In Toggenburg with your dog: a dog-friendly holiday apartment and walks

Planning a holiday, and your dog is simply part of the family? With us in Alt St. Johann you don’t have to make excuses or quietly tuck the lead into your backpack. Your four-legged friend is genuinely welcome here - not merely tolerated, but invited. Toggenburg feels a lot like nearby Appenzell, only a touch quieter: gentle hills, a young river, forest and meadows right up to the front door. Just the thing for long noses and easy-going people.

Why you and your dog are truly welcome

We share our home with Lou, a Mini Australian Shepherd. Because a dog is part of our own everyday life, we know what a holiday with a dog really needs - and how much a small welcome can mean. That’s why both apartments are dog-friendly: both Louisa’s Loft (up to 5 guests plus a cot) and Louisa’s Gallery (up to 6 guests plus a cot) are happy to have four-legged visitors.

The fee for your dog is CHF 40 in Louisa’s Loft and CHF 50 in Louisa’s Gallery (per dog and stay). And it’s more than a line on the invoice: a blanket for the favourite corner, a bowl, and a little welcome waiting on arrival. Small gestures, but they show we mean it. We want your dog to feel at home from the very first moment - and we want you to sense that both of you are meant when we say “welcome”.

Just let us know when you book that a dog is coming along. That’s all it takes.

Out the door: riverside paths, forest and the Selamatt

The lovely thing about a dog-friendly holiday apartment in Toggenburg: the first walk begins right outside the house. The young Thur winds through the valley, and its riverside paths are pleasantly flat and soft underfoot - perfect for a gentle morning loop or an after-dinner stroll. Water to sniff, meadows to trot across, and nobody in a hurry.

Around Alt St. Johann you’ll find meadows and forest trails in every direction. Sometimes shady under the trees, sometimes open with a view of the Churfirsten - your dog gets a say in where the nose points. For the longer outings, take the cable car up to the Selamatt; the valley station is only about 300 metres from the house. Up top, open hiking country unfolds with mountain air and wide views - ideal for a full day out as a foursome.

Either way, short loop or big hike, you never have to drive far to get going. That’s relaxed hiking with a dog, the way it should be.

The practical bits, kindly framed

So everyone feels at ease, there are a few simple understandings. Outdoors, your dog stays on the lead - cows graze here and other walkers pass by. Inside the apartment, we don’t leave the dog behind on its own; it’s on holiday too, not left to fend for itself. Bed and sofa are fine as long as you put down a protective cover first. And for any little mishaps, the owner is liable, as anywhere. Nothing complicated - just fair.

The rest keeps a dog’s life easy: free parking right by the house, bus and shop just a 2-minute walk away, and Zurich about an hour off. With the guest card you travel free on public transport - handy if you’d rather reach a trailhead without the car.

And after a wet, happy walk? The fully equipped kitchen is waiting, a cheese fondue for the cooler evenings, and the private hot tub outside. Your dog curls up on its blanket, you slip your feet into the warm water - that’s what arriving feels like.

In short: your dog is warmly welcome in Louisa’s Loft and in Louisa’s Gallery alike. Simply mention when you book that a four-legged friend is travelling with you - then the blanket and bowl will be ready when you arrive. We look forward to meeting you both.