Should dogs be allowed in Restaurants?

[radwriter0555]

Poll question: Should dogs be allowed in Restaurants?

Through out europe dogs are totally allowed in restaurants and stores and I've never ever heard of any valid reason to not permit this in the USA... After all, what could possibly be the harm that europeans have managed to survive all these years?

Explain why or why not.. I'm trying to understand why not...

[Superfly]

1. Grew up in Germany...

where dogs routinely come into restaraunts. No biggie.

[JVS]

49. In Germany dog owners are much more anally retentive about their dogs,

Rarely did I hear any barking from the dogs people were walking, and usually any barking was met with a quick swat to the dog.

It's like roads without speedlimits, it would be a fucking mess here due to lack of discipline.

[Vernunft II]

63. In Germany dogs are usually well trained

and stay under the table. I still think it should be illegal. I guess not being a dog person taints my judgement but I am bothered by a dog under the next table when I´m trying to enjoy my meal.

[Runesong]

2. Yes. They taste good with bernaise sauce.

[radwriter0555]

4. lightly roasted? dusting of ground almonds???

oy.

no wait, SOY.

[Whitacre D_WI]

3. Yes.

I like "fragrant meat."

[radwriter0555]

6. well THIS is going QUITE the wrong way VERY rapidly...

oh dear.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. badly behaved dogs around food

is asking for disaster...

[radwriter0555]

7. I never saw one badly behaved poochie in France, Italy or London...

of course their human companions were very civilized as well...


hmmmm.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. wilbur

is our office dog...and he will topple our garbage cans constantly looking for food...and he also jumps on our desks...its why i said "nay"

[LuminousX]

8. Absolutely not - think of people with allergies

Also, there are no guarantees regarding dog behavior and dog interaction. If a bar/restaurant wants to be a "Dog" restaurant, good for them - then I know to avoid that place. But to allow it as a general rule - out of the question.

[kmla]

9. Nahh. Don't need 'em there...

I'm sure that everyone HERE has well behaved, mannerly, and obedient house trained dogs (wink wink), but I'll bet that other people would not be so considerate to have such a well mannered pet.

Not that I would mind a Rottweiler drooling while oogling my steak, or a cocker spaniel at the next table licking his crotch while I am having the blue plate special, or a wire haired terrier leave a little tapered-ended treasure for the waiter or waitress to discover.

OK, I really would mind it.

There are some facets of the European societies that we should adopt. However, IMO, this ain't one of 'em.

Thassall.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. Absolutely not

I don't want dog hair in my food, I don't want some dog bumping into me and getting hair on my clothing, I don't want to sit in dog hair, I don't want to hear barking, I don't want some dog begging me for food, and above all, some poeple, like me, are really allergic to the little blighters.

Also - some people are genuinely afraid of dogs.

I don't think there's any reason that someone ***needs*** to bring their animal to a restaurant.

That said, I don't mind the dogs that come to the sidewalk seating areas here in NYC, and some restaurants will bring a bowl of water for the pooches as well. I don't mind that at all, and it's kind of cool. But the dogs are never allowed inside.

[distortionmarshall]

15. ooh! good one!

forgot bout the damn dog hair!

[radwriter0555]

18. that sounds a lot more like a dog park than a restaurant, and none of

which I saw ever in any restaurant.

All the dogs we met were simple, laid back and docile. I can't think of one that wasn't just sleeping under the table.

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. Until you're willing to personally guarantee taht no dog will ever do

more than sleep under a table, and not poop, and not touch me, and not bark, and not lick me, or beg for food, or trip a waitress, or shed hair, and you gurantee you'll pay for cleaning any and all of my clothing that gets dog hair on it, since I can't wear it again until it's clean due to allergies, then fine. We can have dogs in the restaurants.

But not until then.



Seeing eye dogs - fine.

Little bitty dogs that I see women carrying around in their purses - I could deal with that as well.

Regular dogs, absolutely not.

