Is Doggie Dining a Done Deal?

It’s good to be a dog in America , and perhaps there’s no better place for a canine to hang up his leash than in Chicago , which was named the most dog friendly city last year by Dog Fancy magazine. ( Santa Barbara , by the way, was ranked number 10.) Criteria for the honor included availability of veterinary care and dog trainers, percentage of spayed/neutered pets, the number of dog-friendly businesses, and the existence of a leash law.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that residents of the windy city are urging officials to ease restrictions that forbid dogs from dining al fresco with their human companions.  At Cyrano’s, the highly-acclaimed French restaurant in Chicago’s River North area, Chef Didier Durand has spent months testing his most desirable delicacies on Princess, his 2-year-old French poodle with the hope that pups will soon become patrons of his downtown establishment.

While some, like Durand, are sharpening their knives in gleeful anticipation of the new ordinance, others are sharpening their tongues in protest of this burgeoning battle against diners who are hungry to include dogs in their dining experience. Frances Guichard, director of the food protection program for the Chicago Department of Public Health, was quoted in a recent Los Angeles Times article as saying, “Dogs can contaminate a dining area. The law says that they’re not supposed to be there.”

Ah, but other top dogs beg to differ with you, fastidious Frances. For instance, in June, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, signed a “doggie dining” bill, whose goal is to create a three-year pilot program allowing restaurants to allow dogs to dine outside with their guardians. That’s good news for supporters like Steve Dale, host of Pet Central on WGN Radio in Chicago and a syndicated pet columnist.

 “We don’t get to spend enough time with our four-legged best friends,” says Dale, who frequently eats out with his two dogs, Lucy, a Miniature Australian Shepherd and Chaser, a Brittany. “Our lives are so busy. If you can’t dine out with your dog, who can you dine out with?” He points out that people don’t normally bring unruly dogs to restaurants. “The same can’t be said for kids,” says Dale, who has mulled over the matter with several restaurant owners. “The restaurateurs tell me that screaming kids are much more of an issue.”

Truth be known, I would much rather dine alongside a calm canine than an ill-behaved child any day. In addition to disturbing other diners, little kids normally leave a cornucopia of crumbs strewn across the floor while a hungry hound will pull a “hoover” and vacuum up every last morsel. Perhaps we should hire them as the clean-up crew instead of banishing them to the sidewalk.

Will the doggie dining law catch on anytime soon in Santa Barbara ? Yes, if we, um, hound our city officials to ease up on the ordinance that bans Bowser from sitting tush to tail with us while we dine outdoors.

Bone appetite!

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