activity) as legal or acceptable. 2. give the necessary time or opportunity for.

friend·ly 'frendlē/
adjective: 1. kind and pleasant.

wel·come 'welkəm/
adjective: 1. (of a guest or new arrival) gladly received.

Typist: Bethany
Still constantly smiling from the memories of our wonderful road trip to Astoria in February and deep in the throes of planning our spring road trip to Phoenix, I have been pondering the travel term "pet friendly." This popular travel industry phrase has an extremely broad ranging definition. "Pet friendly" can mean that pets are simply allowed yet there are multiple limitations and restrictions like where pets can be on the property, number of pets permitted, weight limits and exorbitant fees. Pets are also truly welcome under the "pet friendly" definition; no limitations, no fees, few rules. Pets are embraced and invited to enjoy the vacation. Our lodging in Astoria, the Crest Motel, was an honestly pets welcome motel.

Being three welcomed travelers, three happy travelers.

Travelers have a diverse idea of what "pet friendly" means as well. Some think that a "pet friendly" establishment should be a pet utopia, where pets roam free or can be left alone while humans enjoy the vacation. Others who travel with their pets understand the need for limitations, fees, certain liability restrictions, etc. Personally, I am a fan of pet friendly establishments that have few limitations and fees. To me, this is more welcoming, especially traveling with three to four pets. But I don't think pets should have the run of a place. No one should leave their pets alone when traveling. Especially not when there are so many other options that are better for the pet as well as kinder to the motel, hotel or campground. The Crest Motel in Astoria asks only that you not leave your pet alone in the room and you clean up after your pet.

One of two rules for pets welcomed at the Crest Motel in Astoria, Oregon.

An obvious second and final rule for traveling pets at the Crest Motel (which very unfortunately not everyone followed.)

I know that neither the travel industry nor pet travelers are likely to change their confusing "pet friendly" terminology but it certainly would be helpful to those of us traveling with our pets. It is so disappointing to find out that an establishment touting itself as "pet friendly" really only allows pets. And I certainly would love it were I to have an easier time finding honestly pet welcoming hotels, motels and campgrounds. When I find lodging that truly embraces pets as guests, I become a repeat customer. This February was our second stay at the Crest Motel, and we will be going back.

Cascadian Nomads was not asked to or paid to promote any businesses or organizations mentioned and linked in this post. We're just sharing information or stuff we like!

What does "pet friendly" mean to you?

14 Comments

Molly The Wally link

3/28/2014 08:33:34 pm

We are not that pet friendly over here at all which makes taking pets around quite difficult. It is a big shame. Have a super Saturday.
Best wishes Molly

Bethany

3/29/2014 07:20:54 am

I definitely prefer at least "pets allowed" over no pets at all! Going out and about with pets takes a lot of research and planning no matter what side of the pond you are on.

Reilly & Denny

3/29/2014 12:21:21 am

We do the same thing - we have just booked a cottage at Jack Hannas resort 140 acres for the dogs to roam in plus they have no restriction on breed, size or amount of dogs. We have heard nothing but rave reviews so are really excited to check it out

Bethany

3/29/2014 07:27:11 am

I wanna go! Any website that has that adorable "pet friendly" link in the corner of their home page is a very good sign. And you're right, they're policies are as pet friendly/caring about the pets as it gets: http://www.retreatatskyridge.com/pet-friendly/ I can;t wait to read about and see photos of tour trip!

Jan K link

3/29/2014 05:24:17 am

There definitely should be at least two different terms: "pets allowed" for those with all kinds of strict rules and regulations. "Pet friendly" should be reserved for places like your Crest Motel.
We don't travel a lot, and not at all with the dogs. The reason we don't travel is because I don't want to leave the dogs! So I'm trying to work my hubby up to traveling with the dogs. I'd certainly want to know which kind of place I was staying at ahead of time.

Bethany

3/29/2014 07:32:43 am

It only takes a little bit of planning time to find out if a place has a truly "pets welcome" policy. I always call just to be sure. Policies change! But I would appreciate being saved the time of searching all over a supposedly "pet friendly" hotel, motel or campground's website only to find out they are "pet friendly" exclusively to one toy dog traveling with a human who has an extra Ben Franklin per night of the stay!

