With rare exceptions in outdoor seating, regulations effectively prohibit dogs in U.S. bars & restaurants, citing hazily-defined health concerns.
But as one look at DogsInPubs.com will tell you, we’re missing out. In Britain, the onus is on the establishment owner is to make sure there is no risk of contamination and that all food preparation areas are up to specified hygiene standards. And as in all other aspects of dog-owning life, the onus is on the dog owner to make sure the dog’s OK around people.
In addition to the fact that life is simply more fun with a dog around, there’s a growing body of science that humans have evolved hand-in-paw with dogs and that we actually need them around to keep us healthy.
America would be better off with more dogs in more bars.
from a business point of view, especially for bars catering to a younger crowd, too many dogs can be a real downer for single men. Many the the gentleman will come in, order a beer, look around, see way too many dogs and say to their posse ‘nuttin’ here worth stayin’ for”. Then they all leave after one round.
The worse is when the walk in see nuttin’ but dogs and turn and walk away without making a purchase.
On second thought who am I kidding? Guys are guys. Add in the booze and well, dogs are good for business.
I’ll tell you what doesn’t belong in bards. Service canines. I don’t trust em. ‘
I just don’t care for dogs. Not indifferent, like I don’t care for grape soda. Rather, I have a (slight) dislike of dogs. I’m uncomfortable around them. I don’t trust them.
As such, I see it as all downside. A nonzero risk of pee. A nonzero risk of unwelcome slobber and drool. A nonzero chance of barking. An unwelcome odor and unwelcome hair on my slacks. Some folk are allergic. Less likely, but more unwelcome, is an unwelcome bite. To me, that’s all downside.
Service dogs? They’re remarkably well trained, and don’t bother me a bit. They’re also exceedingly rare, even in communities with public transit (which, naturally, attracts more than an average amount of blind people). But pets? Bah. No thanks.
(Though the smoking ban significantly curbed the last one.)
at least if you go to a bar in Allston. For nicer joints, folks tend to be much better behaved drunks.
I can see why most establishments would not allow dogs because they would not want to offend people like yourself, but does it need to be mandated by law? Is there an actual legitimate health concern? Is there any evidence that dogs in restaurants in France cause health problems?
Why allow dogs? Because there are people with dogs who will patronize your establishment more often if they were allowed to bring their pet. Why not let the owner of the bar/restaurant decide whether it makes sense for their business?
I mean, I can *imagine* a number of risks, but I have no sense for (a) their liklihood, nor (b) the health consequences should they occur. Bites, allergens, feces, bacteria from slobber, tick or other dog-to-person insect transmissions all strike me as possibilities. But again, I know not the odds nor the extent of the health consequences in the context of the current odds and health consequences of health issues at pubs. I do think that, at the very least, American society ought to study the risks and consequences so that we can make an informed policy decision.
26 6s for you buddy
What problems do dogs in restaurants cause in France? What is there to study?
Yes, dogs can carry diseases, but so can humans, and you are far, far, far, more likely to catch an illness from a human than from a dog. Yes, dogs can harbor ticks, but so can humans, and ticks do not jump off one animal to another so worrying about that is pure paranoia. If you are really worried about catching something from a dog, then you should be running for your life whenever a human walks within arms length. Probably the only legitimate health concern is allergens, but it is not like there are any number of other allergens that could bother people and are not banned from restaurants.
I understand that you don’t like dogs, but you might not like obnoxious drunk people either and they are not forbidden from hanging out in bars for health reasons.
I mean a proper study.
I’ll take judy-meredith’s 26 6s over your half-thought post as an appropriate response.
Parrots next? Pot-bellied pigs? Gila monsters? Why not a cloud of bats? A whoop of gorillas? A gaze of raccoons? I want a friendly neighborhood bar, not Noah’s Ark.
This is a joke, right¿
I think he’s wrong. More dogs in bars would be good. Fewer people drinking in bars would be better.
and hops up on a stool. He looks the bartender in the eye and says, “Hey, guess what? I can talk. Have you ever seen a talking dog before? How about a drink?”
The bartender thinks for a moment and says, “Sure, the toilet’s right around the corner.”
I think it is a quality of life issue, as a world with friendly dogs is a much happier place. My local liquor store (Menotomy Beer and Wine in Arlington MA) has a beer tasting on Friday and a wine tasting on Friday, and many customers bring their dogs. It’s a dog friendly store, and they keep dog biscuits behind the counter. It’s a happy place. I think the happiness could apply to pubs, too.
Can we also get a cat friendly pub?
…would be aggrevating allergies in close quarters. I think there should be areas where they are permitted and others where they are not permitted.
Many dogs are not reliably housebroken, by which I mean that they will sometimes decide that an indoor space that is not their owner’s home is a suitable bathroom.