Do you ever see people bring dogs inside restaurants, stores or other businesses where you live? If you do, what is your reaction? Are you excited? Indifferent? Annoyed?
Do you think pet owners should be allowed to bring their animals inside public spaces and businesses? Why or why not? If not, do you think there any exceptions?
In “Does Your Dog Really Belong in This Restaurant?” Rachel Sugar writes about how these questions are playing out in New York City establishments. The article begins:
On a quiet weekday evening inside a restaurant in Brooklyn, a dog under a table announced its presence with a single pronounced yap. At a scoop shop in downtown Manhattan, a large white poodle was spoon-fed what appeared to be vanilla ice cream. In the dining room of a chic Midtown restaurant, a teacup Pomeranian strutted across the floor.
When it comes to dogs in restaurants, two things can be true at once: first, according to the New York City health code, “no live animal shall be kept, housed or permitted to enter into or remain in any food service establishment,” with a few exceptions, including service animals and city-approved dog cafes like Boris & Horton.
Second: the dog nibbling a French fry at the next table.
There are 617,000 licensed dogs in New York City, and the vast majority, presumably, eat in. But while no city agency tracks how many dogs are regulars at the city’s restaurants, anecdotal evidence suggests that the number is far from zero. Whether this is a scourge or a delight depends on whom you ask — and tensions between the two camps can run high.
“Nowadays, it’s very common to see dogs in restaurants,” said Beth Torin, a restaurant-safety consultant who until 2020 was executive director of the Office of Food Safety in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “Nobody goes anywhere without their dogs.”
The article continues:
What happens next is straightforward, at least in theory. The Americans With Disabilities Act allows the staff to ask just two questions: Is the dog a service animal, required because of the owner’s disability? And what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? This should mean that service dogs get in with no problems, and other pets are gently redirected outside. (Pets are allowed on outdoor patios at the restaurant’s discretion.)
In practice, this is often not what happens: “People are afraid to deny a dog,” said Thomas Panek, the chief executive and president of the nonprofit Guiding Eyes for the Blind, in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. (Mr. Panek, who is legally blind, is assisted by a service dog named Ten.) A result is that, over time, “they have all these bad experiences with dogs that really shouldn’t be in the restaurant.”
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
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Did anything you read surprise you? If so, what? How does the situation with dogs in restaurants in New York City compare with where you live? If you live in New York, have you observed that dogs are as prevalent in restaurants as the article reports?
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The article states that although most dogs are not allowed in New York City restaurants, the rule is not always enforced. Do you think it should be? Why or why not?
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If you have dogs, do you ever bring them to indoor businesses? Why or why not? If you do, what is the experience like? Is it fun? Is it ever stressful?
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In the article, Olivia Jean Hamilton said that when other people lie about their pets being service animals, it can negatively affect people like her who are assisted by mobility dogs. What is your reaction to that? Do you relate to it? Does it make you think differently about bringing your dog places if it is not a service animal? What, if anything, do you think can be done about this situation?
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Do you work or volunteer at a restaurant, store or other place where people might bring their dogs? Are dogs allowed? If they aren’t, do you have to enforce the rules? What is that like? If dogs are allowed, do you like their being around? Does it depend on the dog?
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If it were up to you to make the rules about where dogs can go in public, what would those rules be? What do you think is fair to everyone involved? Explain.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
Shannon Doyne
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