Sunday, February 6
Little Difference #32
Little Difference #32 - Dogs in Restaurants
Two Little Difference posts in a row?!? There is a first for everything. I ran into this difference this weekend. I've been aware of it for sometime but Saturday's experience was just begging to be written up.
On Saturday we went to the center to run some errands and poke around the farmers' market. We ended up going out for lunch at a pizzeria. In the restaurant I counted NO FEWER than 7 dogs under tables at the feet of their owners. I've seen dogs in restaurants here before but hadn't thought much about it until then. The dogs were not ill behaved or a nuisance. They just sat there waiting for their people. All were little dogs, the kind that would fall into the category of a pampered pet.
I don't think this is legal in America. Isn't it a health code violation? I would imagine you'd see this kind of thing in LA or New York City so maybe it isn't a violation. In Seattle? I don't think so. But maybe? As a non dog person I have no idea. I've read about this dog phenomena in Paris, many of the Paris culture shock books discuss this. I guess it is here in Luxembourg too although on a much smaller scale.
It's not that I mind the dogs in the restaurants (or salons. Seen that here too) it is that I just don't understand that kind of dog/person relationship (for lack of a better phrase.) All the fuss, attention, human privileges; I don't get it. Do you?
Have you dined with any canines recently? Details please.
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11 comments:
In Japan it is allowed too, in fact we used to go to an Italian place which had a special buffet for the dogs, yup, doggy pasta, pizza and cake AND special doggy chairs so that the dogs can sit at the table with their owners!
There are also cat cafes where you pay a stupid amount of money to go and sit in a cafe and stroke cats whilst having tea and cake.
What next? a ferret bar, horsey dico....
Seriously! Seriously!!! Seriously!!! In Cape Town we don't have any noticeable health violation type monitors or visible policing... I just can't see people going for that here... No sometimes you will see dogs waiting outside a store for their owner... but not inside and certainly not in a restaurant and definitely not to eat at a table with you - just no!!! You do have a few "fluffy dog types" but here mostly dogs are for security and protection... so loved yes, but working dogs, so no they do not share a table - above or below!!!
I forget to look for them, and have often tripped over Fido.
not happening much here, either. in fact, i've seen signs that are just the opposite of the one you posted, indicating that animals are not welcome.
I believe that in the US only service dogs are welcome
inside most public buildings, which would include
restaurants. This is what we learned when I worked
the library and this is true at the state park visitor
center where I volunteer. However, I will never
forget the big red dog wandering around a wonderful
rustic restaurant in Italy during a thunder storm
when the lights were out. In Turkey, cats were abundant and everywhere I went, but that was 40
years ago.
it was a shock coming here to the uk. LOTS of dogs in pubs - the sort that aren't pampered pooches but sturdy, floppy labradors (usually en route to woods/ muddy path/stream). and the pubs serve food, so dogs just wait by owner's feet. maybe it would happen in australia - outdoor areas only, though.
yeah no dogs in australian restaurants that I've seen.
being a non dog person myself (can I be non animal?) I dont see the attraction either.. It not that I dont love animals ( I do) but I dont want to live with animals.. I've already got four :)
It is not allowed in America, anywhere. The sole exception is service dogs, as someone mentioned.
I think I feel differently from most of the previous posters about this – I see nothing wrong with well-behaved dogs sitting patiently under the table during their owners' meals. Dogs, and their people, thrive on that kind of simple companionship, and I think it's lovely.
And, logically, if service dogs aren't a health hazard, why are other well-behaved dogs?
(*I am stressing WELL-BEHAVED because obviously, ill-behaved dogs are a nuisance and a hazard).
I'm with you. Not a dog person. And it does not offend me in any way that you are not a dog person. One of my best friends lost her dog to cancer not too long ago. She told me it was "worse than losing a child." (I really don't understand that mentality at all.) But I just consoled her - she was distraught.
I would love to be able to take my dog to a restaurant with me. Dogs are very social creatures and love being with their "pack." (In most cases, the pack is their human owner) I hate that my dog is alone all day every day when I'm at work, so oftentimes on the weekends I try to do more dog-friendly things to give her some stimulation. We go hiking together and it would be wonderful to be able to have a post hike meal without leaving my pup in the car worrying about her being cold / hot or being stolen.
Gosh, I don't think of myself as a fanatic dog person, but after reading these comments I guess I am!
You will find this in Germany too, but with much larger dogs. Not fancy restaurants, but family restaurants that might be located on the edge of a forest.
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