Just in time for spring, the city has approved rules for dogs to hang out in outdoor dining areas at bars and restaurants. Initially, the city Health Department had sniffed coldly at the state law allowing dogs to sit at outdoor cafes out of health concerns, but eventually came up with workable rules, according to Gothamist.
Instead of carrying around registration and vaccination information, dog parents can bring their wards into any outdoor cafe or bar that permits dogs on the premises. Participating restaurants will be required to post a notice about licensed dogs but won’t be required to verify each animal that trots across its threshold.
“Restaurants must also use barriers or other methods to limit contact between dogs in the outdoor dining area and dogs and people on an adjacent sidewalk,” the Health Department said in a statement and dogs also won’t be allowed to slobber on or touch any dining surfaces.
The rules take effect in 30 days. Just please tell Fido to cool it with the mojitos!
Cue the grumpy people who express their worries that dogs will bring disease, fleas, fights, and other various disasters to the dining experience at outdoor dining areas.
You can also assume the same items on your list are present with many of the posters here.
Cue the people who will be kicking dogs after dogs rub up against them and leave hair/slobber on their clothes. I saw this happen last night at a clothing store on Broadway and it wasn’t pretty. Poor dogs.
I won’t defend kicking dogs but owners need to take responsibility for their pets. If your dog can’t be around people without rubbing up against them and leaving slobber they shouldn’t be around strangers or the owners should have them on a short enough leash that this won’t happen.
Oooh, you said a bad thing! You called them “owners”! Didn’t you read the article? The people imposing their animals on groups of people trying to enjoy a meal are “dog *parents*”!
If you would stop thinking of dogs as mere “animals”, subject to being “owned”, and instead accept — accept — accept — them as the small-human-substitutes as their “dog parents” see them, you will get along much better in this Brave New World.
(After that, we can start to work on what is no doubt your view that bicycles are no more than “vehicles” subject to rules- (and courtesies-)of-the-road rather than the saviours of humanity which pedestrians should be happy to dodge…..)
It’s funny…I was just thinking, “you know, I love the dog excrement all over the streets and parks, not to mention in my building, elevator, etc. but how can we make it easier for these filthy dog owners to impose their will on more people just trying to mind their own business.”
Thanks god the real issues are being taken care of on the UWS. I won’t rest until we can bring dogs and cats and pot bellied pigs and guinea pigs and hamsters to the grocery store, the butcher shop and of course, my doctors office.
In all seriousness, consider this a warning to all dog owners in restaurants, if I am dining there and I see you….we are going to have a problem because I assure you that you will be leaving that establishment very quickly.
Woof woof
Monk. I will be bringing my dog and if you even look at me the wrong way l’ll be sure you’ll be leaving quickly in an ambulance. Punk.
You two need to get a room already (in a dog-friendly hotel, obvs).
I think this is a great idea.
Personally I will welcome all these precious little angels with a nice bit of my dessert. I hear dogs love desserts. Mmmmm…..chocolate.:)
The caption on the photo is incorrect. The barrier needs to stay, but the dogs need to be on the interior. Once the dogs have to be on the inside, the restaurants will realize what a problem this is. Where will the servers and other patrons walk? The City has made a mistake with this law…for so many reasons!
It’s all well and good that this is now legal, but it still doesn’t make it appropriate to bring your dog to a restaurant. Your dog is not your child.
dogs are allowed in food establishments all over Europe, it is normal. Dogs are also ever-present at outdoor dining venues all over the West Coast. It is very civil. Lets run some tests, they will prove the dogs are far more clean than the homeless person covered in parasites and his own bodily fluids asking you for change while you are trying to eat brunch. And lets not forget the roaches and rats in the kitchen. They are also cleaner than many of my stinky neighbors, and have better manners than most of you losers.
This is great! Most places with outdoor seating have allowed people to dine with their dogs for years.Its what makes our neighborhood so wonderful. People like Monk and UWS_Lifer can’t stand to see people enjoy themselves. They should lock themselves away so they don’t need to see kids, strollers, dogs, and people enjoying all the UWS has to offer.
A more pressing issue for restaurants on the UWS would be where to put all the walkers, canes, strollers, and mobility vehicles. Your pet monkey is the least problematic.
