Good Will Punting

I’m on the side of the vast majority of dog owners who feel utterly indignant when not allowed into an establishment – a pharmacy, a café, a bodega -- with their dog. But, I do understand that the law is the law. If a place serves or sells food, then technically, health department code prohibits animals. Ironic, really, when you consider that most of us wouldn’t go into a corner deli that didn’t have a good mouser living on the premises. I’ll take cat hair over vermin any day.

But, thankfully, there are kind shopkeepers who share our love of dogs (or the contents of our wallets maybe) and allow us in. To these people we should be grateful and our conduct should be gracious. What that means is that if the Duane Reade drugstore on the corner allows dogs, great! But don’t take advantage of their good nature. Don’t walk in with four dogs, even if it happens to be you and three of your friends with their own dogs. The group assault on a store only serves to piss off non-dog owners, who might then complain to the store or the health department. Keep in mind that the store owners are allowing you in at great punitive and financial risk.

Dogs are officially banned from food-selling establishment primarily for sanitary reasons. So, it’s mind blowing to me that some dog owners appear completely unfazed and take no responsibility when their dog pees or has an accident in a store. For crying out loud, is there a more direct way to look a gift horse in the mouth?

It’s also particularly galling to see people march right into a coffee shop with their accessory/dog. Just because the dog is small and the owner is attractive, it’s not any less illegal. A small espresso shop can be pretty well wiped out by a $1500 health department fine. The inspectors don’t give a damn about the arrogance that led the princess to traipse in with her frou-frou little cur. In fact, they won’t punish her at all. Instead, the café will take the hit. One or two of these fines could potentially bankrupt the business, or result in an employee losing his or her job.

The same courtesies should apply to buildings which allow dog walkers to bring in non-resident dogs to pick up another client. Walking in with one or two dogs is reasonable enough, but when a dog walker comes in with a raft of seven or eight dogs, and isn’t using the service elevator, then he’s pushing the boundaries. It’s only a matter of time before outside dogs are banned from the building altogether.

In a perfect world – or Paris – our dogs are allowed to accompany us just about anywhere we go. It seems reasonable enough to anyone who owns a dog. But, unfortunately, not to the majority of the remaining population. As frustrating as it may be, we need to take the liberties we get while being cautious not to abuse them. Soon enough, we may have none at all.