Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Let pets do lunch at outdoor cafes
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Let pets do lunch at outdoor cafes
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times
May 27, 2007
There isn't any evidence that allowing dog owners to bring their pets to sidewalk cafes represents any health issue, or any problem at all. But that didn't stop former Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd) from putting the kibosh on plans by the city to allow restaurant owners to permit the practice. "When dogs or animals are around food, they become wild and uncontrollable," Natarus explained. "What is to stop a dog from leaping up on a table while somebody is eating a hamburger and trying to get the hamburger away from that individual? What if you have three or four dogs in the outdoor cafe and they start a fight over food?" He also envisioned dogs biting and defecating and urinating in explaining why he thought the proposal was a bad idea.
But now that Natarus is out of the council -- and his replacement, Ald. Brendan Reilly, has signed on as a co-sponsor with Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) -- the proposal stands a better chance of passing. Under the plan, restaurants could allow dogs in outdoor eating areas as long as they are kept on a leash and under control. They would not be allowed in indoor areas. And the Health Department would issue rules governing signs and sanitation.
Not all restaurants will want to allow dogs in their establishments, of course. But plenty of others will conclude that their customers will want to bring their dogs to lunch with them -- or at least, not object to others doing it -- and they should be allowed to be more pet-friendly.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times
May 27, 2007
There isn't any evidence that allowing dog owners to bring their pets to sidewalk cafes represents any health issue, or any problem at all. But that didn't stop former Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd) from putting the kibosh on plans by the city to allow restaurant owners to permit the practice. "When dogs or animals are around food, they become wild and uncontrollable," Natarus explained. "What is to stop a dog from leaping up on a table while somebody is eating a hamburger and trying to get the hamburger away from that individual? What if you have three or four dogs in the outdoor cafe and they start a fight over food?" He also envisioned dogs biting and defecating and urinating in explaining why he thought the proposal was a bad idea.
But now that Natarus is out of the council -- and his replacement, Ald. Brendan Reilly, has signed on as a co-sponsor with Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) -- the proposal stands a better chance of passing. Under the plan, restaurants could allow dogs in outdoor eating areas as long as they are kept on a leash and under control. They would not be allowed in indoor areas. And the Health Department would issue rules governing signs and sanitation.
Not all restaurants will want to allow dogs in their establishments, of course. But plenty of others will conclude that their customers will want to bring their dogs to lunch with them -- or at least, not object to others doing it -- and they should be allowed to be more pet-friendly.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 7:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home