Rebekah link

3/29/2014 10:57:26 am

I agree with your definition. We vacationed with our girl when she was an only dog in St. George Island, Florida. That whole town is truly pet friendly, and I was blown away by how welcoming they were to pets.

Bethany

3/31/2014 10:39:51 am

Pets being truly welcome makes for the very best vacation for everyone!

bichonpawz link

3/30/2014 05:35:48 pm

We solved the problem when we purchased the RV so that we COULD travel with the dogs. At the time, we had three. Zippo was a Newf mix and then we had the two girls. We have had nothing but great experiences with the RV parks we stay at. We always make sure we pick up after ourselves...and OTHERS that seem to ignore the signs. Grrrrrr. Prior to us getting the RV, we stayed at a couple of different Residence Inns and Days Inns and we were always very pleased with how the dogs were treated. My sister had a bit of a problem because she shows her dogs and usually has four dogs with her. Most hotels frown on that many.

Bethany

3/31/2014 10:37:24 am

Someday Jason and I plan to have a camp trailer for road trips. My dad bought his RV to ease the travel he does with his four dogs! He once rented two rooms to get past the two dog limit. :)

Funny you should mention the traveling with show dogs issue since this post started off as a 2500 word rant that included a hint to hotel and motel owners only allowing one or two pets about the turning away of repeat and very respectable business in dog sport travelers!!

Kimberly Gauthier link

4/1/2014 11:44:38 am

I would love to travel with our dogs, but we have four dogs and most hotels we find top out at two. Even houses to rent. So we're going to check in with friends who own a home and see if they'll trust us for a long weekend after the puppies are fully potty trained.

Bethany

4/1/2014 01:46:19 pm

I travel with four pets too so I feel your pain. In my opinion, only allowing two pets is not "pet friendly," it's "pets allowed." And if the language was different, it would be easier to find the rare gems that are truly "pets welcome." Borrowing from friends is a great idea! We have friends with a place on Whidbey and family with a place on Mount Hood that we get to borrow when available- all the pets we want to bring and no fees! Plus we always leave the place cleaner than we found it.

Pamela link

4/1/2014 10:03:32 pm

I get irritated when accommodations call themselves pet-friendly but they're really only small-pet friendly. If your dog is over 40 pounds, forget it.

I would love someone to tell me why my well-behaved and quiet 50 pound dog that I clean up after is a bigger drain on hotel resources than a 15 pound dog.

I agree that we need a balance between the needs of pet people and non-pet people. But I disagree that pets should never be allowed to be in the hotel room by themselves.

A quiet dog who does not suffer anxiety at being alone in a strange place should not be a problem. And sometimes it's good for our dogs to get a "break" on vacation.

I've seen hotels that allow crated dogs in hotel rooms. Or they ask you to give your cell phone number at the desk so if the dog barks or there's a problem, they can call you.

To me, that makes more sense than a blanket ban on dogs alone in the room.

Bethany

4/2/2014 03:23:47 pm

Thank you so much for your comment, Pamela. And, yes, where did the whole weight limit thing come from? If a dog is noisy or messy, size doesn't matter! And if a deep cleaning needs to be done on the room, does is matter if there was one dog or four?

In the conversations I have had over the years with many various property owners and managers, the main reason pets are not allowed to be left alone in the room is the liability risk. Hotels and motels can have "not responsible for lost or stolen ITEMS" clauses but many, many court cases now say a pet is not an item. I don't leave my laptop in my room so I certainly wouldn't leave my pets in there! Lodging also runs the risk of injured employees if pets are allowed to be left in the room, even if the pets are crated. That drives up the cost of the hotel or motels insurance and then the cost of pet stays. I'd rather see establishments keep their risk and costs low, keeping everyone safe and out of court!

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Cascadian Nomads
Pet Adventurers

Cascadian Nomads adventurous dogs and parrot with pet and travel blogger, Bethany Clochard.

Cascadian Nomads canines and psittacine on a road trip with blogger Bethany Clochard.

Pet travel blogger Bethany Clochard shares a lifetime of budget travel experience, camping, and enjoying outdoors & Pacific NW adventures with pets. She currently hits the road with three dogs, a cockatoo & a cat.

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