Finding pet friendly hotels is often frustrating, especially in Mexico where the culture of treating pets like they are our 'four-legged babies' is not as typical as we encounter in the US. Those of us who want to take our pets on the road with us when we travel have a vested interest, even an obligation, to be courteous to those hotels that are willing to welcome our pets. In our experiences with pet friendly hotels, we have found that virtually all hotels have these reasonable rules:
- Your pet must be well-behaved and trained, including housebroken.
- Your dog must not bark uncontrollably. Certainly, most dogs will bark a bit at a sudden noise. But constant barking is unacceptable to other guests, and likely to have you thrown out of the hotel.
- Any damage caused by your pet is your responsibility. Did your cat use claw the bedspread to shreds? Did your dog or cat have an unfortunate accident? If so, you should offer to pay for replacement or cleaning.
- Pets must be leashed at all times outside of your hotel room. Rarely, a hotel may have an off leash exercise area, but don't assume that the tennis court can become your own personal dog park.
- Clean up after your pets! Don't leave the poop in the parking lot or grassy area by the pool. Always, always, always carry a plastic bag to pick up the poop. Then, dispose of it in a proper manner. Find an outdoor basket or dumpster (preferably a covered one). Don't just dump it in the garbage can in your hotel room for the maid to deal with. Same rules apply to the kitty litter.
Many hotels have size limitations, or only allow one pet per room. It can be tempting, I know, but ignoring those rules will eventually change a pet friendly policy into a big sign that reads, "No Pets Allowed." That's not a good thing for any of us who want to travel with our four-legged family.
Some hotels, particularly B&B's, ask that you not allow pets on the furniture or on the beds. Remember, it's their property and we need to be respectful. In our travels, we find many hotels that do not want us to leave our dog in the room when we are out and about. That's a good idea. It avoids an unknowing maid coming into your hotel room and letting your pet get loose outside, or some other tragedy occurring because the room isn't completely puppy proof. Properly crate training your pet is the best way to avoid these risks. In fact, we've never had a pet friendly hotel say that we could not leave our dog alone in his crate while we were out to dinner.
Most importantly, before you travel, be sure that your pet is a good candidate for staying in a pet friendly hotel. If your dog is going to chew on the chair legs, or your cat has a bad habit of ignoring the litter box when she is stressed, she's probably not the poster child for encouraging hotels to adopt pet friendly policies. Sorry to say, but some pets really are not suited for this kind of travel. Sometimes it is better to leave them at home with a pet sitter or look for a reliable, clean boarding facility.
For more information on Pet Friendly Travel in Mexico and the USA, visit Gringo Dog.
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