So after a worried sleep that this trip and thunderstorms would cause hours of crate and dog clean up - we awoke to a clean dog and hotel room! We packed our bags and said "goodbye" to stop #2. For one last mini adventure, we were able to meet up with my cousin who was randomly in Fargo at the same time as us. Life is random - we only figured this out two days ago. After a brief coffee stop and family reunion in Moorhead, MN, we headed back on the road northwest to stop #3 - Rugby, ND.
This is our first official stop in smalltown USA. The population is less 2,500. Rugby was chosen mostly because of this fact, as well as it's location. Turns out, it has it's own interesting fact - it's known as the geographical center of North America. It has a monument and everything. What a fun find! The town has two hotels, four gas stations and one coffee shop (two if you count a place that doesn't have lattes). I am so very excited for this stop. We were able to score maybe the only suite that has a separate sleeping area (so we have two rooms where we can both work), a kitchen (so we can cook and eat in) and is dog friendly!
Or is it? I get a call and voicemail at 3:51pm (check in starts at 3:00pm) informing us that the suite I booked almost a month ago, is not dog friendly. They had sent me a virtual check in request first thing in the morning, which I completed while still in Fargo. It asks if we are bringing a dog, doing an early check in, etc. During the booking process, I had come across no way to indicate that there would be a dog with us. I had called to confirm dogs were allowed and what the cost was, despite seeing the prompts it was "dog friendly" online.
We arrived at the hotel minutes later and I frantically got out of the car. I walked into the lobby all huffed. What the heck were we going to do if we couldn't be in our office/bedroom/kitchen location? The next town with hotels was either an hour east or an hour west and I don't even know if they have rooms that meet our needs. This did not sit well with me!
The woman informed me she couldn't let me have the room as it wasn't one of the "dog friendly" rooms. I informed the lady that I had called to confirm, that our dog was hypo-allergenic, that we had already bought groceries... I was trying anything I could to persuade her all the while trying to hold back my fury. The woman gave me some grief, and even went in the back to talk to another employee. She ended up allowing us to continue with our reservation. I thanked her but was then worried she or I would get in trouble later. She just responded "I will get in trouble, but ..." then trailed off. I felt horrible, like I was a problem when in reality I had handed over a lot of money to this hotel and knew we were good renters.
To top the cake, she made me sign a document, or should I say "contract". It was a list of their pet demands. Including, our dog cannot bark, our dog cannot be left in the room, etc. or they can kick us out without refund. Piper rarely barks (maybe once a week). People have often commented with how quiet she is, but I could never promise that she won't. She's a dog, not a stuffed animal! That seems like a gamble over which I have little control. I even asked "so if we plan on going to church, we can't leave the dog in the room?" She said, "you can" which is literally not what the document I had to sign said.
I felt horrible. I felt unwanted and that I was an inconvenience. I went back and shared this with Alex - worried we would be kicked out for anything, including just having a dog in a room that was not "dog friendly". I went back through the check in process on their website and wondered if I had misread something. Sure enough, written all over the general website and under the amenities of the specific suite I had booked it toted "dog friendly".
Let me be clear: we did not feel like the hotel was friendly towards dogs. Their unrealistic standards and unforgiving policy towards dogs makes them "dog tolerant" at best. I understand having a dog policy, but at least add a line about "you will be warned, then possible eviction if the behavior does not improve".
This was actually not the first time today we were told our dog was not welcome. We stopped on our way from Fargo to Rugby to have our picnic lunch I made. There was a rest stop on the side of the road with picnic tables which seemed perfect. As we pulled up, we saw signs saying "no dogs" and pointing the entire length of the 15-20 picnic tables scattered in front of the only building. Noting that we were only the third car there with no one at any of the picnic tables, we decided to try our chances at the one furthest from everything. There was no sign saying "yes dogs" - where were suppose to go with our furry companion?! Shortly after setting up, we were told by one of the two staff members (the other two cars?) that the dog was not welcome by the picnic tables. When asked why, they responded it was for hygiene reasons. So we picked our lunch off the birdpoop splattered picnic table and put her in the car and ate on the hood. Hygiene! What a laugh. Were we suppose to leave the dog in the car while we sat down at table surrounded by no one else? That seems ruthless and arbitrary. I get that not all people want dogs by their food, but then have picnic tables that are "yes dogs"? Dog owners need to eat too.
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