I wish I could trust people to know whether their dogs can handle being in a restaurant, but seeing as how people (at least around here) can't even handle their dogs in the park, for God's sake, no, I do not and will not trust them to have the commen wisdom and decency to know whether their dogs are suitable for restaurant dining.

Build your own restaurants that are dog-hospitable if you want, but don't make it a social norm for dogs to be in any and whatever restaurant anyone wants to bring one in.

[burrowowl]

72. A properly groomed dog

gives off less hair than a groomed or ungroomed human. And automobile and bus pollution is worse: Invisible smoke (or particles) get into my eyes, ears, nose and throat.

[DinahMoeHum]

11. Not unless they are guide dogs for their blind patrons. . .

Seriously, there are people (like myself) who are scared shitless of dogs. I mean, I like them, but they don't like me. I swear, every time I walk past a dog, they start straining at the leash and growl and yap-yap-yap.

Maybe they smell pussycat on me, I don't know.


:shrug:

[bowens43]

12. Only as an entree......

[distortionmarshall]

13. cuz europeans are already filthy?

lol

in any case, to pretend that there simply is NO health/hygiene issue strikes me as disingenuous... rather republican like.....

also, lotsa people are allergic to dogs, or cats, etc....

also, there's liability issues - what happens when your dog bites my 6 month old? among other things, the restaurant will be sued....

can you guarantee, to the degree that's possible with humans, that your dog won't crap or pee near my food? can you so guarantee for all dogs?

i like dogs fine, but i hate it when they bark on and on and on and on.... i'd hate it even worse if it were in a restaurant that i'm currently at... would prolly make me wanna go over and kick the dog as hard as i possibly could, followed quickly by the owner....

wow - lol - your post made it seem like it would be difficult to come up with reasons to exclude dogs from places like restaurants.... it seems pretty easy to me.....

cept for seeing-eye dogs, leave em home or outside....

[radwriter0555]

21. uh Europeans are filthy? where did you get such a nonsense notion as

that?

You have no examples, just hypothetical on how in some imagined world dogs are going to leap up for no reason and visciously attack a child?

And then you outline your insane revenge fantasies of abuse and violence?

Check yourself.

[FlaGranny]

43. Some dog owners do not have well behaved dogs, not

at all. Most dogs would be well behaved enough to take into a restaurant, but there would always be some dope that would take a growling pit bull into a restaurant. For that reason, we are probably better off not allowing them in restaurants. But, I must disagree with the hygiene part of your argument. There are dogs, and other animals in most of the homes in the country, and no one is getting diseases from their animals (except perhaps for turtles and occasionally birds, who carry some germs not suitable for people).

[CO Liberal]

14. Sara Jessica Parker Has to Eat SOMEWHERE......

:-)

[everythingsxen]

17. If we allow dogs..

then wouldn't we have to allow cats, parrots, weasels, velociraptors and land sharks too?

What, are you some kind of dog supremacist?

Cats, rats, bats and raptors are just undeserving of being allowed in too?


(And that's why no dogs...)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. They are welcomed at restaurants in Korea

:evilgrin:

[Florida_Geek]

23. And Viet Nam

:evilgrin:

[Bertha Venation]

20. Working dogs -- yes, absolutely. eom

[BentleyJD]

29. well

my guide dog dietrich is cleaner and better behaved than many people Ive seen .
Mutts, no.
take care
tony and dietrich

[Bertha Venation]

30. yes -- guide dog, working dog, that's what I meant.

Sorry, I got the name wrong. :)

[Westegg]

37. I appreciate a well-trained dog, however...

It's been my experience that most untrained humans don't bother to train their pets they way they should. Because so many people are just plain lazy, and selfish----and they really don't give a damn. Too bad. Dogs are wonderful companions, and stalwart friends. But if you have one, dammit, you have to be a responsible pet owner. My wife and I give money every year to "Mighty Mutts" here in New York, because there are SO many abandonned and neglected dogs, cats, etc. in this so-called "cosmopolitan" city. And we rescued two abandonned cats in Central Park and have given them a good home. We love these cats---Fred and Daisy--- but they're basically afraid of humans. And I'm not the least bit surprised. God knows what their first couple months of life were like, before they were tossed out like so much trash. God damn the person who did this!

