Laws, Paws and Unleashing the New Dining Experience
There are currently 11 states within the 50 that make up the United States of America that have officially passed laws to permit your canine companion in the outside dining area of a restaurant. More states have regulations that allow pups on the outdoor patio, if not by law. On the other hand, there are the states that strictly prohibit dining out with your pup and having zero dog-friendly restaurants. If you are dying to take your favorite companion to dinner, you should read these passed laws first.
The Rules and Regulations for Dining With Your Pup
The Florida dog law offers an idea of the annotation of the law as it reads in the state’s statute, reading remarkably similar to most state’s laws. Florida was the pioneer state to enact the law that includes man’s best friend, way back in 2006! However, in Florida, a law was passed in 2017 to keep animals out of bars specifically. All laws passed are the far from same, so you want to familiarize yourself with your state’s regulations before painting the town with your pup. For example, you may be surprised by Virginia’s law. This is clearly a more defined and structured law that states that canine companions are welcome in a distillery winery or a brewery in a designated area.
Texas is the newest member of the dog-inclusive businesses, and like Florida and many of the other states’ laws, read differently from one to another but have similar obligations. For instance, the Texas and California laws include a requirement that an owner of a dining establishment must create a new entrance for the dogs and their owners to assure the animal is not entering the restaurant at any time, and Ohio commands the dogs be up to date with their vaccinations by state and local vaccine recommendations.
Furthermore, the stricter laws in New Mexico, Illinois and Minnesota include rules like these: The employees of the restaurant are prohibited from touching, petting, or otherwise handling the patrons’ dogs. The patrons and the employees both are responsible for keeping the serving dishes, glasses, silverware, linens, or other items directly used in the serving operations away from any dogs on the premises. The patrons responsible for any dog must keep the dog on a leash for the entirety of the dining experience and must keep the dog in reasonable control. The dogs must not be allowed to occupy any chairs, tables, or other furnishings. All dog waste must be promptly cleaned, and the area sanitized.
And if you think these ordinances are strict, Tennessee has the most rigid of the group. The rules state the same as Minnesota’s and Illinois’s laws, but the difference lies in the counties and municipalities that are allowed to participate. The larger counties can adopt an ordinance that will then allow the restaurants to participate by the location or the city or town.
Maryland is not as harsh, but the owner of the establishment must want to allow dogs on the property and must provide written notice 30 days in advance before establishing the law for their restaurant.
Finally, California and Oklahoma have the most inventive regulation in the statute, with the addition of a great idea, especially in Covid times. Adding to their basic rules, the food and water served to any animal must be served in a disposable container, and the container must to be disposed of immediately after consumption.
Permits and Contradictory Laws
With the 11 states that have made the very progressive start to being able to bring the whole family to the dinner table, there are of course more states who also allow dogs in the outside dining area of some restaurants by regulation. These states are as such:
Georgia allows dogs to be in the outside dining area provided they are accompanied by a patron and the same standards as the ones above are met and the restaurant owner trains all employees on not touching the dogs and safe cleaning and handling of the dogs’ excrement.
Kentucky adds to the measure that the dogs’ owner must ensure that the dogs behavior will not interfere with safe food and drink practices.
Oklahoma and North and South Carolina take the same stance as above on permitting dogs to join a patron on the outside patio for a burger. All these states and municipalities will condition those permits are obtained by the appropriate government office. North Carolina adds cats to the dinner invitees, and South Carolina adds cats and ferrets to theirs with the condition that the cats and ferrets must be kept on a leash at all times and may not enter the establishment at any time.
New Hampshire is the only state which clearly prohibits having any animals in a restaurant or outside of the restaurant; however, New Hampshire has a different law that allows for any owner of a very well-behaved dog to bring the dog to the restaurant with them, if certain requirements are met. These needs to be met are simple: post signs about the business to address any concerned patrons, the dog may not encounter any food or food preparation, and the employees must wash their hands after handling the dog.
Restaurants Are Getting More Friendly – to Your Dog, That is!
