Dogs Now Welcome To Join Cafe Society

[labsrule]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/dogs-now-welcome...00425-tlnz.html

Dogs now welcome to join cafe society

LOUISE HALL

April 26, 2010

DOG owners say that new laws to allow allow canine companions in cafes and restaurants are a ''victory for commonsense''.

The NSW Government has introduced amendments to laws governing food safety and companion animals so that dog owners and cafe proprietors do not risk fines or being named and shamed by the Food Authority.

The prohibition on dogs in food service areas only came to light last year when Mosman Council received complaints from a few residents regarding dogs in Balmoral cafes. Until then, councils had largely turned a blind eye.

Barbara Perry, the Minister for Local Government, said the laws reflected the growth of alfresco cafe culture and the desire of pet owners to include their pooch when socialising.

''Cafe owners must have a choice as to whether dogs should be allowed in or not in order to remove any potential for uncertainty and even conflict - and that's what our proposal seeks to do,'' she said.

Business owners will have the discretion to allow dogs in outdoor dining areas, but pets will still be banned from indoors and food preparation areas.

Peter Higgins, a spokesman for Dogs NSW, welcomed the changes and said he hoped it was the start of a liberalisation of laws surrounding the state's 1.4 million canine companions.

''The concerns about hygiene are a furphy. The number of diseases that can be transferred from a dog to a human is small - you'd be more likely to get sick from someone coughing or sneezing,'' Mr Higgins said.

''In cafes there are kids, prams, people coughing, but you put up with it, and the same can be said for people who don't like dogs.''

But any pooches panting for a puppychino will be disappointed - the laws state dogs cannot be provided with food, must be kept on a leash and can't sit on tables and chairs.

Mark Lawrie, the president of the Australian Veterinary Association, said Australia tended to be overly restrictive of dogs compared to other societies. ''Allowing dogs in cafes fits with where we are at - times have changed, we're much better at controlling our animals and the smiles far outweigh the frowns when dogs are around,'' he said.

Mr Lawrie said the association wanted changes to permit dogs on trains and planes, as in the US and Britain.

[iggy mum]

About bloody time!!!!

[darlingdog]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/dogs-now-welcome...00425-tlnz.html

Dogs now welcome to join cafe society

LOUISE HALL

April 26, 2010

DOG owners say that new laws to allow allow canine companions in cafes and restaurants are a ''victory for commonsense''.

The NSW Government has introduced amendments to laws governing food safety and companion animals so that dog owners and cafe proprietors do not risk fines or being named and shamed by the Food Authority.

The prohibition on dogs in food service areas only came to light last year when Mosman Council received complaints from a few residents regarding dogs in Balmoral cafes. Until then, councils had largely turned a blind eye.

Barbara Perry, the Minister for Local Government, said the laws reflected the growth of alfresco cafe culture and the desire of pet owners to include their pooch when socialising.

''Cafe owners must have a choice as to whether dogs should be allowed in or not in order to remove any potential for uncertainty and even conflict - and that's what our proposal seeks to do,'' she said.

Business owners will have the discretion to allow dogs in outdoor dining areas, but pets will still be banned from indoors and food preparation areas.

Peter Higgins, a spokesman for Dogs NSW, welcomed the changes and said he hoped it was the start of a liberalisation of laws surrounding the state's 1.4 million canine companions.

''The concerns about hygiene are a furphy. The number of diseases that can be transferred from a dog to a human is small - you'd be more likely to get sick from someone coughing or sneezing,'' Mr Higgins said.

''In cafes there are kids, prams, people coughing, but you put up with it, and the same can be said for people who don't like dogs.''

But any pooches panting for a puppychino will be disappointed - the laws state dogs cannot be provided with food, must be kept on a leash and can't sit on tables and chairs.

Mark Lawrie, the president of the Australian Veterinary Association, said Australia tended to be overly restrictive of dogs compared to other societies. ''Allowing dogs in cafes fits with where we are at - times have changed, we're much better at controlling our animals and the smiles far outweigh the frowns when dogs are around,'' he said.

Mr Lawrie said the association wanted changes to permit dogs on trains and planes, as in the US and Britain.

Woohooo ! ....now if we could only get QLD to move out of the dark ages.....

[pixie_meg]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/dogs-now-welcome...00425-tlnz.html

Dogs now welcome to join cafe society

LOUISE HALL

April 26, 2010

DOG owners say that new laws to allow allow canine companions in cafes and restaurants are a ''victory for commonsense''.

The NSW Government has introduced amendments to laws governing food safety and companion animals so that dog owners and cafe proprietors do not risk fines or being named and shamed by the Food Authority.

The prohibition on dogs in food service areas only came to light last year when Mosman Council received complaints from a few residents regarding dogs in Balmoral cafes. Until then, councils had largely turned a blind eye.

Barbara Perry, the Minister for Local Government, said the laws reflected the growth of alfresco cafe culture and the desire of pet owners to include their pooch when socialising.

