3
Quiet with beautiful views -- But beware of dog
As other reviewers have noted, this apartment is in a very quiet and peaceful location. The interior space is nice with a roomy kitchen/dining/living room. The bedroom and bath are small, but certainly functional. The furnishings were fine and the deck was very nice. There were beautiful views to the North and Northeast. We saw spectacular eagles flying right overhead!
That being said, if you stay here you need to be fine with being 'hounded' by the domineering resident dog Jack any time you step outside, especially if you have a dog yourself. If your dog is the type that wants to meet other dogs and is comfortable with large dogs who demand constant attention, then this place could be perfect for you. Seriously, your dog could have a great time. From the other reviews it looks like there are many people for whom this works out great.
However, if your dog is independent, or timid, or just wants his/her own space, then really think carefully before coming here. Our dog is a border collie who is neutral to dogs who leave her alone. This dog will not do that, and the owners are unable or unwilling to control the dog. (Yes, we talked with Don and he said that the dog was not used to being restrained. He would not offer any option to keep the dog away from the apartment, even temporarily.) The dog would camp out on the stairs outside our door so there was no way to go outside without dealing with him. He would not leave our dog alone, even to go to the bathroom, so everytime she had to go out, it became a production. We had to devise a plan where my husband went out first and distracted the dog by playing with it, then I would sneak our dog down the stairs and around the corner to go to the bathroom. As you can imagine, this was not fun multiple times a day, especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night. The same thing was required when we came or left the house, ridiculous. (The dog is an outdoor dog, so he was never safely in their house. Also, Don has noted in other reviews that if people don't play with the dog he won't be a bother, absolutely not true, we tried ignoring him but he is relentless.) When we played with our dog inside the cabin using a squeaky toy, this dog would start barking, and jump at our window, startling all of us. All of this made our somewhat anxious dog, very nervous. We tried to avoid being in the apartment as much as possible, not exactly the prescription for a relaxing vacation.
Owner's Response: This is the response that was sent to the writer, along with an added footnote.
We think that your review has some accuracy, but is a bit harsh. You have given us our lowest rating ever due to us not fully meeting your requirements for your special needs dog. You did not specify that you wanted us to restrain Jack. You said that you were going to have one of you play with Jack to distract him. This appeared to work well, and your husband really seemed to enjoy him.
We did bring Jack inside when you first arrived, and also provided a leash, which you could use at any time to tie him away from where your dog needed to go. Had either of you asked for more assistance, you would have gotten it. You also neglected to mention the gate at the entrance to the deck, which prevents our dogs from getting on the deck and away from the door.
That being said, there is another review with a response from us indicating that a timid or overly protective dog might not be a good match here. We have had dozens of dogs here, and only three have had any particular issues. Had you allowed the dogs a chance to run together, the experience could have been very different.
With all of the positive things you said about our place, does your dog issue really bring us down to a three-star rating?
The bottom line for potential guests is that if you have a special needs dog and tend to be very protective of that dog, our place might not be a good match for you. We would also like to add that we almost did not rent to this guest after she requested we arrange a third online payment timeline through HomeAway, because the first two did not meet her comfort level. There was just a month between the initial inquiry and the requested dates. In hindsight, all would have been happier if we had stayed with our original reaction.
Most of our guests enjoy having friendly dogs greet them. Jack is a very friendly black lab, and definitely not an alpha dog. He yields to our seven-pound cat. Readers might want to check out the reviews submitted October 4 and October 30, 2012 especially, and draw their own conclusions about some of the comments in this review and the dog and person they represent. We are always happy to answer whatever questions that people have. Our goal is 100% happy guests, and we almost make it.
Helpful votes: 0/1
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