Pet-Friendly Airbnb Guide for Dogs
Pet Travel
Ticking the pets box on Airbnb is the easy part. Finding a pet-friendly Airbnb that actually suits your dog, with no surprise charges, no "dogs outside only" fine print and a host who is genuinely happy to see a wagging tail at the door, takes a bit more homework.
As travel-loving dog moms, we have booked more dog-friendly stays around Victoria than we can count, and almost every one taught us something.
One trip had us sleeping in a bakery turned antique shop turned Airbnb in Maffra, with the original bread ovens still sitting in the back shed.
Another took us to a dog-friendly beach house in Venus Bay, where the boys spent most of the week sniffing around a huge fenced yard.
And in the high country, we fell hard for a granite cottage in Beechworth built in the 1860s, with a lemon tree in the garden and an insulated kennel on the back porch.
So here is everything we wish we had known before our first booking. It covers how Airbnb's pet rules work, what hosts can and can't charge, how to vet a listing properly, and how to be the kind of guest a host is happy to welcome back.
RELATED: Dog Packing List for Every Trip
Airbnb Pet Policy for Dogs, Service Dogs and ESAs
Yes, you can bring a dog to an Airbnb, but only when the host allows it. Airbnb has no single pet rule for guests. Each host decides whether pets are welcome, how many can come and what fee applies. Service animals are the exception: a host can't refuse a trained service dog or charge a pet fee for one, even at a listing with a no-pets rule.
Hosts say no to pets for all sorts of reasons. Some have allergies, or regular guests who do. Some don't want the extra cleaning between bookings. And some places just aren't a good fit for a dog, like a top-floor apartment with pale carpet or a farm stay with free-range chickens wandering past the door.
Service Dogs at No-Pet Listings
Under Airbnb's Accessibility Policy, a service dog is not a pet. A host can't turn one away unless Airbnb has granted that listing an exemption, can't add a pet fee or extra cleaning fee for it, and can't set different house rules for you. Hosts may ask only two questions: whether the animal is needed because of a disability, and what work or task it has been trained to perform. No paperwork is required.
A trained psychiatric service dog is treated as a service animal under the policy, so the same protections apply. If your trip starts with a plane ride, this guide to flying with a psychiatric service dog walks through the airport side of traveling together.
Emotional Support Animals and Airbnb Rules
Emotional support animals are a different story, and the rules are worth knowing before you fall in love with a listing. In most places, Airbnb lets hosts treat an emotional support animal like any other pet, so they can apply their usual pet fee or decline the booking if they don't accept pets. Hosts in California and New York must accommodate emotional support animals for home stays, and hosts in Ontario and Quebec must accommodate them for every type of reservation.
You won't need a letter or certificate in any of these cases, because Airbnb asks hosts not to request documentation at all. Where an ESA letter does carry weight is at home. If you rent the place you live in, an ESA housing letter from a licensed mental health professional is what landlords recognize under the Fair Housing Act, even in buildings with a no-pets rule.
Did you know? The Washington Post has reported that "pets allowed" is one of the amenities Airbnb guests filter for most, ahead of pools and Wi-Fi. You are in very good company.
Airbnb Pet Fees and What Hosts Can Charge
Airbnb itself doesn't charge anything for pets. Hosts can, though, and a pet fee sits on top of the cleaning fee and Airbnb's service fee rather than being folded into them.
How Pet Fees Show Up When You Book
Hosts can set their pet fee in four ways: a flat fee per booking, a flat fee per night, a fee per pet, or a fee per pet per night. Airbnb caps it so it can't be more than the listing's nightly base rate. Once you add your dog to the guest count, the fee is built into the nightly price you see and listed in the total at checkout.
That's a real improvement on how things used to work, when a pet fee could hide in the house rules or turn up in a message after the booking was confirmed. Still, read the description and house rules in full. Limits on size, the number of dogs or where they can sleep usually live there, not in the price.
Pet fees are meant to cover the expected extra cleaning. Damage is a separate matter. If a dog chews a door frame or stains a rug, the host can request payment through Airbnb's Resolution Center, which can end up costing far more than the pet fee ever did.
What a Typical Airbnb Pet Fee Looks Like
It mostly comes down to how many dogs you bring, how long you stay and how the host has set things up. Across our own bookings, plenty of hosts have charged nothing at all. Most charged a modest one-off fee for the whole stay. A handful charged enough that it changed which place we picked.
Our advice is simple: compare listings with your dog already added to the search. The total at checkout is the only number that tells the whole story.
Budgeting for the rest of the trip as well? These tips for traveling with a dog cover car restraints, flying and how to help a nervous traveler settle.
How to Find Dog-Friendly Airbnbs With the Pets Filter
Airbnb counts pets as part of your group, so you can see only dog-friendly stays from the very first search. Here's how:
- On the home page, enter your destination, then your check-in and check-out dates.