I always inwardly roll my eyes at these pet owners who treat/speak to their dogs as if they are children. I personally don’t have a child or a dog yet because I don’t have the luxury of time that both deserve but I am determined that if my circumstances change to include a child or a pet that I will never turn into either an entitled stroller user or “fur mama” who coos at their pet and expects the world to accommodate their seeming inability to be without their animal. (sidenote: dependency on a true service dog is obviously a different case and I happily accommodate those angelic dogs who make life possible for the disabled).
“dogs are far more clean than the homeless person covered in parasites and his own bodily fluids asking you for change while you are trying to eat brunch. And lets not forget the roaches and rats in the kitchen. They are also cleaner than many of my stinky neighbors, and have better manners than most of you losers.” -Lizzy H
Please let us know where you have been eating and hanging out with. I’d like to avoid what you’re describing.
Margaritas for everyone.
Dannyboy- I have been harassed by stinky homeless while dining outside at several UWS restaurants. Once i had to watch one urinate on someone’s car in broad daylight – so much for enjoying my quiche. Also fun being stuck next to screaming babies and kids coughing and not covering their mouths spraying my food with germs. I would much rather sit with a bunch of dogs. As for my stinky, bedbug-ridden neighbors, I live next to one of the dozens of shelters in the area.Don’t we all?
If anyone every kicked my dog (comment #2) I would press charges. If I saw someone kick a dog I would certainly call the police. All of you threatening dogs (including the chocolate comment): “New York State law defines animal cruelty as a situation where a person causes unjustified harm, pain, or suffering to an animal…”
Kids, strollers, and people with dogs are only a small segment of the neighborhood. Artists, street characters, actors, struggling students and the elderly also make up this neighborhood. Letting a few yuppies dine with their dogs isn’t the worst, but they’re putting their dogs at risk every time. I’ve accidentally walked into dogs before when it gets dark because the owner just lets them sit there for hours.
@LizzyH, your expanded description of your dining experiences suggests that you may want to consider changing restaurants.
Thank you for your perspective. I feel like I now know you a lot better, anonymous.
Ahem, you started the hostilities:
“In all seriousness, consider this a warning to all dog owners in restaurants, if I am dining there and I see you….we are going to have a problem because I assure you that you will be leaving that establishment very quickly.”
For one, I’m on the fence about dining with pooches but one thing is for sure, it doesn’t warrant this level of hostility.
Dang it, it didn’t nest.
The comment above was intended to Mr. Monk.
@Zulu, I 100% encourage you to do what you can to tone down hostilities.
What is it about the humans/dogs link that enlivens people in a socially destructive way—in the form of outbursts towards those who ask questions about dogs, even if those asking questions are dog lovers themselves. It appears to come from dog lovers but, as Steiner wryly cartooned in the New Yorker in 1983, “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” So, who knows who these people really are?
I experienced this destructive behaviour when I posted a question on this site asking why firemen needed public assistance to treat an ailing dog when the firemen themselves (collectively) made very good salaries. Why the need for donations? Hate mail rolled into these pages and was posted, one after another, full of vitriol, even a threat, over my legitimate question (which was never answered). All their anger expressed in writing toward an unknown target. Who are these people?
And here we are again, comments from dog lovers:
• Lizzyh writes: “Dogs … have better manners than most of you losers.”
• Uwswhine writes: “Monk. I will be bringing my dog and if you even look at me the wrong way l’ll be sure you’ll be leaving quickly in an ambulance.”
• anonymous writes: “People like Monk and UWS_Lifer can’t stand to see people enjoy themselves. They should lock themselves away”
Here are some samples of those earlier tirades from alleged dog lovers:
• Sam says: May 25, 2015 at 5:48 pm: “Yo fuck face. It has nothing to do with money. It’s out of ones love for dogs.”
• Alex says: May 25, 2015 at 10:49 pm: “You just sound as a heartless and mean person. Thank God others have a heart and are helping Yogi. Hope you and your family never need help from others…”
• ST says:
May 26, 2015 at 12:47 pm
“You, my friend, need to go back to bed and wake up in a better mood….cause right now you are just embarrassing yourself.”
• Craig says:
May 26, 2015 at 11:03 pm
“Went to donate and the site said “Donations are Complete”. I guess that is a good sign. Note to self: If Geoff gets sick, don’t donate.”