While it is a “paw” up in the future in the dog dining scene, there are certain rules to be followed while out on the town with your favorite pup or pups. You and your dog may be allowed to dine AL FRESCO at certain dining establishments, and you will be accountable for your dog’s behavior. All, the rules that apply here are all about respect. So, if your furry friend makes an “uh-oh!” waiting for lunch, you are responsible for picking it up, and the pup must be on a leash unless otherwise noted in the rules of the restaurant. Many of the restaurants prefer to see the dogs on the ground, rather than in your lap or on their own chair, and the dogs should be on their best behavior. You see, the rules are based on mutual respect and common sense.
A friendly reminder for you, though, is that you should still do your homework before bringing your pup with you to some restaurants, as the owner or proprietary has the right to decide that in their establishment there will be no dogs. Although this is true, there are plenty of owners who will love seeing you and your pup.
Where to Find The Pet Friendly Places
Not only are there pet friendly restaurants, but there are many pet friendly hotels as well! The trick to finding your most welcoming and pet accommodating hotels, is to of course do your homework! This is an example of what you can find; The BEST hotels where pets stay FREE! Some hotels will use the term “pet friendly” in their advertising to bring up their bottom line. You have to watch out for any pet deposits over 50 dollars, and then search for a more accommodating hotel, like the Kimpton Hotel chains.
Kimpton hotels not only provide warm pet beds, but they also have a pet relations coordinator to treat your cat, dog, bird, or snake with with treats upon arrival. Even more is the hotel provides a yappy hour in the evenings in the reception areas!
Getting back on the restaurant “train,” there are many establishments that are semi-famous for which dogs are celebrated. Look for places where your dog can choose from an awesome jar of treats or order from a specialized “dog menu”. Maybe you can look forward to full on dog parks attached to bars, restaurants, or yappy hour; these restaurants really will go all out for our furry friends.
The Lazy Dog is Taking Over
Spread across 8 states with 23 restaurants in California alone, The Lazy Dog is a human and dog place, and has a beautiful and spacious outdoor patio made for man and dog to lounge at one of many picnic tables there. The famous restaurant will never disappoint with the lengthy list of craft beer flavors and cocktails to go with an everyday happy hour. This establishment has the California spots like San Francisco and San Diego, as well as Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Illinois, and various Texas chains and is ever growing! Find a Lazy Dog near you.
Huntington Beach California Hearts Dogs
The Beautiful Pacific Coast Highway is jam-packed with restaurants that love to see the furry friends out on their sidewalks with their human. If ever you find yourself on the strip with your favorite wingman, make a stop at Stoney’s Pizza for some imaginative pizza creations like the pizza-wrapped hotdog or pizza fries. With the low prices there is more to share with your best furry pal, and the restaurant invites you to bring your own bottle of booze to enjoy a spectacular sunset any evening of the week late into the night.
If pizza is not quite your thing, there are much healthier options for you and Fido with the adored Lemonade restaurant on the beach. This unique and delicious place has toasted subs or flatbreads and many vegetarian plates to choose from. Ranking high on the best eats in Huntington beach at number 31 out of 640 restaurants listed on Trip Advisor, Lemonade is a promising and fulfilling endeavor!
The most popular dig on the downtown strip is the Surf City Ale House, where you can try a craft beer or two, or you can choose from an extensive wine list to start the evening off right. The restaurant’s name is cleverly shared with the nickname of the city itself, borne from the 8-mile sandy beach and the beautiful surf of the ocean. The scrumptious food is made up of the all-stars of a sports bar, but all beefed up, like the Jumbo Buffalo Wings or the weekend prime rib special. All the 22 high-definition televisions inside and outside make this a great dig for a group of friends who are looking for an amazing venue for cheering on their favorite team. With two patios and a beer garden courtyard, there is plenty of room for the dogs that love to come along for extra scraps and attention they tend to get at Surf City.
Looking For a Dog Friendly Patio in San Diego?
