Like many people, we consider our pets to be part of our family. So when we travel, we like to take our Great Pyrenees with us, and she loves to go! While many hotels and motels have changed their policies and do accept pets, most of them impose an unnecessary weight limit. Others charge exorbitant pet fees for large dogs. This is rooted in the mistaken belief that because a pet is bigger, they will do more damage or cause more trouble. Nothing could be further from the truth!

It only takes a short google search to reveal that the assumptions underlying the weight restrictions are false. The largest study of dog behavior in the world, with over 8,000 dogs participating, was completed at the University of Sydney in Australia (http://sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=12858). The research absolutely refutes the prejudices against large dogs.

The lead researcher Professor Paul McGreevy from the University's Faculty of Veterinary Science stated, "The most comprehensive study undertaken to date, our research shows that certain physical characteristics in dogs are consistently associated with certain types of behaviour. Essentially, the shorter the dogs the less controllable their behaviour is for their owners." (Emphasis mine).

“Undesirable behaviours such as owner aggression, or mounting, occur more often among small dogs. This suggests that, in small dogs, these behaviours are tolerated more than they would be in larger dogs where such behaviours are more unwelcome and even dangerous. Equally, such behaviours in small dogs may be a result of their being overindulged and over-protected," said Professor McGreevy.

"The only behavioral trait associated with increasing height was 'trainability'. When average bodyweight decreased, excitability and hyperactivity increased," said Professor McGreevy. (Emphasis mine).

This petition is not meant to disparage smaller dogs. Many dog experts believe that dog behavior is independent of size or weight entirely, and emphasize that dogs, like people, are individuals (Langley Cornwell, http://www.canidae.com/blog/2014/05/are-small-breed-dogs-less-obedient.html).

This petition is formally requesting a comprehensive nondiscriminatory pet inclusion policy recommendation from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and a voluntary change in policy from the major hotel chains.

Please consider supporting this effort to stop the undue discrimination and unfair financial burden for families traveling with big dogs!