Toojay's Enforces Pet Rule
 

I am happy to give a very big two-thumbs- up to one of my favorites, Toojay's.

I was at the Spanish Springs store seated on the patio, enjoying a lovely TV afternoon, when the hostess seated a party at the next table. Our tables were along the railing; I was facing in their direction the group was comprised of what appeared to be a mother, daughter, grandchild, and dog. :shocked:

Before I could even explain to my lunch partner what was happening (he's not on TOTV- hence, no shorthand as in, "Gasp! dog! patio!") the hostess explained that the doggie could not be on the patio dining area. What was cool was that she also immediately offered a solution. She suggested that poochie could sit outside on the sidewalk on the other side of the railing from their table. They had a leash so this worked. It was a perfect temp day with a breeze so the dog enjoyed itself there. Probably not so much had it been very warm. BTW, I thanked the hostess as she passed by our table.

Grandson screamed throughout the entire meal Scheesh! (Fodder for another thread).

Please, just leave your poor dog at home if you're dining out! It will thank you for it!

Choices! Choices...CHOICES!

I agree with you 100 percent BUT just something to think about. A couple of years ago my stepdaughter, her husband and their 6 pound Yorkie drove down from King's Bay Naval Base in Georgia to spend a long weekend with us here in TV. They were packed and ready to head home and I knew I wouldn't see her for a long time and was very distraught. My husband suggested we all go to the square and have lunch and have one last goodbye before we sent them on their way.

We sat outside McCalls under the exact same scenario you just described. The waiter told her she could let the little Yorkie stay just outside the railing on his lease while we ate and said a tearful goodbye. I am not one to eat with dogs either, but the exception that day was a blessing. I am with you sista but just wanted to say that the longer I live, I'm learning that there's always a story in everything we see.

I don't like the idea of having dogs in restaurants or around where I am eating. (My own dogs exempt at home) However, I would rather have a dog sitting quietly under the table near the owners feet than have a screaming kid anywheere near where I am trying to eat.

Bk, I do understand exactly what you're saying about different scenarios and reasons and didn't mean to sound unsympathetic. I just think that your situation as you described it would probably fall into the exception rather than the rule category.

I agree. Children can ruin a meal.

Why would anyone believe it is socially acceptable to bring a dog to a restaurant with the exception if dog is needed for disability reasons.

Why can't restaurants man up and post no dogs allowed exception service dogs.

Better yet leave the pet home
Unless it's a certified ADA service dog

Unless this area is entirely different from anyplace else I'm aware of in the USA..dogs, cats, ferrets, pot-bellied pigs and so on are NOT allowed in stores, in restaurants and other such public venues by law. Health codes forbid it. Yet down here people think nothing of taking the dog to Lowe's or to the restaurant or the grocery store. I would love to see store/restuarant managers grow a pair and tell these people to take their pets OUT of the store.

Yes..if the animal is a true certified service animal that's different. But if that's not the case, please leave you animals AT HOME.

I honestly don't understand all the anxiety over a dog being in a restaurant. If you're worried about the sanitation aspect, you should take a walk through the kitchen sometime.

After living some amount of time in Europe and visiting many times, it's common to see dogs in restaurants, as well as other public places. The only place I can remember that dogs are not allowed, are in grocery stores. At least, it's that way in Germany.

What you never see, however, is someone feeding their dog table scraps or the dog begging for food, while in the restaurant. Normally, the dogs lie on the floor next to the owner/table, quietly and obediently.

I have a feeling that if dogs were allowed in restaurants here, we'd see folks with little Fido on their laps, with the dog eating off the plate.

Just for the record, I do not have a dog.

Google "Service Animals Federal Laws" for exact info on what is a service dog and what (if any )paper work ,vests and collar tags are needed as proof. In a nutshell ; Businesses are only allowed to ask 2 questions and there does not need to be any identification such as tags, vests, collars worn by the animal.

Now, here is an excerpt from a blog written by Suzanne that is worth repeating. The biggest concern most people neglect to mention...

ALLERGIES. There are millions of children and adults with severe allergies to dogs. It poses a health risk for them to be in an establishment that has pet dander. Should these paying patrons, human beings, be subjected to itching, wheezing, coughing or WORSE just so that a dog can relax under the table? It is completely ludicrous to subject one human being to a dangerous health environment so that an animal can enjoy the outdoor seating. Its shocking that your article completely ignores perhaps the most important crux of this argument – the fact that dogs in dining establishments can cause a health risk for other patrons.

This is not just about the fact that dogs carry fleas, walk barefoot on the pavement, step in their own urine and excrement and then walk into a cafe or restaurant where FOOD is being served. This is not just about the fact that waiters who may pet the dog, or brush past and contaminate their apron with pet dander may get harmful bacteria in another diner’s FOOD. This is not just the fact that dogs may be rambunctious, jump on the table, or try to grab some of the food and destroy the dining experience of paying customers. Nor is it just about the fact that pet owners may pet their dog and then take their hands and touch glasses, cutlery, plates and napkins, contaminating the washing water for restaurant equipment that is used to serve FOOD. This is not just about the fact that, according to the written law, the FDA has banned live animals from establishments where food is served. It is ILLEGAL, however you may try to brush it off or explain it away, those regulations are there to protect people. Not just from salmonella and e-coli, but from the harmful pathogens that dogs naturally carry. It is not only for these reasons that dogs should be banned from establishments where food is served. It is also for the fact that the simple act of bringing your dog into a restaurant or dining patio can cause tremendous and severe health risks for those who are allergic to dogs. One paying patron’s infatuation with their animal should never supersede the health and safety of another PAYING PATRON, especially when food is involved.

