# Dogs in a Restaurant/Café **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 1, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723 "2020-01-01T17:36:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/1 "2020-01-01T17:36:26Z")
This morning, there was a couple with their dog in the Starbucks near me and it annoyed me. Maybe I’m hungover and cranky, but I’m getting annoyed with ‘dogs everywhere’ This particular Starbucks has a lot of seating and laptops out and does a decent amount of food sales as well, it’s not a grab and go. It also doesn’t have a walk up window. Yeah, I get it that’s it’s January and you can’t leave the dog outside. Yeah, I get it that you’re getting a Starbucks and then taking Fido for a walk. But, I still say no. And I’ve noticed this at other places too, even at a sit down restaurant. What say you? Am I just hung over and cranky or so you also dislike having dogs inside places where food is served ? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/2 "2020-01-01T17:54:14Z")
As long as they are under control I am fine with them. But ---- when one guest-dog takes umbrage at another guest-dog both along with their owners need to be booted fast. I don’t need my visit complicated by a possible dogfight breaking out while these two owners try to make nice all around. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/3 "2020-01-01T18:21:22Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Am I just hung over and cranky or so you also dislike having dogs inside places where food is served ? Well, I’m not hung over, but I am cranky, and I also dislike having dogs in stores and such. Not genuine seeing eye dogs, they get a pass, but pets and ‘companion’ animals. There was a grocery store where I regularly saw women shopping with their mini-sized dogs perched in the child seat of their shopping cart. I complained about it to a manager, and just got a mix of “aw, they’re cute” and “well, what can we do anyway?” responses. :rolleyes: So I told him if his store cared that little about sanitation, I was clearly in the wrong store. I left my 2/3rds full cart of grocery there beside him and have never set foot in that store again. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/4 "2020-01-01T18:56:59Z")
No prob for me, but do prefer they don’t go after your French fries. Mountain bars that use wood for heat is a bit different than Starbucks (never been to one). I have always had a dog or dogs. But don’t take them with me where ever I go. And never in a restaurant. Mostly for the dogs safety, and I have things to do other than watch the dog. I suppose you could say the same for kids. Our newest adoptees, two border collie mixes did not work with the training methods I had used in the past, so my Wife and I took them to professional training. $5000 worth of training. It hurt to do in many ways, but was needed. One place that the trainers took them for the dogs education was building supply stores. Lowes, or Home Depot. They welcome dogs and there is a lot of weird stuff going on in such a store that the dog will encounter. Fork lifts, shopping carts lots of noise and smells. They took videos of this work/training and I have them. The dogs are still dogs, and do doggie stuff, but mind much better than they did. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/5 "2020-01-01T19:04:57Z")
As long as the owner let’s me give them some pet’ns, I’m okay with it. (Therapy dogs get a pass). ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/6 "2020-01-01T19:05:09Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Well, I’m not hung over, but I am cranky, and I also dislike having dogs in stores and such. Not genuine seeing eye dogs, they get a pass, but pets and ‘companion’ animals. > > There was a grocery store where I regularly saw women shopping with their mini-sized dogs perched in the child seat of their shopping cart. I complained about it to a manager, and just got a mix of “aw, they’re cute” and “well, what can we do anyway?” responses. :rolleyes: So I told him if his store cared that little about sanitation, I was clearly in the wrong store. I left my 2/3rds full cart of grocery there beside him and have never set foot in that store again. If you actually care about sanitation you would never use any shopping cart. Do you realize the nastiness that human children leave in those child seats? ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/7 "2020-01-01T19:14:06Z")
My dog goes everywhere with me. Banks, restaurants, etc. He us not allowed in super markets, but I have trained him to wait for me. In order to take him almost everywhere, you need to have **complete** voice control over them. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/8 "2020-01-01T19:22:43Z")
Our newest rescue (we’ve had him almost four months) is _extremely_ interested in food. I’d never take him someplace that served food. First, he’d want to smell everybody, then, he’d want to circulate and cadge food. Non-dog people would be annoyed. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/9 "2020-01-01T19:41:47Z")
In my city (San Francisco) there is an ordinance that dogs must be on leash in public at all times (except for designated off-leash areas) and that dog leashes must be in the hands of a human (I don’t know why it was written that way). One effect of this is that it is effectively illegal to leave a dog tied up outside while you go into a shop, and the dog owner may get a ticket. (It is also risky, there have been a lot of dogs stolen that way.) So the secondary effect is that we see a lot more dogs in places where we used to not see them – coffee shops, sure, but also a lot of other shops that rely on foot traffic. It’s a calculation for the business owner how much business they would lose by prohibiting dogs vs. how much business they would lose from those who object to dogs by allowing them. Note: there is a frequently quoted statistic that there are more dogs than children living in San Francisco. This is patently unprovable, since no-one knows or even has a good way of estimating how many dogs live in San Francisco. But the fact that it is so believable is, by itself, telling. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/10 "2020-01-01T19:59:01Z")
More places should allow dogs. If they’re behaving, then why does it bother you? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/11 "2020-01-01T21:02:20Z")