If you are looking for a friendly place to bring man’s best friend in San Diego, well, you may have hit a jackpot of sorts, with a minimum of 28 well-known dog-loving restaurants and coffee shoppes! You can check out the California loving Lazy Dog bar and grille as well as a beautiful café on a pier, appropriately named Pier Café in this dog loving city. Whether you are looking for some breakfast and coffee or something stronger, San Diego has it! You can treat your best furry pal to some authentic enchilada beef- without the sauce- at Fred’s Mexican Café at Oldtown, or you can treat yourself to a well-deserved craft beer at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens at Liberty Station. Why not make it a breakfast date for you and your furry friend at the Broken Yolk? With all the variety you find in San Diego, you can make a few weekends of it.
Texas is Paws-Down Full of Dog Friendly Patios
Come to north Austin where the Austin Terrier pizza joint really caters to your favorite canine on their spacious, shady patio, complete with an awesome water station. Enjoy a fabulous burger at the adjoining Fat City restaurant then take the dogs to play. at the Yard Dog Bar and Dog Park. Playing in the park while you enjoy a drink at The Yard Bar in east Austin Texas is surely a dream come true!
If you are already in Austin, make a short road trip with your best gal- or guy- pal down to San Antonio where you are sure to make good with all the dog-friendly patios there. If you start with the northside of the city, you may find the original 2 well known restaurants of the 3 restaurateurs’ in San Antonio; Taco Garage and the Burleson Yard and Beer Garden, and you may have to venture over to the newest addition, Hops and Hounds. Do these guys love dogs or what? The Burleson Yard and Beer Garden will be heaven for anyone who loves craft beer and food trucks and taking their dog to a fun yet shady outdoor space. From there hit up the Broadway strip, where you can enjoy inexpensive bar drinks and yummy eats on the dog friendly patio with your pup.
Want more food truck action? The Point Park and Eats has them! In fact, a whole park full! When you and your favorite canine companion go full throttle on the food trucks, remember to save room for dessert at the coffee shop or refuel before the end of the day for that drive home. And if you have some willing children to go with you for the trip, be sure to bring them to the playground to burn off extra energy. The Hoppy Monk is worth a look-see. The establishment is an independently and family-owned craft beer bar where your dog can rest his paws on the cool gravel of an amazing porch, while you taste a few of the family’s beers in the shade of the oak trees. Or you can walk along the river by Rita’s on the river and sit under the shade of the umbrella table for a delightful afternoon walk with your pup. In San Antonio, there are many more beer gardens and gastropubs, so be sure to hit them all! Austin, TX is well known for their food truck parks too, and their love of the 4 legged variety.
Winery to Take The Cake
With all the talk of beer gardens and good restaurants you can take good dogs, but where are the wineries that all the furry friends deserve to experience? Well, here they are! The first of the best of the best for your best bud is in Palisade, Colorado. The Carlson Vineyards gives the best of the peaches to pups that visit the farms and the vineyard, and supply humans with the peach wine they are known for. But you do not want to share alcohol with your pooch- no matter how well they have been behaved! Alcohol and raisins or grapes are all toxic to dogs!
Enchantment Vineyards in Portales, New Mexico has a very inviting green lawn for the dogs to taste a bit of freedom while you taste the cider, beer, or wine they carry. They already know snacks are incredible, so go ahead and split an order of some scrumptious food with your canine companion.
In Penn Yann, New York, the Fox Run Vineyards are by far the most embracing of dogs, with special dog treats made of pumpkin, apple, and peanut butter. While you sip on the sparkling wines, your dog can lap up water they provide.
Dog Friendly is Beginning to be Everywhere
If you are planning to travel the world with your furry BFF, now is becoming the most accepting of the idea. Even if a simple road trip is on your bucket list, GO FOR IT! After you find an excellent restaurant, get the okay from the manager first, then grab the leash! Canine companions are finally being seen as actual members of the family, and so they should! Be sure to include your most faithful and loyal friend in some new and exciting adventures- besides, that is what they live for- time and excitement with us.