- Open the guests panel.
- Add your adults, children and infants, then add your pets. Up to five can be added.
- Search, and Airbnb shows only the listings that welcome pets for those dates.
Searching for Unique Stays With Your Dog
Mix the pets filter with the type of place you're after and things get fun. Cabins, farm stays, tiny homes and beach shacks all turn up, and a few of our favorite trips started with a late-night scroll like that.
Booking a stay over the festive season? These dog holiday tips cover busy gatherings, risky foods and keeping routines steady on the road.
Checking a Dog-Friendly Listing Before You Book
The pets filter tells you a host accepts dogs. It doesn't tell you whether the place will suit yours. Airbnb does what it can to verify listings, but the finer details are worth checking yourself.
House Rules and Details to Check
Here's what we look for before we hit reserve:
- Specific pet rules, such as weight, breed or number limits
- How the pet fee is charged: per stay, per night or per pet
- Whether the yard is fully fenced, and how high that fence really is
- Other pets living on the property, if your dog gets nervous around them
- Whether your dog can be left alone for a short time, crated or not
- Whether the host is renting the entire home or a private room in a shared house
- Any supplies provided for dogs, like a dog bed, poop bags or spare towels
- Local tips from the host on dog-friendly cafes, beaches and walks
Not every point will matter to every dog. A senior Cavalier who naps all afternoon has different needs from a young Kelpie who clears fences for fun. Thinking it through before you book saves a lot of stress on arrival.
Our number one tip for booking a pet-friendly Airbnb: double-check that your dog is allowed inside. Lots of listings say "pets allowed," then mention in the fine print that dogs must stay outdoors.
Asking the Airbnb Host About Your Dog
If a listing looks perfect but says nothing either way about pets, message the host. The same goes for anything unclear about fees, fencing or house rules. Asking costs nothing.
Use the "Message host" button on the listing page. The reply tells you a lot. A host who answers warmly and adds a tip about the best morning walk nearby usually loves dogs as much as you do.
Reading Reviews From Other Dog Owners
Reviews from other dog parents are gold. They give an honest picture of how dog-friendly a place really is, and they often mention what the listing leaves out: a gap under the side gate, a busy road out front, or a host who left a jar of treats by the door.
Booking and Staying at an Airbnb With Your Dog
Telling the Host You're Bringing a Dog
Adding pets to your booking is step one. Step two is a short note to the host about who's coming: breed, size, age and anything handy to know, like whether your dog is crate trained or happy around kids.
It's a kindness, and it heads off an awkward arrival where the host wasn't expecting a dog and never had the chance to tuck away the cream throw or the vase on the coffee table.
Our second top tip: love the look of a place? Win the host over by sharing a glowing review a past host left about your well-behaved pup, like this one about our Ziggy.
Following the Pet House Rules
Hosts who welcome pets usually set a few rules to protect their home. The most common ones we've come across:
- No dogs on the furniture, or on the beds in particular
- No leaving your dog alone in the house
- Feeding from your own bowls, not the kitchen's
- Picking up after your dog (it really shouldn't need saying)
- Using the spot the host has set aside for toilet breaks
Breaking the rules can mean extra charges through the Resolution Center for cleaning or damage. It can also earn you a poor review, and that one follows you, since future hosts read it before they accept your request. An Airbnb isn't your home, so their rules win, even when they differ from yours.
Plenty of the same courtesies apply when you stay somewhere with staff and neighbors down the hall, and this guide to dog hotel etiquette covers them.
Packing Your Dog's Travel Essentials
From their special little blanket to their favorite dog toys, a few familiar things help your pup settle into a strange house quickly.
Pack their own bowls as well. Hosts rarely want the kitchen's bowls on the floor, and these bowls and feeding brands include collapsible styles that fold flat in a bag.
If you love taking photos, bring their bed or basket too. It gives your dog a cozy spot that smells like home, and it makes a gorgeous backdrop. After years behind the camera, our best trick is waiting until they're sleepy, and these tips for photographing puppies work just as well on a tired grown-up dog.
Pet-Friendly Accommodation Beyond Airbnb
Can't find the right Airbnb? A few other sites are worth a look. This isn't a complete list, just the ones we've used ourselves to book dog-friendly stays.
Booking.com has a pets allowed filter that covers hotels, apartments and holiday homes.
Stayz lists Australian holiday homes, with plenty of pet-friendly beach and country houses.
Riparide focuses on unique Australian stays, and many welcome dogs.
Planning Your Next Getaway With Your Dog
Booking an Airbnb with your dog comes down to the details. Confirm dogs are allowed inside, compare the full price with your pet added, message the host, and follow their rules once you arrive. After that, the fun part begins.
For the full service animal and ESA rules in Airbnb's own words, read its Accessibility Policy.
We hope you and your pup have the loveliest time on your next stay together.
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