''Cafe owners must have a choice as to whether dogs should be allowed in or not in order to remove any potential for uncertainty and even conflict - and that's what our proposal seeks to do,'' she said.

Business owners will have the discretion to allow dogs in outdoor dining areas, but pets will still be banned from indoors and food preparation areas.

Peter Higgins, a spokesman for Dogs NSW, welcomed the changes and said he hoped it was the start of a liberalisation of laws surrounding the state's 1.4 million canine companions.

''The concerns about hygiene are a furphy. The number of diseases that can be transferred from a dog to a human is small - you'd be more likely to get sick from someone coughing or sneezing,'' Mr Higgins said.

''In cafes there are kids, prams, people coughing, but you put up with it, and the same can be said for people who don't like dogs.''

But any pooches panting for a puppychino will be disappointed - the laws state dogs cannot be provided with food, must be kept on a leash and can't sit on tables and chairs.

Mark Lawrie, the president of the Australian Veterinary Association, said Australia tended to be overly restrictive of dogs compared to other societies. ''Allowing dogs in cafes fits with where we are at - times have changed, we're much better at controlling our animals and the smiles far outweigh the frowns when dogs are around,'' he said.

Mr Lawrie said the association wanted changes to permit dogs on trains and planes, as in the US and Britain.

Woohooo ! ....now if we could only get QLD to move out of the dark ages.....

heres hoping. I know someone who is exploring the legal avenues to have this done.

[GeckoTree]

Yes hit the Qld border and you have to wind your clock backward 15 years. :D

Good on NSW It should allways be at cafe owners discretion. They finally caught up to Vic.

[whippets]

That's awesome.

Hopefully the banana benders will follow suit soon.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

That good, very good

I have never been to a single Sydney cafe which did not allow me my dog and that is how it should remain.

[mita]

Mark Lawrie, the president of the Australian Veterinary Association, said Australia tended to be overly restrictive of dogs compared to other societies. ''Allowing dogs in cafes fits with where we are at - times have changed, we're much better at controlling our animals and the smiles far outweigh the frowns when dogs are around,'' he said.

That's a good quote to use when lobbying the Qld Gov to reconsider allowing dogs to be included in outdoor cafes.

[Maxiewolf]

Yes QLD better bl**dy wake up and smell the common sense or i might have to move back to NSW!

[tarope]

Was on the TV news tonight, one woman was sitting with her beautiful Rottie who was chewing his ball.

The TV interviewer asked a woman sitting next to them, do you like sitting next to a Rottweiler and she said "he's cute".

[dandybrush]

when will qld catch up????

[spottychick]

As it should be. Wake up Queensland!

[Baby Dragon]

There's a video of Dr Chris Brown talking about this on The Circle. http://ten.com.au/the-circle-pets-in-cafes.htm

[Jezithong]

Does anyone know whether this is being pursued in Qld?

[GeckoTree]

I don't think so, they just passed laws geting rid of dogs in qld from cafes, so it would be years, decades even before its looked at again.

Here's a thread on it http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=192704

Edited May 12, 2010 by GeckoTree

[Snowball]

Yeah - a step in the right direction.

I hope the other states pass similiar laws soon. I so miss the central europen way where your dog can go everywhere, shops, cafes, trains

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

when will qld catch up????

Um, in my limited experience of living in QLD (twice), the answer to that question is probably: "Never."

There are so many issues here which confirm to me that people here think *very differently* to everywhere else we've lived. One example is the issue of daylight saving. I can't believe people here actually think that they are getting a "longer day" if we switched to daylight saving. Yes, people were quoted in the major daily newspaper stating this view.

Of course dogs should be allowed in cafés, and on public transport, and in holiday accommodation. But then "people with allergies" would get terribly sick and not to mention all of those nasty diseases that dogs carry. So we're better off banning dogs from just about everywhere, just in case someone gets sick or upset.

Sigh.

I dare say that QLD will never be similar to the other jurisdictions because QLDers like being different. It sets them apart from everyone else you know.

[W Sibs]

Cool!

Umm... I've always taken Charlie to cafes for brunch or lunch nearly every single weekend. I never realise that it was illegal.

Ironically, I work with legislations and law everyday...

[Ms Genki]

That's all nice to be able to dine al fresco with the dog, but I'd welcome a greater open attitude towards responsible pet owners who rent, more.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Ms Genki

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

That's all nice to be able to dine al fresco with the dog, but I'd welcome a greater open attitude towards responsible pet owners who rent, more.

In Brisbane, it's very pet-friendly for tenants. I know it's the exception rather than the rule, having lived in Canberra three times, Darwin twice, Melbourne once, and Cairns once as well as Sydney. But we're so glad to be in Brisbane because we can easily find a pet-friendly rental property here. The only potential issue is that dogs are still considered by a select few as being "outdoor only" pets, when the majority seem to understand now that "outside only" can lead to problems for tenants and neighbours alike. We haven't found our ideal rental yet but we're working on it, and most of the property managers we've dealt with haven't batted an eyelid when we asked about having the dogs inside (and we have three dogs).