I get paying a dog fee and I am fine with it...if they have dog designated rooms. What sucks are places that charge $20/30/30/50 a night PER DOG. When we get back from a day my dogs want to eat and lay on the floor in front of the heater until morning. They make (almost) zero mess, and it doesn't matter if I have one or 5, same "mess". That really can add up on a trip...especially when I travel alone most of the time.
Sneaking dog into motel
- Thread starter Goosemaster
- Start date
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Let's say you have three dogs, so you're paying $90 more per night??Not me,that's outrageous.
So it is better to steal $90.
A room like anything else is worth what someone is willing to pay. It’s called business. Charge to much you won’t be in business for long. Don’t charge enough you won’t be in business for long. To sneak a dog into the room and not tell the owner is wrong. It makes us all look bad. Pretty soon the owner will just say no dogs. If you get caught you will have to leave and no refund. Some like to use the term low bro. This is a good example of low bro,bro. I have on occasion left the dogs in the back of the truck with a topper. The owner of the motel let us run a power cord out there with a ceramic heater. The dogs were so tired after eating they just wanted to rest anyway.
Alaskan swamp collies
Well-known member
Guys the real answer is a travel trailer or the equivalent. I spend 3 or 4 months on the road a year. The only motel rooms I need are through Canada on the Alcan. Even there I have a list of cabins to rent that are dog friendly. This year I had 5 dogs and the relaxation of knowing that I would have the same roof over my head every night made the trip very peaceful. Even when numbnutts the puppy ate some crap and barfed all over the trailer at night. No real problem. I gladly pay a dog fee on the few nights I need a room going up and down. Motels are a business and they need to make a profit so I respect that.
I agree with Alaskan if you can swing it. I travel in a motor home and pull a 4 door jeep. It's pretty much an all season rig can handle temps into the teens. It cannot handle going down the road 5 below zero. I found that out in Iowa this winter. I don't hunt in those temps anymore anyhow. No worries about creepy crawlers. My dog is happy she has her place. We sleep in the same bed every night. We don't worry about availability. We can make meals in the rig. If we don't like the spot we just roll on. I have plenty of storage. Its a great way to travel, hunting , fishing, general sight seeing.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I guess it is kind of lowbrow, but charging people outrageous rates and then charging additional money for a dog to me, is lowbrow in itself. In my opinion, motels are getting to be outrageously expensive!! The alternative is to take a camper, and I have done that, but I enjoy having a TV and a shower and a big heater and all the stuff that motels offer. I have spent a lot of time and a little pop-up camper out in the boonies, but the older I get the more I like the motel.
At a hotel in Huron, SD, the guy almost demanded the pet fee in cash. That wasn't disclosed when I made the reservations, but I was fortunate to have it on me anyway. It was one of those motels where I'm pretty sure it was the owner on the other side of the counter. Whether it was income taxes or franchise fees for the brand or both, he was definitely trying to hide that $50 from someone.
On the last overnite this past season I was checking in out in western Kansas. The dog fee was $15/night/dog. I had requested dog rooms when I made the reservations. I told the clerk I had two dogs, "if it mattered," expecting her to apply $30/night. "Don't worry about it" she said. So I didn't.
It is outrageous...I agree. Sometimes though in the areas that I want to hunt there is only one or two motels for 1-2 hours...I have no choice but to spend the $$. I've thought about camping or something, but when it is below freezing or raining all day (happened both times this year) I stayed at the motels. Certainly adds up on a trip....I have thought about the travel trailer...I can pay a lot of dog fees though for $10-20k. Not to mention the added fuel of driving 5-10 hours getting half the mileage.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I stayed at a motel in Montana recently, that would not even take cash. If they don't charge a dog fee, they are being cool. However that rarely happens anymore. Even little tiny crappy motels out in the boonies charge a dog fee now. Sometimes you can't beat it, you just have to pay it.
Alaskan swamp collies
Well-known member
Agreed. I have a 4 season TT and have camped down to minus 20. I don’t need to hunt at those temps but do travel between spots when it is that cold. Yes it lowers my mileage but I usually stay 3 to 10 days at a spot so it really doesn’t matter.