Holidays with your dog – absolutely!

Two times two plus four legs makes eight legs

Where to take them on holiday? Two times two is no problem, but four times two is. Unfortunately, paying guests are welcome in every hotel, but their pets are not always welcome. So what do I do with my dog and children?

Taking them with you isn't always possible, nor is it always the best solution. When I planned a four-day trip to Venice in November to celebrate my silver wedding anniversary, I decided not to take our four-legged friend with us: a cultural trip with museums, opera and other events would have been more stressful than enjoyable for Valeska. So we entrusted her to our dog sitter. She is delighted, the dog feels at home with her, and we are free! Two plus two equals four, and that's that!

Not everyone has a dog sitter, and not every holiday is a short trip. When it comes to the big annual holiday, our doggy must of course come along. All eight legs should be able to relax and feel at home. A holiday in a holiday home is just the thing. I don't want to go on about the advantages of a holiday home holiday again here. Read my blog! Everything I've said there also applies to dogs and their owners, of course: it's almost total freedom! Everything I allow Valeska to do at home is also allowed in the holiday home. I admit that I am a perfectly normal dog owner who naturally makes sure that the dog is kept in an ‘environmentally friendly’ manner. He doesn't sleep in our bed, jump on the sofas, eat from our plates instead of his dog bowl, dig up the garden or water the flowers. So I can relax and rent a holiday home. Nothing will happen that could upset the landlord. A holiday home is the ultimate for dog owners: not only can Dad play music on the terrace at night, but Fido can bark too. Nobody minds.

Of course, I make sure to book a house with a garden. It should also be fenced in to keep dogs safe, because then I can simply leave our dog at home on certain occasions. This gives us the freedom to do things that are not really suitable for dogs – see above.

I remember one of my rare hotel stays. As soon as I checked in, the reception manager bombarded me with a whole list of rules for dogs. That put a damper on my holiday spirits. ‘I don't need your bloody lectures,’ I wanted to shout at him. Instead, I replied submissively, ‘Of course, don't worry.’ But actually, I can understand him. Unfortunately, he's right. His instructions are based on painful experience. In my career as a holiday home agent, I have also learned that not all dog owners are model citizens. But the hotel holiday is tense from the outset: just don't attract attention, don't give anyone cause for criticism! It's in the nature of things that such laudable intentions are doomed to failure. At some point, the neighbour in the next room gets fed up with the ‘annoying mutt’, the Smiths at the next table complain about dog allergies, and the otherwise nice retired couple checkmate me with the question of what on earth possessed me to check in ‘this animal’. (A very similar problem arises for families with small children.)

At the time, I vowed never to stay in a hotel with my dog again. An easy vow to keep, as Sardinia has a whole range of dog-friendly establishments, including my own.

If, like me, you are faced with the problem of ‘two plus two plus four’, just have a browse through our homepage. You're sure to find what you're looking for. You'll find a few ‘food for thought’ items below.

With a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’, I bid you farewell for today.

Joachim Waßmann