Why We’re Dog-Friendly – and Why Our Dog Rules Matter

At Camden House Holidays, we know that for many people, a holiday simply wouldn’t feel like a proper family holiday without the dog.

The Highlands are also a wonderful place to bring them. With miles of walks, forests, lochs and open countryside to explore, it seems only right that well-behaved dogs should be able to enjoy a Highland break too.

That’s why we have always chosen to be dog-friendly and we do not charge for dogs when you book direct with us.

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We want four-legged guests to feel welcome too, which is why we include dog treats in our welcome pack and provide a few practical extras to make muddy Highland adventures that little bit easier.

However, allowing dogs into a high-quality holiday home does come with some additional challenges, and we thought it might be helpful to explain why we have a few simple dog rules — and why following them really does matter.

Why dogs can’t go on the sofas and beds

We completely understand that many dogs are allowed on furniture at home. The difficulty is that holiday accommodation has to work for everyone, including guests who don’t own dogs and those who suffer from allergies.

One of our most important rules is therefore that dogs must not be allowed on sofas, chairs or beds.

This isn’t because we don’t like dogs — quite the opposite. It’s because claws can cause permanent damage to upholstery, particularly softer fabrics, and even when covered with a blanket.

Replacing one damaged item isn’t always straightforward either. Furniture ranges are discontinued, fabrics change and matching replacement pieces may no longer be available. What looks like a relatively small scratch can therefore potentially mean replacing far more than one item.

There are also the issues of dog hair/dander which may impact other guests and the flattening of our cloud-like bed quilts.

Thinking about guests with allergies

Not everybody who stays with us has a dog, and some people are allergic to them.

Dog allergens don’t just come from visible hair. Tiny particles of dander — microscopic flakes of skin — can remain in upholstery, carpets and soft furnishings long after a dog has left.

We have an air purifier in the house to help reduce airborne particles and allergens, and the property is carefully cleaned between guests. But no air purifier or cleaning regime can completely compensate for a dog having slept on upholstered furniture or beds.

Keeping dogs off the furniture therefore makes an enormous difference and helps us remain genuinely welcoming to both dog-owning and non-dog-owning guests.

Before coming to Camden House

Please make sure your dog's flea,tick and worm treatments are up to date. This ensures that your dog is protected when walking in the great outdoors and prevents any problems with fleas spreading in the house.

A little something for our four-legged guests

We want dogs to enjoy their holiday just as much as their owners do, so we include dog treats in the welcome pack as a small hello from us.

We also know that one of the best parts of bringing a dog to the Highlands is getting outside and enjoying proper walks — even if those walks occasionally involve a great deal of mud!

To make life easier, we provide a Magic Dog Towel for drying wet or muddy dogs, as well as a Mud Daddy portable washer.

The Mud Daddy can be filled before you head out and left outside on the patio, ready to rinse off muddy paws, legs and bellies when you return. We are also happy for you to borrow it and take it out with you as long as it's emptied and put back in the dog cupboard after use.

It means there’s no need to worry about trying to get a muddy dog clean indoors, and it helps protect your car, and our carpets, furniture and soft furnishings while still allowing everyone to enjoy the great outdoors properly.

A little help with the fur goes a long way

We certainly don’t expect guests to spend their holiday cleaning!

We do, however, really appreciate owners clearing up excessive dog hair before they leave, particularly if their dog sheds heavily.

A normal amount of cleaning is part of running a holiday home, but large amounts of embedded dog hair can add considerably to the time needed to prepare the property for the next guests and as we only have a small team this can have a big impact.

A quick brush, vacuum or tidy-up can make a huge difference. We provide you with the required equipment which is kept in the utility room. If you do brush your dog outside in late winter to early spring, please leave the hair in the front trees for the birds to use for their nests.

Why these rules really matter

We genuinely want to continue welcoming dogs and we review this every year . Our decision as to whether to continue depends on whether our guests have followed the house rules and not done damage or caused indirect or unintentional problems for us or future guests. The vast majority of our dog-owning guests are wonderfully considerate, and we are very grateful to them.

Unfortunately, every dog-friendly holiday property has to balance being welcoming to pets with the additional cleaning, damage and replacement costs that can sometimes result, especially as we do not charge for dogs when you book direct with us.

Repeated damage, excessive cleaning or situations where the dog rules are ignored can eventually make being dog-friendly financially unsustainable. We would be extremely reluctant ever to reach the point where we had to stop accepting dogs because of the actions of a small minority of guests.

That’s why we ask everyone bringing a dog to help us protect the house.

Our simple dog-friendly promise

We promise to continue doing our best to provide a comfortable, high-quality holiday home where dogs are genuinely welcome.

In return, we simply ask owners to:

• Keep dogs off sofas, chairs and beds.

• Use the Magic Dog Towel and Mud Daddy when needed after muddy walks.

• Wipe muddy or wet paws before coming indoors.

• Clear up excessive dog hair.

• Never leave damage unreported.

• Treat the house and furnishings as carefully as they would their own home.

Following these few simple rules helps keep the property beautiful for future guests and, importantly, helps us continue welcoming dogs for years to come.

We really do love seeing dogs enjoying their Highland holidays — muddy paws, wagging tails and all.

Because holidays are better when the whole family can come — including the four-legged members.