I like to bring my dog places w/ me, but I’m surprised at some places I see dogs brought. Airplanes especially. I have had manageable allergies all of my life, but know several folk who are far more sensitive, and the idea of subjecting them to pet dander in an enclosed tube strikes me as curious. (As you might guess, I’m not a huge supporter of the idea of “therapy” dogs. Service animals are something quite different.)
My dog enjoys going places with us, and we enjoy having him with us. It is as simple as that. However, when he is with us in public, he is entirely under our control, and pays no attention to other people. I acknowledge some people (my BIL -for example) have an irrational fear of ALL dogs. That poses a curious situation. But IMO, I’ve gone far enough by having a well-behaved dog attached to a reasonable-length leash.
I play music in a coffee shop, and am surprised that they allow people to bring their dogs into the store - early in the morning only, when there are few patrons. The other day I even noticed a sizeable “No dogs” sign on the front door. I imagine that allows them to enforce it when crowds are heavy, and with unruly pets.
We do not eat out often, but have a couple of favorite spots that allow us to bring our dog with us on the outdoors dining area. He lies under the table, and pays no attention to anyone else or their food. Many people are not even aware that he is there (a 65# golden) until we get up and leave. I wonder how a quiet dog affects the cleanliness/allergens of an outdoor dining space…
IMO, the biggest problem w/ dogs in public spaces is that so many dogs are poorly trained/behaved, and so many dog owners are so clueless/inconsiderate. It is likely easier for a business to ban ALL dogs, than to try to differentiate between the good and bad pets/owners.
A dog in any bar, grocery or restaurant is a violation of Nevada Revised Statute 446, The Nevada Food Code, which is adapted from the FDA.
I know this because my husband has been a Nevada Public Health Official. It is a problem because food establishment owners don’t want to hurt their recalcitrant customers feelings… This is an issue for people who don’t like animals potentially contaminating the environment of the eating establishment.
I don’t like it and have passed up businesses because of dog, I also feel it is unsanitary. Dogs are just smelly, slobbery and gross. Owners should not impose their pet on others and it is selfish to do so.
So how do you feel about Mini Horses in cafes? Mini horses and dogs are the only animals recognized as Service Animals under the ADA. So even if there’s a No Dogs sign they can’t be excluded.
I’m a store cashier with one good hand. Once as I was handing the credit card back to the customer with my one good hand, the little dog in the baby seat of the cart went for my one good hand. When I told the customer to control the beast, she said “Oh, he’s just playing.”
Doesn’t really bother me. I have a dog and I’ll sometimes bring him to stores and, on rare occasion, to a restaurant’s patio if he is welcome. If he isn’t, he stays home. I patronize my neighborhood hardware store because I can walk the dog to the store and get what I need with him in tow, killing two errands with one trip. If not for that convenience, I would probably stop by Home Depot instead for cheaper prices.
People object to the thought of poor sanitation more than they actually suffer from it. Shopping carts are gross and yet I’ve never heard of someone dying from an infection passed by shopping cart (although I’m sure many people have caught the flu that way without knowing it).
At my old dog park there were dogs trained to carry their own leashes. In one case, a dog carried his own leash and the leash for his puppy brother, who wasn’t quite as well trained. In my municipality, a dog carrying his own leash is just showing off because a dog under effective voice control is considered leashed under our ordinances.
Let them in the stores and none will die in hot cars.
I’ve never bothered to check the laws in my city, but Leet the Wonder Dog[sup]TM[/sup] knows that putting on the muzzle and leash means we are either going to the dog park (YAY!), PetsMart (YAY!), or the vet (BOO!). I have no objection if other people want to bring their well-behaved dogs into stores where I shop. I’ve never seen one in a restaurant. But I am used to eating my meals with a large furry creature Sitting Nicely and giving me the “I am cute but haven’t eaten in days” look.
My wife was once eating something in the living room, and I wrote a passage of Scripture on a note (Matthew 15:27) and gave it to Leet to show her. It worked.
around here they are allowed in the outside seating area only. I think that’s a good idea as long as the dog is well behaved and does not bother others .
I think the same rule should govern both children and animals in a public place. It’s okay to bring them there, but at the first sign they are disturbing anyone, take them outside.
I love dogs and have had them all my life, but I don’t like people taking their dogs everywhere. The big problem I have is that the dogs are rarely trained or obedient enough to be well behaved in public. If a dog barks, growls, tugs, is scared, wants to play with passerbys, etc, then the dog probably shouldn’t be taken everywhere in public. A good dog in public is basically like a guide dog, where it is calm and observant but not interacting a whole lot.
When I was in France, it was surprising at how many dogs were out in public, but they were pretty much at that guide-dog level. You could be in an elevator with a dog and it would just sit quietly. Dogs would just walk by each other on the sidewalk with little more than a glance at each other. But in America, the dogs in public are more likely to be playful, frisky, and protective. That’s fine for dogs to be like that, but in public it can lead to a lot of problems.
Problem with your logic is that children are humans. We need to deal with human filth in any business to serve humans. And I would argue that adults into the elderly can also be filthy, but we let them in.
In a similar vein, Cleveland has a chain of parks around the periphery called the Emerald Necklace. When I moved there, the first nice day in spring I was tooling along the entire length to see what it was like. The speed limit in the park is 20mph and I saw in the distance and approaching car with… something happening on the left side, the curb side. As I got closer I saw it was an auto with out of state plates and a lot of stuff in the back. The “something” was a brace of Great Danes galloping alongside – the driver was holding onto their leash with his right hand and steering with his left. I figured it was somebody in transit across the country and giving his guys a bit of exercise before tooling on.
A good many restaurants here in Arizona allow dogs, but only at their outdoor seating, a common thing here. There’s a local chain, Uncle Bear’s, that does so.
I’m not familiar with the laws regarding dog ownership in France, but I do know that in Switzerland each dog owner has to attend dog obedience school with their dog and both the owner and the dog have to earn their respective certifications.
I recently attended a barbecue at a coworker’s place. She had appetizers on a low table and a dog who is the perfect height to eat off said table. She never had to say a word to the dog. As the food was not in the dog’s designated eating area, the dog ignored the food.
She did tell me that she and the dog had done advanced training as she and her partner were not satisfied with the results of the primary training.
I don’t have a problem with the dogs in public places as much as I do with their owners. An awful lot of people don’t have their dogs under good enough control but they think they do.
I don’t take my dog into stores (maybe the pet store. Maybe.) because he’s not under that good of voice control, he will sometimes freak out if another dog gives off a weird vibe, but most of all, I don’t take him to restaurants because he’s an epic mooch (Thanks, daughter :mad:) and he sheds hair like it’s going out of style. Dog hair should not be a condiment.
