It’s been a ton of while since Houston introduced the Puppy Patio in actual city ordinance. I admit to being horriblefied at this accommodation for folks who just can’t seem to go out to a meal at a restaurant without Fido along for the ride. In actual practice, it’s as not as bad as I thought it would be, but even worse.
Maybe you can change my mind, but be warned, I am a cat person. One at a time, mind you, I’m not a cat LADY. But the thought of catering to a smelly, slobbery, needy animal thoughout my daily movements is not appealing. It’s like dog jail to me. Yet, I love my grand-doggies in short visits.
Here’s the thing. I don’t actually fault the doggies. The owners/handlers/parents/disfunctionals who bring their pups to the restaurant are definitely faulty.
I recently sat on a patio with this lovely, well behaved dog at a Tex-Mex place. The people it is sadly tied to for life, put all the Tex-Mex food they didn’t want to eat on restaurant crockery and sat it on the floor for the dog to scarf. Then they put more on another crockery plate. Then when they left, the forgot the crockery under the table and kicked it all around while leaving, breaking it and probably leaving a cheesey tip.
So my grade on the new Puppy Patio ordinance? D- Humans, pick up your game.
Well, my little girl is one of my favorite people but I never take her to restaurants.
That said, I think Houston is big enough to accommodate patios that are dog friendly. If they bug you, eat inside or somewhere else. I think we just have to accept that some places might be Lambowner and DoobieWah “UNfriendly”.
[shrug]
And in most cases, bad dog behavior is on the parents. If their dog can’t behave, they shouldn’t have brought them. If they allow them to misbehave while there, that’s on them as well. On the other hand, some dogs are well behaved and a joy to be around.
I think cats should be allowed on restaurant patios as well.
[quote=“DoobieWah, post:3, topic:12333”]
If they bug you, eat inside or somewhere else.[/quote]
Here’t the thing. That grants patio access on beautiful sunny days only to smokers and their dogs. How is that even remotely a desired result for a restaurant owner? I do choose to dine on patios around Houston when the weather is gorgeous and there’s no more gorgeous weather than Houston in the fall and spring. It’s something I really look forward to and I hardly think I need give up this small pleasure. Allowing dogs on the patio is an accommodation and people should be respectful when toting their dogs about town.
In my post above, the dog was fine. It’s owners were boors.
