Amy and I have developed a habit of going to the Sarasoto/Venice Beach area on Florida’s Gulf coast.
Especially in August.
It’s just too hot in Kansas.
We won’t be taking the dogs this year but we probably will in the future.
According to this update in the Herald Tribune, Florida authorized local governments to create doggie dining in 2006, and Sarasota and Manatee counties enacted ordinances in 2007.
Since then, the concept has taken off in Sarasota, where no major problems have been reported.
Sarasota has 14 eateries that have obtained a license to allow dogs to join their humans while eating at outdoor restaurant dining areas.
Some established restaurants, like Mattison’s City Grille in Sarasota, have set aside entire sections specifically for diners with dogs. …
Rules require hand sanitizer to be available for patrons, and restaurant staff are prohibited from touching the pets while working. Any "accidents" must be promptly cleaned up.
This seems entirely sensible, as long as the rules are followed and yahoos kept to a minimum.
And I can’t decide whether it’s doggie dining or doggy dining.