Lodgings Have Gone to the Dogs

With a face like a wrinkled blanket, Richie gazed toward the ice machine, slobbered a bit and then checked back into his room at the Motel 6 in Ventura.

There were no nature shows on television, room service didn’t deliver soup bones and the big competition wasn’t until tomorrow. So the brooding 122-pound bull mastiff settled for a spritz of cold water and a dog biscuit before flopping down in his pen.

“We keep them crated so there are no accidents,” said his owner, Tracy Ferrick of Escondido. “If a dog destroys your room you are responsible for it. And the crate isn’t punishment, it’s like his den. He watches television in it.”

Richie barked loudly--loudly enough to confirm suspicions that many Ventura County hotels and motels had truly gone to the dogs.

More than 2,500 spotted, mottled, striped, yappy and sullen canines from throughout the country are in Ventura this week competing in two dog shows--the annual Dalmatian Club of America Specialty and the El Camino Real Summerfest at Seaside Park.

And pet lodging in the Ventura and Oxnard areas was surprisingly plentiful and at times plush.

While many hotels in the area refuse to take dogs, others throw them a bone. Motel 6, Vagabond Inn, La Quinta and the Residence Inn by Marriott were among those that allowed pets with conditions--the two Motel 6s in Ventura wanted them in pens and the Marriott charged a $100 fee to de-flea rooms afterward.

Many of these have been taking dogs for years. But it was a new experience for some. The Clarion Ventura Beach Hotel was among those hopping aboard the dog gravy train this year.

“We are just trying it for this week, it’s an experiment,” said Chris Martinez, an assistant manager for the Clarion. “We have hundreds of dogs.”

And they quickly made themselves at home. Dogs breezed through sliding glass doors, rode elevators and galumphed around their rooms.

Barks and whines seeped from behind locked doors. A frazzled maid emerged from one room where two dogs were howling.

“I don’t like dogs,” she said. “Too much hair.”

In Mary Lou Castle’s room, a Dalmatian nosed around the remote control searching for jerky treats. A silver water bowl was on the bathroom floor. There were wine glasses with black Dalmatian spots, purses with Dalmatian images and Dalmatian socks on a table.

“When I first came here I wondered if I could walk him through the lobby,” said Castle, 67, of Hemet. “But it’s been great, there have been no problems. He sleeps in the cage at night and he doesn’t bark. At home he sleeps with me and my husband.”

The Dalmatian leaped onto the bed.

“Hey there, my love, you want to talk to me?” Castle gushed. “Tell me a story, tell me your side of it!”

The dog remained silent.

Hotel employees have become so used to the four-legged guests that when Castle asked for an extra cot, the front desk asked if it was for the dog.

Bob Georgiade, 52, of Durham, N.C., shared a room with his two dogs, Jason and Becca.

“If people respect the property it works out well,” he said. “But there are some bad apples. I was at a show in San Rafael and people let their dogs urinate and defecate in the rooms and hallways.”

At posher dog digs, such as the Residence Inn by Marriott in Oxnard, Jubilee the English bulldog admired herself in the mirror before relaxing under a coffee table.

Her owner, Sue Calhoun, a journalist from Morongo Valley near Palm Springs, said the $100 fee was worth paying for a nice place to stay.

“But I saw some children with purple hair in the lobby and their parents weren’t charged any special fee,” she observed.

This was 6-month-old Jubilee’s first dog show and she already had won second place in her age group.

“She looks like she likes the life of luxury a little too much,” said Calhoun, as Jubilee happily buried her head in the thick carpet.

Doug Pflaumer, general manager of the Residence Inn, said the fee was charged for all dogs to clean up when the animals leave.

“We love pets,” he said. “But we haven’t had to reserve a whole block of rooms for dogs so far.”

The El Camino Real Summerfest is one of the biggest dog shows in the West, sponsored by kennel clubs in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Ventura. More than 150 breeds compete each day, said Bill Dumas, an event coordinator.

Some dog show participants said they reserved rooms six months in advance.

Mary, a 5-year-old championship Chihuahua, yipped as she wandered inside a small fence outside her Motel 6 room.

“She gets all excited when she sees me packing for a show,” said Paula Murray, Mary’s handler from Scottsdale, Ariz. “It’s not hard to keep her entertained in the room. I just turn on the TV.”

‘If people respect the property it works out well.’