Pet Charges

[Broads01]

I've been dithering for a while about what boat to book for my solo trip next April and finally decided today to go for a boat from Silverline. I was all set to phone them, credit card in hand to check if they'd accept a solo booking with dog but at the last moment noticed their charge for "one small dog" (which he is) is an eye-watering £70 per week. I have no issue with paying a fee for him as I've no doubt there are costs associated with additional cleaning and the £35 Barnes Brinkcraft charge isn't too bad. However, £70 is out of all proportion and Silverline have lost my business because of it. 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Hi Simon,

That`s probably what they wanted you to do, as they don`t want pets. What`s the best way to deter someone?, charge an astronomical fee for something so they go elsewhere, or you leave the dog in a kennels. 

You`ve done the right thing by going elsewhere.

[Broads01]

Good point Neil and I tend to agree. I could understand them not wanting pets if I was hiring a brand new boat but I wanted Silver Mystique which must be around 30 years old. 

[Paul]

I'd love to know what extra cleaning a boatyard actually undertakes when you pay this fee. 

[NorfolkNog]

28 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

However, £70 is out of all proportion and Silverline have lost my business because of it. 

Good grief. Take your valuable business elsewhere. Try giving Bridgecraft a bell. They are very accommodating and have a dog of their own too.

And a very friendly cat

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

9 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

Good point Neil and I tend to agree. I could understand them not wanting pets if I was hiring a brand new boat but I wanted Silver Mystique which must be around 30 years old. 

Alpha 29 ctr ckpt?. Great little boats, ideal for a couple too. It`s my idea of the perfect ctr ckpt boat for two. High level steering, seperate living and sleeping accommodation.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Just now, NorfolkNog said:

Good grief. Take your valuable business elsewhere. Try giving Bridgecraft a bell. They are very accommodating and have a dog of their own too.

And a very friendly cat

Yes, the cat is the rodent control unit .

Seriously though, i can second Howards recommendation for Bridgecraft, superb family yard with some great boats.

[Wussername]

Depends on the breed of dog. A yellow lab can fill a Dyson in one hit. Some breeds shed very few hairs.

Fleas are very rare, but has been known and can be very difficult  to clean.

Carpets on the floor and walls can present problems. Many modern hire boats do not adorn the inside with carpets to any great extent.

So for the boatyard a bit of a lottery. Some people are more careful than others.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

If you want to do the Southern rivers Simon, why not try Pacifics?. Again, another superb friendly family yard with some great boats.  Freedom would be a good choice too, and with any number of nights, starting any day, so very flexible, subject to availability though.

[Vaughan]

7 hours ago, Wussername said:

So for the boatyard a bit of a lottery. Some people are more careful than others.

That's what it often boils down to and not just where dogs are concerned!

[Chris1986]

We hired with Richardson’s once, paid the extra pet fee and when we returned to the yard was handed a hoover and asked to use it as they had a lot of boats to turn around that morning...

After that we always used Bridgecraft, no complaints, really nice people and boats 👍🏻

[grendel]

I can readily understand their position, on the lads week we had 3 dogs aboard, and on our boat we found golden retriever hair throughout, even in the areas the dogs had never been, we of course gave the carpets a good clean through and got as much as we could up with the dustpan and brush on board, but undoubtedly there was still some remaining that would have required a hoover to pick up.

[grendel]

I have also once had to wait an extra hour before taking charge of a boat from Marthams as they wanted to make sure the pet hairs and odours had been removed before they handed the boat over to me as the next hirer.

[Hylander]

10 hours ago, Broads01 said:

I've been dithering for a while about what boat to book for my solo trip next April and finally decided today to go for a boat from Silverline. I was all set to phone them, credit card in hand to check if they'd accept a solo booking with dog but at the last moment noticed their charge for "one small dog" (which he is) is an eye-watering £70 per week. I have no issue with paying a fee for him as I've no doubt there are costs associated with additional cleaning and the £35 Barnes Brinkcraft charge isn't too bad. However, £70 is out of all proportion and Silverline have lost my business because of it. 

As I have gone through life I have noticed that if I ask for a quote from someone and it is far beyond what anyone would pay for the job,  I know they just dont want the work.     Same here,   £70 for a pooch,   yes they do not want dogs.         At the end of the day it is not the dog it is the owner.   Most owners take their own towels and blankets for the dog or dogs and they clean up well.   It is shame that as per usual the few have spoilt it for everyone else.

Do tell is there any smell worse than wet dog?     Nice answers please!!!

 

 

 

[Cal]

19 minutes ago, Chris1986 said:

We hired with Richardson’s once, paid the extra pet fee and when we returned to the yard was handed a hoover and asked to use it as they had a lot of boats to turn around that morning...

After that we always used Bridgecraft, no complaints, really nice people and boats 👍🏻

We have just hired from Richardsons with our small dog Sydney and the staff at the yard were great, we had no complaints with them or their service. Sydney got lots of fuss from the cleaning ladies. 

