Timesharing With Pets

You have a dog. You love your dog. You consider your dog a part of the family, but when you take a timeshare vacation, you are forced to leave your dog with a friend, a neighbor, or in a kennel. You hate to do this, to leave your four-legged family member behind, but you think there isn’t any other way. Does this sound familiar?

Traveling with pets of any type can be difficult. Most hotels and resorts don’t allow pets into their establishment and uphold their policy quite strictly, unless the animal works as a disability aide. Resorts say no and hotels say no, leaving a dog-owner at a loss of where to travel. Most dog-owners turn to the more liberated activity of camping, but depending upon where you choose to camp, your animal may not be welcome. Most state parks, national reserves, and ocean-side beaches do not allow dogs and other animals within the parameter of their boundaries for fear of upsetting the ecosystem’s natural balance. After that rejection, dog-owners don’t have much option of where to travel at all. Or so they think.

NO PETS ALLOWED

Most resorts employ a strict no-pets policy. You might think this rule too rigid. You might think that the resorts certainly have the capacity to allow animal travelers to stay along with the paying customers and you might be justified in thinking this. If you miss your pet while you travel and wish to take action, you can. As stated by the president of the American Resort Development Association, Howard Nusbaum, “The great value of timeshare to the consumer is the role owners play in the governance of their home resort” (Endless Vacation Magazine, May/June 2007). Translation: If you’re home resort isn’t pet-friendly and you wish it would be, you can take steps to initiate the change by getting a “pets allowed” provision passed.

Keep these simple facts in mind, however, before you attempt to petition against your home resort’s policy. Allowing pets into resorts would increase the upkeep and costs by a large amount. These fees would be added onto the general maintenance fees paid annually by all timeshare owners. People who aren’t willing to pay additional costs out of pocket, no matter how much they love their pets, probably wouldn’t support the petition with their votes. Also, there are a good percentage of people who are allergic to various types of pet hair and having pets allowed in their resort would be undesirable. These are two immediate reasons a petitioner would lose votes.

There is an additional downside of a pet-friendly resort. Allowing pets would open up the resort to potential lawsuits in the event a pet injured a child, someone else, or someone else’s pet. The responsibilities of these unfortunate events would be passed on to the owners, as well as the resorts. While you may be a responsible owner with control over your animal’s behavior, there’s no guarantee everyone else is that responsible.

This information isn’t meant to discourage the dog-lover. As with all things in life, there are ways unseen. There is an alternative to petitioning your home resort or picking from the slim choices of pet-friendly resorts when deciding where to vacation with your dog. More often than not, there are facilities located nearby the timeshare resort where people can board their pets. Keeping your dog at a kennel or veterinarian hospital during the nights allows you to spend the days with your four-legged family member.

One Holiday Vacationeer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said, “The concierge at a property I sold in Canada told of a vet’s office about one block away from the resort. It was common for people to board their pets there while staying at the resort. I shared that info with my clients and they were grateful to have that [alternative].” While this would be an extra vacation expense, boarding your dog near your resort would certainly cost less than the time spent petitioning and the additional maintenance fees of a pet-friendly resort policy.

PETS WELCOME

More resorts are welcome to pets than you would think. Some even go so far as to cater to your animals, boasting doggie daycare and pamper spas. For a list of RCI pet-friendly US resorts, see here. And here is a list that includes both RCI and Interval International resorts. The following list is also provided as a convenience to our readers, but please keep in mind that the pet policies of these resorts are subject to change without notice. If taking pets on your timeshare vacation is a priority, be sure to check with the resort about its pet policy before you make an exchange or book your reservations.

Pet-Friendly Resorts:

Canada
Ives on Schuswap, British Columbia
The Lodge at Kananaskis, Alberta
Hotel Kananaskis, Alberta
Banff Rocky Mountain Resort, Alberta
Chateau Canmore Resort, Alberta

USA
Chateau Rouge Lodge, Montana
Quadna Mountain Village, Montana
Silverleaf’s Holiday Hills, Montana
Silverleaf’s Ozark Mountain Resort, Missouri
Silverleaf’s Timber Creek Resort, Missouri
Silverleaf’s Holly Lake Ranch, Texas
Silverleaf’s Villages, Texas
Silverleaf’s Hill Country Resort, Texas
Silverleaf’s Piney Shores Resort, Texas
Silverleaf’s Seaside Resort, Texas
The Waves, Maryland
Lucayan, Maryland
Atlantic Resorts, Maryland
The Plaza Resort and Spa, California
Plaza Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, California
Nob Hill Inn, California
Silverleaf’s Las Vegas Resort, Nevada
Caribe Beach Resort, Florida
Rancho Ruidoso Condominiums, New Mexico
Kala Point Village, Washington
RWVC At Kala Point, Washington
RWVC At Snowater, Washington
Silverleaf’s Fox River Resort, Illinois
Club La Pension, Louisiana
The Inn at Silvercreek, Colorado

Mexico
Pueblo Bonito, Mazatlan

PET ETIQUETTE

The more behaved your pup, the better reputation traveling dogs will have. As traveling dogs earn a better reputation, more hotels and resorts will loosen their “no pets” policy. The more resorts and hotels that become pet-friendly, the more options for you and your dog when planning your vacation. Everybody’s happy!

• Always call ahead. Even if you know that your targeted resort or hotel allows pets, call to ensure their policy and to inform the concierge that a four-legged creature will be arriving alongside you and your luggage.
• Travel with a well-behaved dog. Use common sense here. No matter how much you’re going to miss your pooch, some dogs don’t travel well, handle crowds of people well, or even meet other dogs well. You know if your dog fits into one of these categories. Take Mary, a Holiday Group Sales Finance Manager, for example. Mary owns four dogs. She admitted to me that she refused to travel with any of them, her first being too old, her second being too large, her third being people-shy and liable to bite, and her fourth being an extremely unpredictable puppy. While Mary loves her pups, she is aware of their shortcomings and chooses to be responsible rather than risk the chance of an unfortunate event.
• Keep your dog on a leash, unless within a designated off-leash area. While your dog is off the leash, be sure to keep a close watch. Dogs lost during travel are always more difficult to locate. Remember the movie Homeward Bound? You wouldn’t want your beloved fur ball searching the American wilderness for its home, would you?
• ALWAYS clean up after your pup. It is not pleasant, while walking on the beach or through the woods, to happen upon a pile of poo.
• In hotel rooms, never leave your dog alone. Lonely dogs may bark and behave worse than a drunken Rock’n’Roll band after a concert. If you must leave your dog behind, be mindful of the housekeepers and leave the do-not-disturb sign on the door.

Using these rules as a guideline for traveling with your beloved dog, you will have naught but happy trails and happy tails.

Traveling with Pets? Some helpful links:

DogFriendly
Tips on everything from buying a new dog to how to prepare for a road trip with your pooch. Free membership and access to info-loaded free newsletter. Great site!

TakeYourPet
Free newsletter

Pets On the Go
Requires a fee for membership

BringYourPet
Tips for international travel with your dog or cat

BestFriendsPetCare
Tips on pet etiquette while traveling

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