I don't mean to sound self-righteous about this. Honestly, I'd prefer not to have to deal with dogs in restaurants (except for working dogs). But if I knew for a fact that some yelping, slobbering dog in restaurant was being cared for by a compassionate, intelligent pet owner, I could live with that.

[burrowowl]

71. Americans don't seem to

train their dogs or raise their children properly.
Hell! Many adults don't seem to behave properly either.
I lived in Levallois for 20 years, population 150,000 and the dog capital of France. Neat place.
There was 1 murder in all the 20 years I was there. Came back to America, got a job in Roswell, New Mexico. In 7 years I was there, knew people who had murdered. Knew people who could name several people who had been murdered. Yearly per capita murder higher than ABQ. Roswell's population was 43,000. Less now probably. No emissions test in Roswell, supposedly better air than ABQ, Roswell has the most breathing disorders in the state. Most dogs are nice there, the people suck.

[trotsky]

22. The reasons given so far are right on.

Allergies
Fears, phobias
Cleanliness
Well-behaved vs. ill-behaved dogs

There's just no question about it - only medically necessary animals should enter into restaurants.

[Florida_Geek]

24. Bring back smoking too

at the same time right.

[Superfly]

27. Smoking in restaraunts is gone?

[Florida_Geek]

41. IN Florida.

:) or sometimes :(

[Braden]

26. absolutely not

I prefer dog hair free environments.

[Parrcrow]

28. Welcome the Restaurant Poochie

Will lick own balls for food.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. Voted yes..would vote to outlaw children from restaurants for all

the reasons people are giving for dogs...allergies, noise, shedding, etc.

[Florida_Geek]

42. Children are good

with a little BBQ sauce,and a tomato in their mouth :evilgrin:

[fujiyama]

61. Get in me Belly!

:9
:P

[chenGOD]

77. You're allergic to children?

Sorry, just couldn't resist that one.
Never seen a kid lay a log down on the restaurant floor for some poor sucker to step on.

Aside from guide dogs, no dogs in the restaurant.
I guess I'm not really a dog person, but here in South Korea (yes yes, let's get all the dog jokes out of our systems, it's not at all bad), owning little yappy overgrown rats has become the rage, and people bring them into cafes and will put them on the chairs or sometimes tables and I really just want to give the owners a good lecture about being considerate to others (and then turn the dogs into appetizers).

So yeah no dogs in restaurants/cafes (except guide dogs).

[geniph]

32. In some restaurants

well-marked ones, so that those who prefer not to eat around canines can opt to eat elsewhere. Dogs allowed in all restaurants, at any time? Absolutely not. Too many people are deathly allergic, and too many people don't properly socialize their dogs. But I think we're too draconian now in preventing even the best-behaved dogs from accompanying their people into coffeehouses.

Now, what I really want to see is a selection of restaurants that have one child-free day per week. No kids under 16 on that day. No babies, no toddlers, no 8-year-olds. I know some of us would seek those places out on those days for our patronage.

The issue, in both cases, is CHOICE. One can contract far more diseases from other humans and their offspring than one will ever contract from other species. The idea is to offer those who don't wish to be around dogs, or kids, a choice, and still provide opportunities for those who do wish to be around them.

[mmm]

35. I like it. Fair and equitable.

[radwriter0555]

38. I wonder what it is about misbehaving children and dogs in the USA?

But that's not a bad idea... how about if the restaurant could CHOOSE to allow dogs... and the patrons could choose to patronize it or not...
Much better idea.

[chiburb]

33. Only if they're married to

A polygamist... cuz you KNOW that's where we're headed!

;)

[demnan]

34. After what I've seen at Petsmart, no!

People just allow their dogs to go to the bathroom anywhere! In a store, etc. I can just imagine some dufus with a dog in a restaurant who won't get up when the dog begs to go out and the dog takes a big smelly dump right in the restaurant.

