Houseguest Dog Etiquette - Entertaining

Houseguest Dog Etiquette — Entertaining

What is the dog etiquette for overnight guests?

Is there a polite way to tell someone that you would rather they not bring along their dog when they come to stay over Labor Day Weekend? It’s not that I don’t like dogs, but the idea of leaving the dog in my newly carpeted home when we go out either during the day or at night, is disconcerting.

–AB, Newport, RI

Thank you for your question about guest dog etiquette.

Forget the cliché Love Me Love My Dog!

Text your dog owner friends for doggie hotel recommendations. Find their website addresses and forward them, with their lists of amenities and prices, to your soon-to-be-guest.

If you’re renting, you can use that as an excuse.
If you’ve had unpleasant incidents in the past, that’s an even grander excuse.

Give the guest fair warning by furnishing them with doggie hotel information and hope that s/he values and respects your friendship enough to take you up on your suggestion.