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Lana’sDesert HavenAvailability

A pet friendly house with a fence that actually works

Plenty of Roswell listings say 'pets allowed'. Far fewer come with a solid privacy fence right around a wide lawn, hard floors throughout, and a host who lives with three Shelties of her own. That combination is what makes a trip with a dog restful instead of vigilant.

The back lawn, enclosed by a white privacy fence, with two mature shade trees and the covered patio along the back of the house.

Why the fence is the whole story

Anyone who has taken a dog on vacation knows the difference between “pets allowed” and a place that works. In a hotel room, a dog is on a lead every time it leaves the door, in a corridor full of strangers, in a building where a bark at 6am is everyone’s problem. You spend the week managing.

Here the back garden is enclosed on all sides by solid fencing and block wall. You open the patio door and the dog goes out. That single fact changes the shape of the day: you can drink a coffee, work a morning, cook a dinner, without the animal being a logistical exercise. The host names it herself in her listing description as “secure fencing for pets”.

The lawn is deep and shaded by two mature trees, which matters more here than it would further north. A dog will not lie on hot concrete in a Roswell July, and the shade is the reason it does not have to. There is also a covered kennel run along the side of the house, visible in the photographs — ask about availability for your stay rather than assuming it.

The back lawn, enclosed by a white privacy fence, with two mature shade trees and the covered patio along the back of the house.
Looking across the fenced back garden toward the house, with a long covered patio, raised planting beds and grass in full shade.
A covered wire kennel run on gravel along the side of the house, sheltered by the roof overhang.

The rest of the house, from a dog's point of view

Hard floors throughout. Wood-look laminate in the living areas and bedrooms, tile in the kitchen, dining room and bathrooms. No carpet to hold a wet dog or a shed coat, and nothing you will spend the week worrying about.

Air conditioning. Not a luxury in southeastern New Mexico. July here averages a high of 94°F, and a dog left in a warm house is a genuinely bad afternoon. See the month-by-month temperatures if you are choosing dates around it.

An entire home. No shared corridors, no lobby to cross, no other guests to negotiate with, and no neighbor through a wall to be woken by the doorbell.

A host with three Shelties. Airbnb publishes that as a host highlight. It is a small thing that tells you a lot: the difference between a property that tolerates dogs and one set up by somebody who has them.

The living room: a vaulted ceiling with a fan, two large sofas and a recliner around a wooden coffee table, plantation shutters, and a red painted cabinet against a cream wall.
Hard floors everywhere, which is the unglamorous reason this house works with a dog.

Days out with a dog in Roswell

The best one is Bottomless Lakes State Park, 15 miles southeast of town and about a twenty-minute drive. New Mexico State Parks allows pets at most of its parks and requires them to be on a leash at all times; Bottomless Lakes is not one of the two parks restricted to service animals only. There are 4.53 miles of trails across three routes, a beach at Lea Lake, and picnic shelters for the middle of the day.

Downtown is more mixed. The International UFO Museum does not publish a pet policy, so we are not going to tell you it is dog friendly — contact them before you drive over with a dog in the car. Main Street itself is walkable, and one of you taking the dog while the other goes in is the usual arrangement.

The thing to plan around is heat rather than rules. From June to August, do the outdoor part of the day early, come back to the shaded garden for the middle of it, and go out again in the evening. That rhythm is exactly what the covered patio is for.

Checked 16 August 2026. Hours, prices and dates change — confirm with New Mexico State Parks' pet rules and the park's own page before you go.

This suits you if

  • You are traveling with one or two dogs and want them off the lead somewhere safe
  • You would rather cook than negotiate a restaurant with an animal in tow
  • Your trip includes days out where the dog comes along
  • You are staying long enough that a hotel room would start to feel small
  • You want hard floors and air conditioning rather than a carpeted room and a fan

This is not for you if

  • You need a published pet fee and weight limit before you commit — none is published, and you will have to ask
  • You are bringing several large dogs. Ask first; do not book and hope
  • Your group is more than six people. The limit is firm and does not bend for a well-behaved seventh
  • You want somewhere you can walk to bars and restaurants. This is a residential street, and the town is a drive

Pet questions

Is Lana's Desert Haven pet friendly?

Yes. Pets are allowed, and the back garden is securely fenced, which is the part that actually matters when you are traveling with a dog. Assistance animals are always allowed. The listing does not publish a pet fee, a weight limit or a maximum number of pets, so confirm the details for your specific booking on Airbnb.

Is the yard fenced?

Yes. The back garden has solid privacy fencing, a wide lawn under mature shade trees, and a covered patio. The host describes it in her own listing as secure fencing for pets.