by Sarah Macphail

Created on: July 27, 2010   Last Updated: July 28, 2010

I have been absolutely nuts about dogs for as long as I can remember. As a child I had books about dogs, movies about dogs, most of my teddies were dogs and I pestered my parents mercilessly to get me a real dog of my own. Today I own a dog I love to bits and who is most definitely a part of the family.

However, I wouldn't want the majority of dogs I've met to be allowed into a restaurant. Those of us with well trained and well behaved dogs know what a delight they are. I'm sure most of us also know what a nightmare untrained and badly behaved dogs can be though. It seems that the vast majority of people don't bother to teach their dogs basic manners such as not jumping up on people. I've had several strange dogs race up to me in the street, leap up at me and proceed to slobber all over me. While I'd rather they did this than take chunks out of me it's not really acceptable behaviour. A dog like this could cause serious problems in a crowded restaurant. It doesn't matter that he “just wants to say hello”, he needs to learn some self control.

There are owners who are in denial about their dogs behaviour. The dog that's snapping and snarling at everyone that gets within a few meters of it but “wouldn't hurt a fly” according to its owner. Not exactly a dog people are going to be comfortable eating around is it? Sadly this sort of dog seems to be becoming more and more common. They're often small dogs so people don't seem to see it as a problem as they think the dog can't do much harm when in reality a bite in the right place could do some severe and lasting damage.

Even if your dog is beautifully trained, has no behaviour problems, doesn't guard food and will happily lie quietly at your feet while you eat your meal it could still be a problem for some people. I used to live in an area where I could more or less empty a bus simply by getting on it with my dog. People there believe dogs are unclean and will go out of their way to avoid them. There are people who are phobic of dogs, they should be able to go into a restaurant for a meal without having to confront their fear. It doesn't matter to them that your dog is sweet and friendly, they're still frightened of it. Allergies are another reason not to allow dogs in a restaurant. You don't necessarily have to touch what you're allergic to to be affected by it, just being in a room with it can be enough.

Not only could allowing dogs in restaurants cause problems for humans, it could cause problems for the dogs too. Restaurants are often crowded, many dogs are too big to fit comfortably under a table and there often isn't space for them to lie at the side of the table. A dog in a restaurant stands a good chance of being stepped on or tripped over and get hurt. They could feel trapped by the lack of space and having so many people around which could cause them to act out of character. They could be bitten by another dog who is guarding the food his owner is eating. Food is a valuable resource for many dogs and many will guard it.

Even without going into the hygiene concerns there are enough reasons for me to be against dogs being allowed in restaurants and if a restaurant did allow dogs I wouldn't take my dog there. If I go out for a meal I go out to enjoy the meal, not to constantly be making sure my dog is behaving myself, is out of the way of people passing and that he's not being pestered by anyone or anything. If I leave him at home I can relax knowing he's not upsetting anybody and is safe from mauling hands and clumsy feet while I enjoy my food.

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