There is a new bill being presented and if passed it will allow you to relax and enjoy a meal at a restaurant in the hustle and bustle of New York City with your pampered pooch.
As of today, a health law in New York banned dogs from restaurants, so most are forced to leave their dogs tied up to a sidewalk or just leave them home.
With this new bill being presented to the Legislature, the restaurants will be the deciders of whether to allow dog owners to bring their dogs or to keep the no dog policy already established. If allowed the dogs will be permitted only in the back gardens and sidewalk patios of restaurants under human supervision.
This is a common practice already adopted by all of Europe and most areas of Los Angeles. New Yorkers want the same ease of walking their dogs and grabbing a bite to eat along the way, especially with the nicer weather coming and restaurants starting to open up their patio dining.
Fellow New Yorkers express to The New York Times their opinion on the issue:
“We don’t want to go to restaurants that are antidog, as amazing as they might be,” said David Needleman with a 5 year old cockapoo named Irving.
“It’s like a member of the family,” added husband Evan Minskoff.
“Every time I go away on vacation, I wish I could bring them to the hotel,” said a Brooklyn waiter concerning his Bulldog, “I miss them all the time.”
Yet, there are some New Yorkers who oppose this bill from going through.
Richard N. Gottfried, a democratic assemblyman from Upper West Side of Manhattan expresses his concern of larger dogs snatching food from the table while guests are eating.
Barbara Etzin feels uncomfortable around dogs and avoids them on the streets as it is. She believes eating is “a real perk” but avoiding them on the streets is hard enough as she said, “I don’t want to share my food with an animal.”
Overall, majority said they would welcome a ‘well-behaved’ dog at their brunch. Making a good point saying they were not any more disruptive than some children.
Still even if passed the decision is still up to the restaurant owner, many saying they would still not allow it because of situations in the past of owners letting their dogs eat off their plate or finish their food.
Image via Piotr Redlinski/The New York Times