• George says:
May 26, 2015 at 12:47 pm
“…you are mean and heartless …. you are a horrible horrible excuse for a human…i think it would be poetic justice if YOGI bites your butt….and ohvey if you continue “as you see it” flames could be in your future … the ones in hell !!!!!!!! YOGI woof woof get well soon…and…. GOD BLESS OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND KEEP THEM SAFE
ohvey .i cannot wait for the day you are begging with a paper cup so i could spit in it..YOU FOOL!!!”
Next, i remember the staff of WSR writing that comments will be moderated because of these threats and expressions of hostility. Something doesn’t add up.
This kind of behaviour that is also expressed by activists within the Republican party generally, and among Trump and Cruz supporters specifically. Their behaviour is sort of similar to the behaviour expressed in these pages.
And by the way, what’s with the grammatical and spelling mistakes? I ask again, who are these people?
I find it unsettling.
Why didn’t you simply close or avert your eyes instead being forced to watch a homeless man urinate?
Number 20 was a question for LizzieH. I thought nested replies were working again.
Or at least eat inside.
That was for #15 dannyboy, responding to LizzyH.
You’re right – and the opponents are illustrative of the lack of sophistication that can exist even here in NYC.
We have many sensitive snowflakes here in our neighborhood who will take umbrage to sharing dining space with a dog. Rather sad really…
The dogs in the above picture look like they are having so much fun lying and panting on a sidewalk as their owners eat food in front of them. I’m sure the dogs would rather lie there than say, take a nice walk in the park. I’m hoping next I can bring my dog into movie theaters. Fido has been dying to see the new Star Wars flick.
Maybe they went to the park first, and are at the restaurant after. Why do you make presumptions?
Chocolate can be poisonous to dogs–so content yourself with a pat on the head!
I was born and raised on the Upper West side, and left in my late thirties. At this point, I live in Northern VA. It’s as dog friendly as is NY, and I see dogs all the time in the outdoor areas of restaurants. I’ve never ever seen a fight, barking, slobbering, dogs being kicked, or any other violence. Clearly some of you on here are very angry, internally. I bet you’re even Trump supporters, with this kind of hatred. Here’s an idea. Sit inside or eat at home. If you’re uncivilized, perhaps being in public isn’t such a safe idea for your fellow civilians.
PGG – I am a Trump supporter, and a dog-lover who likes to dine with my pup.I am not angry about dogs, I am angry that people would openly threaten dogs, and about what our current politicians have done to my city and country. Go Trump, and yay to dining with dogs!
@PGG, you’ve never seen dogs fight in public? I’ve seen this happen in NYC. Dogs off leash in dog runs or Central Park suddenly go after one another. I’m not saying it happens frequently but it does happen. Noticing it does not make me a dog hater.
It’s fascinating how many extremely angry people live on the UWS and have nothing better to do than to make vicious comments to articles that appear in the West Side Rag.
This is such excellent news and long overdue. Most of we dog parents take better care of our doggies as though they were children, and I can say from personal experience, my dogs are much better behaved in restaurants than some children I have observed these days. Very happy!
Gee, what an angry human you seem to be! You ought to try rescuing a poor little creature from one of the shelters, or volunteering sometimes. These sweet creatures bring so much loyalty and love into lonely lives. Not being sarcastic, just saying I never knew what a difference having a dog (now 2 non-shedding, non-slobbering well behaved MaltiPoos) would make in our empty nest. Wishing you love.
Love it ?About time we teamed up with our European pet lovers! ???????
@La DeArmott:
Beautiful graphics. Thanks for posting
This thread quickly became more ridiculous than a Trump rally. Screw yall humans, I’m going to dine out tonight with my poop, flea, and love-infested dog.
Monk sounds like a psychopath. Maybe you don’t like dogs but threatening to assault someone who dares to bring their dog to a restaurant where you’re eating? You have a lot of anger and are just pathetic.
Nah, probably not a psychopath but rather someone who perceives that he gets very little respect in real life so acts like this when he can be anonymous.
I am most worried about Monk and Geoff from the steno pool.
Who are we?
Je suis UWS!
Are there any graduate students in search of a thesis?
