Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Restaurants / Food & Life Dogs in restaurants
Posted by Besha Rodell @BeshaRodell on Tue, Aug 12, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Jim writes to ask:
Some friends and I had a few questions about the propriety of allowing non-service dogs in restaurants. We thought you and the readers might be able to offer some insight.1) Are there any laws/health code regulations governing this? I am presuming animals are not allowed in food prep areas, but what about indoors?
2) If there are, is it more permissible to allow dogs on a patio vs. inside a restaurant?
I asked our news writer Scott Henry to look into it, and he came up with this from Fulton County:
Fulton Co. Code Sec. 34-160Animals
Live animals, including birds and turtles, shall be excluded from within the food service operational premises and from adjacent areas under the control of the permit holder. This exclusion does not apply to edible fish, crustacean, shellfish or the fish in aquariums. Patrol dogs accompanying security or police officers, or guide dogs accompanying blind persons, shall be permitted in dining areas.
So, no – under Fulton County’s health code, most dogs are not allowed in restaurants, or on the patios adjacent to the restaurant. But they can hang out in bars all day!
Comments (7)
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It's interesting to note that this is a fairly new addition to the Fulton County Code. At least I've been lead to believe that 34-160 was enacted within the past ten years. Nice to know that Fulton County is still moving backward compared to the rest of the civilized world. Well behaved dogs are welcomed in restaurants and on public transportation all over Europe. You might gather that I'm a dog lover and would sooner to sit in a restaurant next to a dog than some people :-)
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They may be allowed in Europe, but we aren't Europe. Just because the European diva-types like to have their princess pooches as a handbag while they sip their Chianti, doesn't mean that American princesses should do the same. Leave the dog at home and enjoy your fellow human company.
I am assuming Jim is about to try and get certain restaurants in trouble for allowing dogs on porches. I love bringing my dog out with me to these dog friendly spots. If your dog is well behaved who cares...and my dog can't fit in a handbag- she weighs about as much as a teenager and stands just as high when on two legs. Besides these places tend to be bar/restaurants not fine dining establishements so who really cares besides the dog haters out there.
I spoke to Jim and I don't think he was looking to get anyone in trouble. He said he had friends who have dogs, and when the discussion came up no one knew the answer.
Europeans are allowed to have dogs in their establishments because, mostly, they do not require rules to live healthy, happy lives like we seem to. I believe that we have these rules because so many Americans are happy to complain about anything that for whatever reason seems out of place instead of asking themselves if what they are complaining about is really a big deal. And instead of working it out like civil people they ask for a rule so they do not have to deal with confrontation . Most, ,in the Europe i've been to, realize that if it makes someone happy to be with their pet and it's not disrupting the health or the vibe, then they are fine with it. I also find that unlike Americans (as long as were making broad generalizations) most Europeans are not jackasses and take responsibility for the public choices they make. Seek to understand other people before you generalize their culture in negativity. You may find that other peoples systems just might work better than your own. Peace!
My European experience is based mostly on traveling to London extensively for business for 3 years. I observed that while they seem less fixated on cleanliness, their public transit systems seem cleaner, and they are far, far less litigious than we are. So maybe the dogs you see in the Tube are eating the McDonalds cast offs we Americans leave lying around on Marta. And I'm sure that if somebody's dog growled or whatever at a restaurant patron in London, an apology would ensue, but not a lawsuit. These comments remind me of the guy I dated who loved his dog so much that when he got sentenced to community service, he volunteered at a place that trains service dogs. He "acquired" a service dog training vest so he could take his dog into restaurants and stores whenever he wanted.
Hey - this is the original troublemaker. I don't really have an agenda, I was just curious and have no plans to blow the (dog)whistle. But I am enjoying how this conversation so quickly turned from a discussion of health code laws to how we Americans are more enlightened than Europeans and vice versa.
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