b'SMART OPERATIONSMore Customers Than Ever Are Pet Owners Being outdoor-oriented, campgrounds are a natural for pets, although resorts, bed and breakfasts, and even luxury hotels are also attempting to find ways to increase their share of thisPeterPellandlucrative market.There are many new terms that haveports that pet ownership in the Unitedhave capitalized nicely upon the cur- are not refundable. You might think of been born over the last year and a half,States rose from 67% of households torent trend, making their parks morethem as a type of self-insurance. On the and one of them is pandemic pet. Ian all-time record of 70% during 2020,pet-friendly than ever. Campgroundother hand, a pet deposit must be re-am intimately familiar with the term,with 11.38 million households gettingdog parks have become very popularfunded upon inspection and confirma-sinceourAustraliana new pet during the pandemic. With(inmanyinstanceswithtwoparks,tion that no damage has occurred. If Shepherd is 11 monthsmost owners spending more time atoneforsmallerandoneforlargerdamage is found, you will be responsible old as I write this col- home during this time, their pets tendbreeds), waste stations and litter bagsfor providing an itemization that will umn,andsheismyto be like our Velcro puppy and sufferare commonplace, and many parks arejustify keeping all or part of the deposit. ever-present compan- a greater degree of separation anxietyinstallingdog-washstations.EntireSince it might be impractical to perform ion, just inches awaywhen left alone.businessessuchasDogipot,Dogimmediate and thorough inspections at from my chair at thisFor all of these reasons, more andWasteDepotandDoodyCallshavethe time of check-out, your agreement very moment. Addy ismore businesses are putting out thebeen built around the combination ofshould outline the timeframe and man-more loyal than Lassie,welcome matand the water bowlinpets and parks, while other suppliersner for the return of the deposit. Also, Addy Rin-Tin-Tin and Mightyresponse to these trends and profitinghave added pet-related items to theirkeep in mind when setting your deposit Manfred all rolled into one.in the process. Prior to and during ourproduct lines. that it will be very difficult to collect For the first few weeks after we gotrecent trip to Maine, we have chosenBeingoutdoor-oriented,camp- damages that exceed the amount of the her just after Thanksgiving, she wouldpet-friendly lodging and have dinedgroundsareanaturalforpets,al- deposit itself. Unless you are prohibited get carsick on a two-mile ride, but thatoutdoors at restaurants (and lobsterthoughresorts,bedandbreakfasts,from doing so by your state laws, there is is behind her now and she loves topounds!) that welcome pets. We haveandevenluxuryhotelsarealsoat- no reason why you cannot collect BOTH travel. This past week we took her on aalso patronized pet-friendly breweriestempting to find ways to increase theira non-refundable pet fee and a refund-much longer ride and a mini-vacationand wineries, visited pet-friendly at- share of this lucrative market.able pet deposit. in Maine, and she passed the audi- tractionsandeventookAddyonaWith luxury hotels embracing theWhateveryoucharge,asigned tion in flying colors. We are now anx- whale-watchingcruise(whereherdemands of the market, most camp- agreement between your park and the ious to do more traveling with our newticket cost $20.) All of these businessesgrounds remain somewhat more cau- pet owner(s) is essential. At a mini-family member.have profited from their pet policies, attious and hesitant to allow pets in theirmum, that agreement will: According to Statista, 6% of Ameri- the expense of businesses where petscabins, cottages, yurts, glamping tents, Clearly identify the pet(s) that are cans surveyed in June 2020 reportedare not welcome. Although most retailpark models and other rental units. Onecovered by the agreement. getting a new pet, increasing to 10% inbusinesses are not allowed to welcomeof the first things to bear in mind is that Clearlyand in great detaillist December2020.Duringthesesamepetsinside,thesmartoneshaveyou must avoid alienating guests whoyour applicable rules and regulations. time periods, there were much smallerbenches and bowls of fresh water out- do not own pets in your efforts to reach(Just because a fee has been paid does percentages of respondents who re- doors, signaling their interest in reach- outtopetowners.HowcanaparkNOT mean that an animal cannot be ported giving up a pet (typically due toing out to pets and their owners. Atowner make these decisions in a delib- evicted for just cause.) unemploymentandconcernsaboutone business after another, one of theerate and informed manner? First of all, Clearly outline the liability for dam-the costs of pet ownership) and thosemost frequent questions I am asked is,decide whether potential damage is aages. These will include damage to your numbers were offset by the numbers ofCan I give her a cookie?risk that you are willing to incur, keep- property, damage to the property of people who fostered a pet. These sta- What is your campground doing toing in mind that those instances areother guests, personal injuries and the tistics are reinforced by the Americanreach out to this growing market of petlikely to be fairly infrequent. In those in- costs of cleaning and repairs, both in-PetProductsAssociationwhichre- owners?Mostcampgroundownersstanceswheredamagemightoccur,side and outside of the rental unit. both the repair costs and the lost rev-Clearly delineate and outline the enue during the time of the repair mustassociated fees. both be taken into consideration. WhatYou are wise to capitalize upon the if a unit has been reserved by a subse- current trends in pet ownership, but quentguestduringtherepairtime- you need to be certain that you will frame? What if that unit is unique or itprofit from the process. is a time of year when a suitable substi-tute is unavailable?PeterPellandistheCEOof It is probably due to questions likePelland Advertising, a company that these that most parks tend to limithe founded in 1980 that has been their pet-friendly accommodations toserving the family camping industry older units or rentals that would notfor nearly 40 years. His company spe-otherwise realize full occupancy. Onecializes in building fully responsive way or another, you must be coveredwebsites, along with producing a full against even the remote potentiality ofrangeoffour-colorprocessprint losses due to damage. Usually, theseadvertising, for clients from coast to risks are covered by either deposits orcoast.LearnmoreaboutPelland feesthatareoutlinedinasignedAdvertising at https://pelland.com/ agreement. Have your attorney checkor see their ad in this issue. WCMto see if your state allows you to collect pet deposits or fees, whether or not there is a limitation on those fees and whether or not you are allowed to re-strict animals according to breed or size.Keepinmindthatyouwill NEVERbeallowedtoapplyany charges to designated service or com-panion animals. Subject to any limitations in your state, a pet fee is simply an added charge for a pet. Similar to charging fees for extra persons or visitors, these pet fees may be higher for rental units than for conventional campsites. Such fees do not cover damages, and the fees 10 October 2021Woodalls Campground Magazine'