by Lynn Martin

Created on: September 24, 2008

It's my preference to be able to take my dog everywhere I go. She is calm, well mannered and respectful of others. The health regulations that require us to keep our animals out of food establishments are just as liable as irresponsible dog owners who don't take the time to discipline and train their dogs. Both inhibitors to this simple luxury are examples of the major decline of our society.

If our restaurants actually adhered to good cleaning practices and kept the restaurants clean then there wouldn't be a concern about animal hair or dander in a restaurant. Our dogs are not disease ridden as old stereotypes like to project and there are steps that could be taken to make it possible for some restaurants to allow our dogs to join us. If a restaurant has hard flooring animal hair is easier to clean up. Just as we have restaurants with designated smoking areas, we could have designated dog areas inside a restaurant. Unfortunately though, with our society taking up an attitude that no one wants to take responsibility makes changes to these policies almost impossible.

By that same turn dog owners who would like to be able to take their dogs with them anywhere need to take the time and responsibility to actually train their dogs. If dog owners actually adhered to the set standard of training and socialization then our dogs wouldn't be seen as a nuisance to have around nor would they be dangerous.

If I must endure a screaming toddler in a restaurant, then why on earth must I pretend that my dog is more of a nuisance? I don't find it relaxing to sit ten feet away from a parent that doesn't require good behavior of their kids. And that same kid is throwing food all over the floor and seating causing a lot more clean up for the staff than a dog sitting at my feet would. Clearly, trying to regulate where children can go with their parents is not something I endorse, but there are plenty of restaurants that I can go into that are clearly just not kid friendly and parents don't tend to go there because of that.

So it is my opinion that much like parents of unruly children try to keep their kids out of restaurants that are known for their "quiet atmosphere" a dog owner should have the ability to do the same thing. A restaurant that is "dog friendly" is something you can avoid if you don't want to be around dogs as much as a "family friendly" restaurant is avoidable if you don't want to deal with screaming children.

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