Tell me how Europeans handle that one.

[burrowowl]

70. Dogs in France do not

pee in restaurants.
I remember a client at a cafe. The owner had a dog, I had my dog. He brought his young puppy in. We both said your puppy needs to potty. He said: No it doesn't. The puppy peed. He hit the puppy. The owner's Malinois and my German Shepard growled at him. He took the rag soaked in clorox wiped up the pee and said he would pay more attention. And he did. We showed him how to train a puppy nicely. By the way, he was an American

[chiburb]

36. Yes, unless...

They're wearing perfume!

[Coventina]

39. Same reason children shouldn't be allowed in restaurants either

I've got nothing against kids and dogs, just their "parents".

Bad parenting has ruined many a pleasant meal, and if people can't handle their kids, how will they handle dogs?

[Vernunft II]

65. I hear you loud and clear.

I usually tell the waitress about it and usually something is done to remind the parents they´re not on a playground. I often notice that a waitress would be annoyed as Hell by the kids herself and is thankful one of the guests speaks up to give her a reason to say something.

I guess it also helps that my wife and me have a bunch of restaurants here where we show up quite regularly and that I tip well :-)

[supernova]

40. I wouldn't mind dog-friendly places

but I'd like them clearly marked so I could avoid them.

I don't want to eat with dogs I'm not familiar with. I used to have a profound fear of the critters growing up. Even today, the best I can do is feel neutral around them.

I do not want a meal spoiled having to share it with someone elses's dog. Sorry.

[ajacobson]

44. Dogs are banned and babies are permitted

backassward

[Ediacara]

62. People are rarely allergic to babies

Babies are not nearly as loud as dogs.... and well, when a baby takes a crap it's IN A DIAPER AND NOT ON THE FLOOR.

[burrowowl]

73. Why are there so many allergies in America

are Americans neurotic or are there are other factors creating allergies that are rampart?
And, never in France have I seen a dog poop in a restaurant. Also dogs are seated under the table and have to be 3 meters away from the kitchen or where food is in the open. Many buffets in America have things as well as person too damn close and several **** restaurants in ABQ are not the most sanitary.

[Ediacara]

76. I don't know why there's so many allergies

But the fact remains that there ARE allergies.

And dogs poop, especially small obnoxious ones, so eventually, you're going to have a gift.

[MrSlayer]

45. No dogs are dirty. Shouldn't be in a restaurant.

What if you are dining and some fool brings a dog in which proceeds to shit all over the floor? No, a restaurant is no place for an animal.

[amazona]

46. rate of allergy/asthma too high for this, sorry

Unless you suffer from animal dander allergy, you have no idea of the suffering caused by this disease, which affects a huge number of Americans -- many of who go on to develop asthma, because they refuse to reduce their exposure to fur, but that's another issue. The asthma then eventually progresses to heart disease and an early grave. I'm trying to nip this in the bud. My allergies are severe, and they cannot be controlled by magical "positive thinking" or "scientology" and I am hardly the only person in this position. The occasional service dog is one thing, but the amount of exposure needs to be severely limited.

Europeans don't seem to care if they can breathe or not, so why would they care if I could breathe? It's a different culture which doesn't seem to respect the lungs. Fine. But we don't need to import the worst of Europe here -- let's bring the good things, not the bad.

Also imagine the insurance liability from all the dog fights. We've already had a dog mauling in my neighborhood, don't need to have it happen in the restaurants too.

On Edit: I shouldn't slam "Europeans." While in Amsterdam, I certainly saw restaurants that refused service to people with dogs. I was under the impression that bringing dogs into restaurants was offensive to Muslims, for instance, and they were not welcome in Malaysian/Indonesia type restaurants. Could be wrong about this impression, it's just that I noticed that the people with dogs at a couple of these restaurants got asked to leave in short order.

[burrowowl]

47. In France, dogs are

very well behaved in restaurants.
If Americans took their dogs out more (trained of course) instead of chaining them up and ignoring, it might be a friendlier place.
By the way, ground meat must be cooked within 2 hours after being ground. All this pre-ground meat in America is unhealthy.

