My husband and I love our dog, Shea. Without shame, we admit that she is spoiled rotten. We buy the expensive dog food and only treats made with all natural ingredients. She sleeps at the foot of our bed. She's the star of our Christmas card each year. We constantly adorn her with kisses and hugs and toys and treats. She has regular play dates with her "friends" (see Vida, pictured below), and we don't blink an eye at the $26 for Doggie Daycare when I go to VT to work. (yes, that is for the day, my husband drops her off in the morning and he picks her up promptly at 6pm). And trust me, we are not alone. The pet industry is a $34 billion dollar market and growing. According to a recent survey, 74% of dog owners consider their pet as a child or family member. Do you think we would go away for the weekend without our furry little friend?

While some condo complexes restrict pets onsite, and other homeowners may be allergic, many of you have the option of whether you would like to accept pets in your rental property. After reading the previous paragraph, um, why wouldn't you? Currently in our properties that accept pets, we collect a $250 non refundable pet fee in addition to the cost of the reservation. This is used should there be any extra clean up from the pet, which rarely there ever is (sometimes I think Stacy would like to take a "pet fee" on certain other types of guests). In addition, our staff screens the potential guest for information about the pet, and the fee associated with the reservation usually only attracts the most careful and discerning pet owners.

It's no guarantee that if you do decide to accept pets that your rental bookings will significantly increase, but it just may be an additional factor to get you that one extra reservation a season. There are many pet friendly resources and options for travelers, and Wise wants to take advantage of this growing market. For instance, the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, VT offers dog bowls and treats upon arrival, as well as other pet friendly services. I plan to expand the section of our website that talks about our pet policy. In addition, we will soon have a listing on petswelcome.com, which has an area for Ski Resorts.

If you're interested in changing your property to "Pet Friendly" or you have questions, please don't hesitate to email me: kara@wisevacations.com [1]. Or, if you are a current Pet Friendly property and would like to discuss offering your guests extra "pet amenities", please email me to speak about this.

*Statistics taken from the National Pet Owners Study recently released by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.