Long-Distance Hiking with a Dog - Part 5: Lodging

Or, You want my dog to sleep where?
Lodging on the Trail
If you read the hiker forums for information about hiking with dogs, and if you plan to hike with a dog, I highly recommend you do so, you will discover that dogs on the trail are a polarizing topic, and a lot of it has to do with where the dog sleeps. From what I read, I anticipated that we would not spend many nights in shelters, because we'd be unwelcome. The reality was much different. I always asked my fellow hikers if they minded having a dog in the shelter. With one exception, everyone was agreeable to sharing a shelter with Gracie. That said, we began our hike late-ish in the hiking season, and rarely experienced full or crowded shelters. Still, in an effort to be respectful of shared space, I would claim a spot against a wall, if available, and tether Gracie so she wasn't free to wander around or get into others' food and belongings. For the most part, Gracie was more than happy to curl up and warm the sleeping bag once we got to camp, whether in the tent or a shelter.
Speaking of tent, I started the hike with only a tarp for our shelter - no floor (I carried a tyvek groundcloth) and no bug netting. After the first few rainy nights it was clear I'd made a poor decision in terms of comfort. Another drawback was that there was no means for me to secure Gracie in the tarp while I tended to camp chores, so that's a deduction for convenience.
Thus, we spent a majority of our nights in shelters for the first half of the hike. Partway through Virginia, my friend Jenny loaned me her tarptent (floor + bug netting) for the rest of the hike. It was palatial in comparison to the tarp and Gracie, who was crate trained, seemed quite content and secure when zipped in by herself. Our routine when we got to camp was for me to secure Gracie to a tree or post, set up the tent, then put her in it to rest while I made dinner. Often, when I would fetch her after setting up the tent, she would pull me to the tent door, so eager was she to get into her "den." For the second half of the hike, we spent more nights in the tent than in the shelters. We slept better and I appreciated the privacy and reprieve from the smells and noises of other hikers and rodents.
Gracie was always good about grooming herself on wet/rainy/muddy days, and I would wipe her down with a doggie bandanna if need be, but other than a good shake out once a week, the tent stayed pretty clean by hiker standards. Campsite selection was no different than when hiking without a dog. We often camped near shelters to enjoy the company of our trail family and access to nearby water sources and privies, but we also spent some nights away from the shelters.
The Whites
In the White Mountains, I never knew from one day to the next where we would be sleeping. No camping is allowed above treeline, and you spend most of your time hiking above treeline through the Whites. Dogs are not allowed in the Huts, which usually offer work-for-stay to thru-hikers, and for a portion of the trail, approved campsites are too far apart to reasonably hike from one to the next in a day. Through the White Mountains, we stayed at three campsites, two stealth campsites, and one Hut. I managed to work-for-stay at two Huts, one of which had us stealth camp a quarter mile from the Hut. Was making the trek to and from the Hut five times worth breakfast and dinner? It was worth a good story, at least. A better story comes from the Hut stay. Lakes of the Clouds Hut offered us space in "the dungeon" emergency shelter in the basement. However, as I was getting ready for bed after my work exchange and dinner, a skunk joined us. I notified the Hut croo, probably interrupting their game of whisky slaps, and they kindly offered us space in an empty bunkroom. One of the nicest first-class upgrades I've ever had. But don't count on that in the future.

Lodging in Town
Here's where it gets more challenging, logistically and financially. Much of the lodging options in town are small, independently owned and managed businesses that cater to the hiking community. Bunkhouses, hiker hostels, small motels. They provide whatever information you might see in a guidebook, therefore the information in guidebooks is not consistent. If a place does not explicitly indicate they welcome pets, it doesn't mean they don't, but neither does it mean they do. I made lots of phone calls during the months before we started the hike to inquire about pet policies and plan around that. If you're hiking sans canine, you can be much more cavalier about where you stay in town. Sometimes, lodging with a dog means you pay more for a private room, because they don't allow dogs in bunkrooms. It can be more challenging to find someone to split a room, as well, though once your hiker family has gelled, this is less of an issue.

The siren call of a hot shower, hot meal, clean laundry, and a warm, dry bed is hard to resist, but if you're hiking with a dog, be prepared to spend more time figuring out where you will stay, and possibly spend more money. I always looked for places where Gracie could stay with me. In Virginia, there were two places I stayed where she wasn't allowed indoors, but I felt the outdoor accommodations were reasonable. Happy Hiker Hollow in Atkins, VA turned out to be one of my favorite hostel stays on the trail. From the guidebook info, it seemed they did not allow hiker dogs, and I did not initially plan to stay there. By the time we got closer, we had spent the last several nights in the rain, I was miserable, and couldn't bear the thought of another night in the rain. After some amusing miscommunication, I learned Gracie could stay in the barn with the chickens, where she would be warm and dry. It was not my ideal arrangement, but she seemed to manage just fine, as did the chickens, and the little bit of separation was worth the opportunity to dry out.
At Bear's Den Hostel they had a dog house for hiker dogs. Since I had a bed for the night, I doubled up the sleeping pad for her, and again, she seemed to be fine and didn't notice that they misspelled "Princess Gracie". I was glad there was no rain that night.
Those were the two exceptions. Otherwise Gracie bedded down next to my bunk, or was in bed with me when we weren't camping out.