[Khephra]

48. IF you have a medical condition that need a dog

Being blind etc...

then yes.

If you just want them with you, then fuck no.

[fortyfeetunder]

50. Sure, Ann Coulter needs to eat too!

And Sean Hannity, Rush (no, he's a fricking pig), and Bill O'Reilly...

[Book Lover]

51. No

Because they do not understand the human social contract that does not allow loud barking while others are eating.

[burrowowl]

52. In France they don't bark

Why are children allowed in restaurants?
Never had such ear-piecing noise than that produced by children in American restaurants. If Amrican children were as well-behaved as dogs in France, it would be nice.

[Rabrrrrrr]

54. Ain't that the truth

Nothing worse than trying to enjoy oneself, and then having some selfish idiot yuppie fascist couple with their precious little "perfect" child wailing away during dinner at the restaurant.

(Note: it doesn't need to be yuppies, it's just that here in NYC, the restaurants I go to are the type that also attract yuppies, and so the only loud obnoxious xchildren I've experienced here are the yuppie children; though in my hometown, before moving to NYC, the loud obnoxious kids in restaurants were usually the children of morans)

[Ediacara]

64. kids don't poop on the floor, and people are not normally allergic to kids

Why is this such a difficult concept for people to grasp?....

[Rabrrrrrr]

67. Idiot duplicate post

Sorry everyone

[Book Lover]

68. I have never and will never

bring my child into a restaurant meant for adults. When the child turns into a teenager, then yes.

Never having been to France (Italy only) I can't render an opinion on your assertion.

[arwalden]

53. In Doggie Zones.

[Fleshdancer]

55. how bizarre

I never knew this. I spent a few months in Spain years ago and I never witnessed dogs in restaurants or stores and since I haven't been to any other European country (yet), I guess my only real apprehension is purely cultural.

I didn't see this sort of thing in Japan though. How about other countries? Australia? New Zealand? Other Asian countries? Middle Eastern countries? African countries? South American? Is this sort of thing only accepted in certain European countries??? If so, why?

[Rabrrrrrr]

57. No, you would never see this in Japan. They believe in cleanliness

so much, they'd never allow a dog in a restaurant.

[Ysabel]

56. no fair...! no fair...!

dogs are out-numbered in this poll...

:D

- arf...!

(I voted yes)...

[Rabrrrrrr]

59. Fine, then you have to let me smoke cigars while you eat,

and let me scratch my ass, inside my pants, and then touch your food.

[Ysabel]

60. okay...!

LOL...

[Rabrrrrrr]

66. I don't believe you

and if you truly are willing to let someone scratch their ass, inside their pants, and then eat their food, I really don't want to be around you. or be in your home. Or eat any food you might prepare.

No offense, but that's just way too gross.

I guess I'm just a victim of the American paradigm of clean hands and OSHA standards of health safety.

[Ediacara]

58. NO

Dogs are unsanitary, noisey, and rambunctious. It's like bringing a lobotomized four-year old that's covered in shit into the kitchen!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

69. Yeah just leave the kids home

(it was a JOKE parents of DU...please don't whup me!)

[FDRrocks]

74. No....

I don't want dog hair or dog tongue on my food. I don't want noisy dog barking interrupting my meal that im paying good money for.

[Spider Jerusalem]

75. No.

Dogs are disgusting, obnoxious, unsanitary creatures. Their drooling, barking and shedding have no place in a restaurant. It is quite bad enough that so many people see nothing wrong in bringing their ill-behaved little brats into restaurants; we don't need dogs there on top of it. The only circumstance under which dogs have a place in a restaurant is if they're on the menu.

[fudge stripe cookays]

78. I'm sure Fargo wouldn't be welcome.

He leaves multitudinous 6 inch long white hairs in his wake. And he could eat off anyone's table without even stretching.

I love my Pyrenees, but I have a feeling others would have a problem with his size, his crotch licking, and the fluff that would descend on their food.

See?