Hospitality

Dog-Friendly Luxury Vacation Rental: Welcoming Pets Well

By Jillian MoodSeptember 20, 20265 min read

Fluffy dog running through the meadow at sunset with Villa Foresta and the mountain behind

For many families, the dog is not a travel accessory. The dog is family, and a trip without her is a trip with a kennel bill and a guilty conscience. When we opened Villa Foresta in the Eastern Townships, we made a decision that was a first for this house: dogs are welcome, with their own treats and their own beds.

What the demand data says

The Canadian Animal Health Institute's latest pet population survey, conducted by Léger, counted 7.2 million dogs and 8.2 million cats in Canada in 2024, with pets living in more than half of Canadian households.

Those households travel. In an August 2023 report, Airbnb said nights booked with pets for that summer had risen almost 50% year over year, that just over 27% of its listings were declared pet-friendly (up from 23% in 2018), and that about 46% of pet-friendly stays booked that summer were in rural areas. A chalet near a lake and a mountain is exactly where people want to bring a dog.

On the supply side, analytics firm Key Data compared U.S. vacation rentals in 2022: pet-friendly homes showed 54% adjusted paid occupancy versus 48% for homes that do not allow pets, and an average daily rate about 9% higher. That is a correlation, not proof that allowing dogs causes the difference. The same analysis notes that results vary widely by market and season, that the gap has narrowed since 2020, and that some markets showed no advantage at all.

My reading: saying yes to dogs widens the pool of families and groups who can book you, especially in the country and in the quieter seasons. It is not a guarantee, and it only pays off if you welcome dogs well.

Welcome the dog like a guest

Ticking the pet-friendly box is a policy decision. The welcome is what guests actually feel when they walk in with a leash in one hand and a suitcase in the other.

At Villa Foresta, dogs get their own treats and their own beds, so nobody has to pack a bulky bed for a weekend. Around that, a thoughtful dog setup includes:

Food and water bowls, and a mat to go under them
A stack of dedicated dog towels by the door for muddy paws, clearly different from the bath towels
Waste bags and an obvious outdoor bin
A page in the house manual with the nearest veterinary clinic and emergency number, leash rules for nearby trails and beaches (they vary, so verify each one before you recommend it)

Fluffy dog standing on a freshly made bed at Villa Foresta

Protect the home without sounding suspicious

A luxury home can host dogs and stay beautiful. The protection is mostly design and clarity.

Choose forgiving materials. Washable slipcovers and throws, rugs you can clean or replace, mattress and duvet protectors on every bed, and hard flooring in the entry.

Write clear, friendly rules. Airbnb's guide to hosting pets recommends stating how many pets you accept (the platform lets you set a number from one to five), which kinds, and your expectations about leashes and waste. I would add: dogs are never left alone in the house unless crated, and please tell us about your dog when you book. Phrase rules as care for the next guest, not as suspicion of this one.

Plan the turnover. A dog stay needs a longer clean: a vacuum that handles hair, lint rollers, an enzyme cleaner, a yard check. Agree on the scope and the price with your cleaners before the first dog arrives, not after.

Know your coverage. Airbnb states that unexpected pet damage is covered under Host Damage Protection, part of AirCover for Hosts, with photo documentation and a request through the Resolution Center. Other channels and direct bookings work differently, so review your own policy with your insurer.

Fees: simple and fair

On Airbnb, a pet fee is meant to cover the extra cleaning. According to Airbnb, when you add one it is folded into the price and spread evenly across the nights of the reservation. My approach to setting it:

Ask your cleaners what a dog turnover really costs them in time.
Set the fee to cover that cost, not to discourage dog owners. A punitive fee tells guests they are tolerated, not welcome.

One important distinction. Under Airbnb's Accessibility Policy, service animals are not pets: hosts must allow them even with a no-pets rule, and cannot charge a pet fee for them. The same policy says hosts in Québec and Ontario must also accept emotional support animals without extra fees. I checked these pages in September 2026. Policies and laws change, so read the current text yourself and ask a professional if you have a legal question.

Is it right for your home?

Not every property should accept pets. Allergies in your own family, a condo bylaw, delicate antiques or a municipality's rules can all be good reasons to say no. It is a business decision about one specific home and one specific market.

Weighing that decision, then building the welcome, the rules and the cleaning plan around it, is the kind of work I do with owners. A dog bed and a jar of treats sit right alongside the other low-cost upgrades that make a home memorable, and one photo of a happy dog in the meadow tells travelers more than a paragraph of policy.

Sources

Jillian Mood smiling on a sunny deck, holding a tall mug with a moose on it

Want this done for your home?

Everything in this article is part of what Jillian does for the homes she hosts. Tell her about yours and she will tell you, honestly, what she would do with it.

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