I would like to know if the UWS
has always been full of such negative, critical, cranky people. Or, is this a
factor of the dynamics of groups, especially on internet forums?
I welcome the dog patrons. The dogs that I have seen at outdoor cafes have all been well behaved. I prefer them to crying babies, unruly kids, cell phone conversations, loud talkers, and couples breaking up.
Thank you, voice of reason!
Thank you, voice of reason!!
Thanks for the great laugh. Am totally with you.
Am not thrilled. The outdoor cafes have gotten to expand so much that often there is no more than three to four feet of sidewalk for pedestrians going in both directions. Then on top of it you have dogs lying in the path as well. Makes for foot traffic problems.
I do not agree with this rule however all I can do is leave a restaurant if I have to eat nearby a dog.
@ geoff, #21:
You raise valid points, both about the level of the discourse here in general, as well as about the anti-social excesses that are often exhibited by champions of dogs (and other animals).
Indeed, the comment threads at this site are all-too-often characterized by a disturbing level of hostility, vitriol and gratuitous insults that are ugly, lowbrow and puerile. Even worse, in the complaints and protestations that are expressed about such contumely and vituperation, there is an unmistakable pattern of rank– and often downright uncanny— hypocrisy.
I cited a number of examples in this post of mine, from back in September (in a thread that happened to also be about dogs). That post of mine was made in a sub-thread that grew out of this comment and the responses that it drew. Note how in their attacks upon the poster of the afore-linked comment, the attackers exhibited the very same behavior and characteristics that they were decrying!
Yet another example, also from September, can be seen here.
The rampant grammatical and spelling errors that you also mentioned are an embarrassment as well. What they reveal, whether ignorance or carelessness and a lack of thought, is indeed less-than-comforting. Worse, is the exclusive use of lower-case, where even the beginnings of sentences are not capitalized. For the latter reveals a deliberate defiance of universal standards and conventions; a narcissistic, contemptuous thumbing of one’s nose at these, at civilized, educated society. Alas, all of these flaws, faults and vices are highly prevalent throughout the Internet. A sober reflection upon the society in which we live.
(I am afraid that you detract from your credibility, however, with your comment near the end of your post about Republicans and Trump and Cruz supporters. It is both completely gratuitous as well as highly offensive and inappropriate. Such a comment reveals complete partisan and ideological bias on your part. Suffice it to say that for every example that you could cite for the entities that you named, I could cite several for activists, supporters and agitators within the Democrat party and on the left.)
I lived in Paris for 2 1/2 years and have traveled back with my dog several times. Dogs are allowed not only outside but inside the restaurants. They are also allowed on subways on a leash. And people aren’t dropping dead from disease right and left there, or in any other European city where this is allowed! We can be so uptight in this country.
In the very first comment on the page, Mark wrote,
It should be needless to say that this set a decidely hostile and incendiary tone from the outset.
When discussing the presence of dogs at places such as restaurants and bars, are the risks of disease, fleas and fights not legitimate concerns to raise?
It’s one thing to argue that such risks are probably minimal and, in the overall scheme of things, outweighed by the benefits that the law under discussion would bring. That would seem to be a reasonable argument (though actual data would, of course, be needed).
But to summarily attack, insult and dismiss, a priori, anyone who would so much as raise the aforementioned concerns? Is that the type of tactic and behavior that those who support allowing dogs in restaurants support and embrace? Is it to be considered representative of them?
One need not harbor any ill will or animosity toward dogs or their owners, per se, in order to at least question and even oppose a change in law such as the one that is the topic of this story. I happen to be rather fond of dogs myself. Nonetheless, I question (not necessarily oppose but question) the prudence and ethics of this law.
Incidentally, I witnessed a fight between two dogs several weeks ago at the dog run in Riverside Park. This was an act of the most raw, visceral, vicious aggression between what looked to me like a Pit Bull and a large fuzzy/shaggy dog. The two canines had ferociously locked jaws with each other and appeared to be on course for a fight until the bitter end. For a few unnerving moments, it appeared not at all certain that the respective handlers of the two beasts would manage to separate them from each other. Thankfully, they eventually did, before, it appeared, any serious injury had been incurred by either dog. Nonetheless, the spectacle was a decidedly unsettling one for all who witnessed it (which included, or at least could very likely have included, young children.)