Dogs Welcome
Yes. Bring The Dog. Yes, Onto The Dock.
A great many waterfront rentals advertise themselves as pet friendly and mean only that the dog may come indoors. They do not mean the shoreline. They almost never mean the dock.
Here the water is the whole point, for you and for them. The shore terrace, the dock and the lake itself are all theirs, which for most dogs constitutes the entire holiday. There is ten feet of water at the end of the dock and a ladder for your benefit; they will find their own way out, repeatedly, and shake it off beside your chair.
Three things are asked in return, and they are the whole of it: no more than two dogs, mentioned to us beforehand, kept to the cottage side of the grounds because the house above is pet-free, and cleaned up after on the beach and the dock.
The Dog Rules
Short, and we mean them kindly.
- How many
- Up to 2
- Approval
- Tell us the breed and rough weight when you book
- Fee
- A flat pet fee, shown on your quote before you pay
- Where they can go
- Dogs stay on the cottage side of the grounds; the big house next door is pet-free
- Swimming
- Allowed, at their own risk. The bottom is shale — check their pads after a long one
- Left alone
- Not in the cottage. Tell us and we will point you at someone local
- Cleaning up
- Yours to do — on the beach and dock
One Thing To Think About: The Stairs.
About thirty steps in two runs — ten from the parking area to the driveway, then twenty down to the beach. Most dogs regard them as an amenity. An older animal, a very small one, or anything with trouble in the hips will find them hard work several times a day — and you are the one who ends up carrying, should it come to that.
Worth thinking about honestly before you book rather than discovering it on the first evening. Our other property next door is on the same bluff and reached the same way, so it is not an easier option — and it is pet-free besides. If the stairs sound like too much for your dog, we would rather say so now than take the booking.
Dog-Friendly Nearby
Drawn from the same list as our location page, filtered to places that actually welcome them.
Hector Falls
A tall falls right beside Route 414. You can pull over and look up at it without leaving the car, which is exactly as good as it sounds on the way home.
Two Goats Brewing
A long porch, a view straight down the lake, and no pretension whatsoever. Dog-friendly, and busy for good reason.
Finger Lakes National Forest
Thousands of acres of trail, pasture and blueberry on the ridge between Seneca and Cayuga. The only national forest in New York State, and rarely crowded.
Where they cannot come
Watkins Glen State Park — worth knowing before you plan the day around it. Someone stays with the dog, or it waits for the next trip.
Dog Questions
- Can we bring our dog?
- Yes — up to two, with prior approval. Tell us the breed and rough weight when you book. There is a pet fee, which appears in your quote before you pay.
- Where can the dog go on the property?
- The cottage side of the grounds, the shore and the dock. The big house next door is pet-free, so we ask that dogs stay on our side of the line — and that you clean up after them on the beach and the dock.
- Can we leave the dog alone in the cottage?
- No. Dogs are not left unattended here — not because we doubt yours, but because a strange room and a strange lake make even settled dogs uneasy. If your day needs a few hours without them, tell us and we will point you at someone local.
- Can the dog swim?
- Yes, at their own risk like everyone else. The bottom is shale, so water shoes are worth packing for you — and worth checking their pads after a long swim.
They Will Sleep Well.
A day in the lake does to a dog roughly what it does to you.