I assume you’ve never been to Paris. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/12 "2020-01-01T21:06:48Z")
No bigger fan of the short, brown people, but I say no. They don’t belong in restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/13 "2020-01-01T21:10:24Z")
Dogs are everywhere in Colorado and most restaurants have a designated dog area. I don’t mind at all. I wish my dog wouldn’t sit there and whine at the other dogs so he gets left at home more then I would prefer because dealing with the kids behavior problems and his is just too much work. Our next dog will got everywhere with me from day 1. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/14 "2020-01-01T21:15:20Z")
I teach English and Maya. Never taught dogs. YT is your friend. Learned a lot there. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/15 "2020-01-01T21:44:20Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I assume you’ve never been to Paris. I have. I don’t remember the dogs being inside the cafés though although I’ve never been in winter. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/16 "2020-01-01T21:44:23Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > My dog goes everywhere with me. Banks, restaurants, etc. He us not allowed in super markets, but I have trained him to wait for me. > > In order to take him almost everywhere, you need to have **complete** voice control over them. As long as the dog behaves well and is clean (some dogs are really stinky) I think the dog should be allowed any place a toddler is allowed. However, due to clueless people, dog shouldn’t mix with grocery carts. The chance of an injury to the dog, and the typical reaction, is just too high. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/17 "2020-01-01T21:44:41Z")
I don’t understand the mindset of taking one’s dog(s) everywhere. I have to wonder how many dogs have died in hot cars because their owners felt it necessary to take them on errands. It’s not an issue with our current dog, since she hates going in the car. But even our past pets who loved getting out and about were left at home when we went out for other than vet or groomer visits. Too many pet owners won’t clean up after their critters or control them, and since you can’t just ban the ones that refuse to be civil, I’m OK with banning them all, excepting, of course, legitimate service animals. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/18 "2020-01-01T21:55:46Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Our newest rescue (we’ve had him almost four months) is _extremely_ interested in food. I’d never take him someplace that served food. First, he’d want to smell everybody, then, he’d want to circulate and cadge food. Non-dog people would be annoyed. Non-dog people? Hell, I’m a dog person and I’d be annoyed. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/19 "2020-01-01T22:06:25Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Non-dog people? Hell, I’m a dog person and I’d be annoyed. Same here, and that’s why one of the first and most regulated things I teach my dogs is “Don’t look at my food!” Well, after not grabbing all foods they see, of course. Because there’s nothing more annoying than a dog laser staring at every bite and drooling. Nope, my dogs know they better avert their eyes and lie down nicely and then maaaaaybe they’ll get a bite once I’m done. Staring dogs get NOTHING. That said, I’d rather have well behaved dogs pretty much anywhere over even fairly well behaved kids because even the well behaved kids usually have no idea of how to talk quietly and dogs don’t talk. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723/20 "2020-01-01T22:39:13Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I don’t understand the mindset of taking one’s dog(s) everywhere. I have to wonder how many dogs have died in hot cars because their owners felt it necessary to take them on errands. Imagine if the stores and restaurants didn’t have a ban on dogs. Would the dogs still be left in the car on a hot day? The ability to take them _everywhere_ would help to prevent leaving dogs hot cars. For me, it’s not always possible to leave a dog at home. And even when it _is_ possible, IMO it’s never desirable. The whole point of having a pet is to have a companion. If I had to leave my dog home all the time while I travel and enjoy life, I probably wouldn’t get a pet in the first place. We might leave home for an entire 4-Day weekend or longer, which is too long to leave the dog all alone at the house. Hell, I’ve been on month long road trips with my dog. There is nowhere else to take/leave him if he isn’t allowed to go where I go. Fortunately, most of Europe is very dog friendly. He is allowed in just about every restaurant, he’s been in museums and chateaus, and practically everywhere. I really wish more of the US would stop being so restrictive with pets. > [@](#): > > It’s not an issue with our current dog, since she hates going in the car. But even our past pets who loved getting out and about were left at home when we went out for other than vet or groomer visits… I’m OK with banning them all, excepting, of course, legitimate service animals. You shouldn’t be okay with banning something just because it doesn’t happen to affect you. > [@](#): > > Too many pet owners won’t clean up after their critters or control them, and since you can’t just ban the ones that refuse to be civil… This should be no different than littering laws. We don’t ban people from having wrappers or other potential trash in their possession while in public. Instead, we ticket those who would throw that stuff on the ground. We certainly _can_ just ban the ones who refuse to be civil. At the very least, we can find ways of enforcing a policy that requires cleanliness and civility. Impose fines and/or criminal penalties for people who litter or leave dog shit on the ground in public. Allow others who are capable of cleaning up after their critters to be free of unnecessary restrictions and bans. Hell, in the US, I’ve watch a lady change her baby’s diaper at a table in a restaurant. Those same people probably support restrictions that forbid my dog from sitting on the floor quietly while we dine. Sad. And I have an indoor dog who bathes about three times a week. But _we’re_ the filthy ones? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-in-a-restaurant-cafe/845723.md?page=2)