We paid the extra £35 for the dog but made sure that we had kept the boat clean and tidy throughout the period of hire, not always easy in October when the ground is constantly wet so there really wasn't much extra cleaning to be done, mind you being a poodle cross Syd doesn't moult. It would be different if he was a heavy shedder in which case we would have taken our own handheld vacuum cleaner to keep the boat cleaner.

[Cal]

8 minutes ago, Hylander said:

As I have gone through life I have noticed that if I ask for a quote from someone and it is far beyond what anyone would pay for the job,  I know they just dont want the work.     Same here,   £70 for a pooch,   yes they do not want dogs.         At the end of the day it is not the dog it is the owner.   Most owners take their own towels and blankets for the dog or dogs and they clean up well.   It is shame that as per usual the few have spoilt it for everyone else.

Do tell is there any smell worse than wet dog?     Nice answers please!!!

 

 

 

 

Dog Vomit?

[Smoggy]

Quote

Do tell is there any smell worse than wet dog?     Nice answers please!!!

Yes, me after a night on egyptian cream stout!

My last dog was part husky and had a very thick fluffy undercoat that could leave tumbleweed like balls of fluff rolling across the floor but barely smelt any different when wet (no he wasn't smelly dry either), my current mut hasn't got wet enough yet for me to find out but I have a suspicion she will have a pretty good pong going by the minor dampings so far.

[Chris1986]

We did clean the boat throughout our week and before we returned it. Always did. Done the best we could with a carpet sweeper and dust pan & brush. We respect other people’s property and look after things. Yes clumps of dog hair gets everywhere, even in cupboards but we done our best and kept it pretty clean.

Was annoyed to pay the extra cleaning charge and be chucked a Henry Hoover as soon as we got back! I did go to the office and complained, the staff in there were fine and apologetic. Maybe the bloke who chucked the hoover at us was having a bad morning... 

This was 7 or 8 years ago by the way. 

[vanessan]

During our hiring days we always took copious amounts of towels and bedding etc for our dog. We also took a canister of Chem-Dry (dry cleaner) and associated cloths, just in case of the unexpected! More than once it was used. A £70 pet charge clearly indicates that a dog is not welcome. I think I would rather a company is up front and says it doesn’t want dogs. 

[Paul]

1 hour ago, Hylander said:

Do tell is there any smell worse than wet dog?     Nice answers please!!!

sat chit .......

[Seagypsy]

We have booked Conway Bridge for 2wks next May through Hoseasons, have been charged £80 for small dog who doesn't moult PLUS on the paper work under special notes QUOTE There is an extra £25 pet security deposit payable on arrival if a dog accopanies you on this boat. This is refunded when the boat is returned in good order END QUOTE.

PS I have only paid £35 at Richardsons and our hols are either 10days or 2wks. We always take his bed, blankets and towels

 

[JennyMorgan]

9 hours ago, Hylander said:

Do tell is there any smell worse than wet dog?     Nice answers please!!!

A dead bream, urghhhh!

Pet owners have to be aware that some folk are allergic to pet hairs and others react  quite violently to fleas and the hover flies that dogs on holiday pick up when playing in long grass. 

[jeffbroadslover]

I have never heard anything but praise for the excellent turnout of the boats from Silverline.

Maybe part of the reason for this is the fact that they do not encourage taking dogs on board.

I think that the yards that do allow dogs on board usually say that the dog should be kept OFF the seats and beds but watching some of the videos posted on here and youtube shows that a lot of people don't take any notice of this condition.

A few weeks ago whilst moored at Ranworth the crew of a boat from Barnes Brinkcraft seemed quite proud of the fact that their 2 dogs had jumped up on to the bed and slept there all night.

I am a dog owner myself but would not dream of allowing my dog to do anything like that.

Jeff 

[Hylander]

And fhen some one else has to sleep in that bed. Urgh!!!!!!!

I have never heard anything but praise for the excellent turnout of the boats from Silverline.
Maybe part of the reason for this is the fact that they do not encourage taking dogs on board.
I think that the yards that do allow dogs on board usually say that the dog should be kept OFF the seats and beds but watching some of the videos posted on here and youtube shows that a lot of people don't take any notice of this condition.
A few weeks ago whilst moored at Ranworth the crew of a boat from Barnes Brinkcraft seemed quite proud of the fact that their 2 dogs had jumped up on to the bed and slept there all night.
I am a dog owner myself but would not dream of allowing my dog to do anything like that.
Jeff 

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[dnks34]

Trying to look at this from the Boatyards point of view,

The extra cleaning that will undoubtedly be required and wear and tear to carpets and upholstery from having pets onboard could be a very costly business. 

We all know there are responsible pet owners amongst us and then there are those that let their large breed dogs clamber all over the upholstery etc etc.  

It got to the stage on our boat that taking our large breed dog along became an absolute liability, our small dog was better but the extra cleaning required from having an animal onboard is likely to be significant especially if the next people to hire the boat may not be bringing a pet and not be very fond of dog or cat hair. 

Unless a dog is very well behaved I cant think of anything more stressful!  Some dogs are more suited to boats than others!

I am sure one of the boat yards once posted some pictures on one of the forums showing how badly a boat had been left and not just because of the pet that had been with them.