Interesting Allergy Fact from WebMD Article
 

Percentage of all U.S. households with detectable levels of dog and cat dander: 100%.

The article does in fact say 100% of the households have detectable levels of dander. However, the concentrations of an allergen required to cause a reaction vary greatly by individual. Animal dander is easily spread and for those poor souls that have those allergies the symptoms are anywhere from upper and lower respiratory tracts which include congestion, sneezing, runny nose, chest tightness, wheezing, itching, and watery eyes.

Dander remains suspended in the air for a long time and they easily stick to surfaces.

A child is a HUMAN and a dog is an ANIMAL...Big difference!

WE are NOT in Europe...!

I'm sorry but dogs belong at home...I get upset over owners who think their pooch is adorable and cute...give me a break...I don't want a dog near me at a restaurant and when someone gets bitten by a dog at one of the squares and The Villages and the owners get sued they'll change their tune about dogs...I love animals, it's the owners that are a pain in the ....

I would suggest that when you plan on going to a restaurant, and you plan to eat on the patio, you call and ask if they allow pets. Then you won't have to worry. As far as the squares.....maybe stay home? The dogs at the squares are always very well behaved and enjoyed by so many. Chill.....

My good deed for the day.
 

Okay. Good advice. Peeps, you don't have to call ahead to Toojay's!

But stay home and let the squares go to the dogs? Probably ain't happenin'.

My 145 pound English Mastiff puppy IS adorable, but I will never submit you or any other person to her attentions where she should not be. And she does not at any time belong in Too-Jay's, Lowe's, Publix or any other place like it. And neither does anybody's else's adorable doggie.

Please read my post Food for thought in the villages general discussion

Our 7 pound Yorkshire Terrier is similarly adorable and all three of of us agree completely with you!

If a restaurant's rules allow pets in the patio area, then they have approved it.

Most people follow the rules. Also, I have never seen a dog in the patio areas ever cause a problem.

Maybe we should be more like Europe in regards to pets in restaurants. I worked in Europe and dogs are allowed to sit at the table on a chair. They are so well trained that they never make a move towards anything on the table and sit patiently waiting for their owners never making a sound.

I'm with the earlier person's comment to "Just Chill". Don't raise your blood pressure, Relax a little.

I think it's up to adults to make appropriate decisions about their children, grandchildren, dogs, friends, etc.

If a restaurant permits dogs on their patio, surely those who find it offensive can vote with their feet and go elsewhere.

Everyone's viewpoints and comments are well taken. But what about the poor bowser who had to spend his not-so-quality time with the family sitting on the hard sidewalk?

Maybe he would rather have been home watching "DogTV".

Given a choice, poor bowser would probably prefer to be with his human.

As for whether people want to take their dogs to lunch, I think it's whatever floats your boat.

Amen! :mademyday::BigApplause:

Where's that "like" button. There have been many occasions, in many places, where we are out for walks and cruising with our pups (two small dachshunds) and we spontaneously decide it'd be nice to stop for lunch if we see a place with a patio. We'll ask if they allow pets on the patio, if they do we dine, if they don't we say thank you we'll check you out some other time. We certainly would never raise a stink about someone not accommodating our "special request". Lots of places have water bowls and cookies they bring out for our pups. If someone doesn't like a restaurant's patio policy I'd suggest they have a word with the manager; complaining to a waiter or on TOTV does little good. Personally, dining outside I'm much more worried about being exposed to blown dirt and pollen, flies, or even passing birds; I'm sure those present a greater threat to your plate than my pup laying 10' away in an open air environment.

Oh, boo hoo hoo. Original point was that the restaurant I was at did NOT allow dogs on the patio. It wasn't a question of whether or not me or any other patrons did or did not want to break bread with the dog. Get over yourselves and your entitlement issues.

I am so sick of the typical answer to every issue on this board. People are told to relocate, ask to be reseated, get a life, and get over rudeness! Excuse me, I think I need to rope off a section of chairs or something.

my dogs my best friend ,I take him everywhere,even 2 eating places, you don't like it, leave...:mmmm:

After re-reading the comments posted on this thread I am going to add one additional question to ask when contacting a restaurant "'What is Dog Policy?

Some kids ARE animals? (Responding to earlier post)

I agree with you totally. There are people on this thread that think animals have equal rights to humans. Wow.

I think our country is going to the dogs in more ways than one.

i agree...our dog sits under the table and watches people...or sleeps...alot less problem than a screaming KID !!!!!

Before you go to eat out call and make sure they do not accept Dogs on the outside eating areas.
You will cut down on your places to go but that is your choice or eat indoors where pets are not permitted.

Good suggestion Geobar.
According to statistics published, there are over 80 restaurants in TV.
Only a handful of restaurants allow dogs on the patio.
If people find dogs offensive, they have at least 70 restaurants from which to choose.

I agree.
There are a huge amount of restaurants that don't allow dogs on the patio.
It seems unfair for people to feel that every single patio in TV should be dog free,
just in case they decide they might want to choose that restaurant.

Dear hubby and I used to live in Boca Raton. We rarely ate at a restaurant with outdoor seating there where we didn't see dogs! Most were tiny ones that arrived in their owner's large purses, which were deposited on an empty chair and the dogs sat quietly or napped. When we visited Charleston, SC, we noticed that outdoor restaurants and bars tended to have large dogs lying under the tables. No one batted an eye. It just didn't matter to us -even when I had to walk around a giant dog too big to fit under the table on my way to the ladies room!

So will the screaming grandson, Carol!