Hi
@DearKat, I'm sorry to hear you're having such a tough time on del Norte!
You're right, of all the caminos on my spreadsheet, the list isn't very complete on del Norte. I put the information there from the APACA website. As far as personal stories (I do troll social media for any news of dogs on the camino), there is 1 Spanish couple who did the Norte with their dog, they have written about it here:
Te contamos todo lo necesario para hacer el
Camino de Santiago con Perro y además te mostramos algunos alojamientos donde lo aceptarán.
Although they started from Mondonedo. The spreadsheet looks better for del Norte from Soto de Luina onwards.
What I tend to do, is make reservation either on Booking.com or directly with the albergues. Some albergues ask us to confirm the day before/day of arriving that we are still arriving on that date. When I had to change dates, albergues were very accommodating too, as long as they are not fully booked. But they did allow me to change dates, even when it cannot be moved according to Booking.
When calling albergues, ask what their arrangement is. For example, on the Primitivo, David/Bodenaya allows dogs in the albergue but only in the lobby/entradas, not into the bedrooms. But Fontenonaya does allow dogs in the bedrooms. The Spanish couple on del Norte sometimes had to leave their dog in the bike shed or horse stables.
If you do decide to switch to Frances, then I know quite a few perregrinos who have made it all the way from Roncesvalles to Santiago. On Instagram they're @diarioperrogrino and @turismocanino (and they do write where they have stayed etc). Merce (@turismocanino) has even published 2 guides on
Camino Frances/general dog trips in Spain.