I would think the training of service dogs inside is important. Outside on the patio & inside are really different situations. Service dogs are in a lot of buildings so I really think they need to be trained and exposed to inside as well.

I don't know about the kids, but the dogs in Paris have grown up going everywhere with their owners--to bars, restaurants, and some shops, and parks. They've learned to be calm about this from puppyhood. They have also grown up off-leash for the most part,and are simply used to following their owners and not running out into the street. I did see one woman beat her dog with an umbrella (verrrrry disturbing) on a street in Paris, but that was an exception. And she seemed a bit "off."

Parisians spend a lot of time sitting and chatting, either in parks or cafes. Americans just aren't used to sitting still that long.The dogs are used to being with them, sitting for longer periods of time. They are not coddled as much as the dogs here in the US. They are treated more like dogs and less like babies/children. NOT advocating one way or the other for this.

We were invited to take our dog to the park in the middle of our street for the after-work social time. Since ours has always been on a leash around traffic, we were afraid to do it. Their dogs would stay put in the narrow park (between four very busy lanes of traffic). We just couldn't chance it.

As for the kids... the French schools are very strict. They learn early what is expected of them, and the parents are expected to teach the children to follow the rules. Our friend was actually afraid to go up against her son's school for certain things, like taking him out early for vacations or bringing him home late.

In Paris the kids are out navigating the streets and metro system from early on. they are pretty sophisticated. The ones we met seemed a bit more mature, age for age, vis-a-vis American children. Again, I'm NOT advocating for or against this. I'm simply stating what we observed while living there.

I agree

Last summer I went on a trip to Italy and France with a group of about 30 folks. One of the travelers was a 30ish quite overweight woman who was a heavy smoker. This woman had a beautiful small white poodle comfort dog with her "to keep her blood pressure down". She had a prescription from her physician which she showed whenever and wherever she needed to keep the dog with her, including getting into Versailles, restaurants, and her hotel rooms. Of course the French especially loved the poodle which was a wonderful little dog in every way possible, affectionate, well behaved, clean and quiet. On the other hand the woman was a totally narcissistic #@@#. Of course I wondered why the doctor prescribed her a comfort dog rather than get her to lose weight and quit smoking but the dog was a delight. Probably because, as we all observed, the young woman had not the self control to stop stuffing her face with high calorie food and/or stop smoking, both at every opportunity.

OUCH !!! That was pretty rude and self righteous. IMO.

Possibly Bonnie, but you would also think that the dogs would be at least trained in basic commands before entering them into a critical situation like they were, and not be unresponsive like mention in Cobh's above post. I'd bet 10-1 that when the person from the restaurant stated that they had papers, they were looking at an ESA (Emotional Support Animals) paper and not an ADA document. And with an ESA document they are not necessarily protected by the ADA. The following website supports this.

Emotional Support Animals (ESA), Therapy Dogs & Rights : Service Dogs of Florida, Inc.[/QUOTE]

Just politely leave
 

Comfort Dog or Service Dog----if I was "uncomfortable"----I would just politely leave following a polite conversation with the manager letting him/her know that I was uncomfortable with the situation and was leaving.. Life is too short to eat dinner feeling "uncomfortable". After reading this entire Thread, the "envelope" was definitely pushed by these ladies and the three dogs. :ohdear:

IYO is spot on! :clap2: I know as my life has been negatively affected since childhood by these kinds of statements (both directed at me and incidentally) as well as numerous times here on TOTV through insensitive, hurtful and downright mean statements similar to those just made and even worse!.

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I was just responding in general to a post. Of course I would hope that the dogs were good at responding to the trainers or whoever had them there.

At this point, it is all pure speculation! But we're good at speculation on TOTV!

Perhaps the ladies all had a similar disability which bonded them, and they were having a lunch out with their service dogs. Or perhaps they were all in the Guide Dog Training and Fostering Program, and they met to teach the dogs how to behave in restaurants. I have a great deal of respect for people who train and foster Disability Dogs. It's a hard thing to do.

Don't worry Bonnie. We're on the same page!

Shock & Awe at Dogs in Restaurants
 

A bigger problem are the birds that swoop in and flutter over one's food and crap willy nilly. Perhaps restaurants can offer Haz Mat suits to those who dislike our feather friends.:ohdear:

Personally I would rather sit in a restaurant with a dog at the next table than have the couple at the next table coughing, sneezing and talking loudly on their cell phones. Another senario are children acting up and parents shouting at them to behave. I've experienced both and I choose to dine with the dog. When I lived in South Florida dogs were welcomed on terraces and given their own bowl of ice water how outrageous is that.

Can't disagree with you at all DM, but I do have to comment that I hope this post doesn't spawn a new thread about... "Bird Poop!" :eek:

I agree - I would take the dogs over the screaming, unruly kids any day; however, the bird poop I would have to think about a while.

Those birds should be on leashes!!