Olive Garden pet friendly?

[GopherM]

Speaking of people being nasty...Gophette went to Olive Garden the other day for lunch with some friends and some lady came in and was seated near them with her dog in its little doggie tote.

I thought there were health department issues with anything other than service dogs in public eating establishments.

Gophette and her party stayed (even though they were more than a little turned off by it). I'm pretty sure I would have complained to the management and if they didn't have the dog removed then I would have left and maybe refused to pay for my meal if I had already been served.

On a similar note and also at BJs where my last rant started, we ran into a woman that had her precious little pooch in the child seat part of her shopping cart while she was browsing through the food section. Pet the dog, pick up the fruit, put it back, play with the dog, handle more food and put it back.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

As far as I know, as long as it passes USDA standards, both dog and cat are acceptable with pasta in public accommodation in Maryland. As long as they are not married. But, that may change soon.

[GWguy]

Just don't bring the pets in to an Oriental restaurant and get too close to the kitchen.

[Littlebit]

I think I would have definitely complained and then would have also left the restaurant. As for BJ's, would have also complained to the management. Leave the pets at home if you are out to dine or shop.

[libertytyranny]

Trust me..the people sitting at the table next to you are probably more filthy than any dog could hope to be. The germs on your average dollar bill would make you cringe. The dog wouldn't bother me if it were sitting in the tote. Id rather the dog sit next to me, than eat off the plate some 17 yo in the back grabbed after scratching his ass and wiped the edge of it with the same towel he just wiped the sweat off his head with. In the grand scheme of filthy-ness, germs and disgust..dogs don't even register.

[Dakota (Premo)]

Originally Posted by libertytyranny

Trust me..the people sitting at the table next to you are probably more filthy than any dog could hope to be. The germs on your average dollar bill would make you cringe. The dog wouldn't bother me if it were sitting in the tote. Id rather the dog sit next to me, then eat off the plate some 17 yo in the back grabbed after scratching his ass and wiped the edge of it with the same towel he just wiped the sweat off his head with. In the grand scheme of filthy-ness, germs and disgust..dogs don't even register.

And to prove this, when I was in college, one of my projects was to test how dirty a dog's mouth is... I had just cleaned my own mouth, brushed, flossed and rinsed - waited 20 minutes and took a swab. My dog, who just finished licking his butt, licked my swab. After 2 weeks, my dish was embarrassing and removed from the table by my teacher along with several others. He left my dog's dish there and it took the entire semester for a tiny speck of bacteria to grow. Result: There is no doubt a dog's mouth is cleaner than a humans. But..... clean or dirty, dogs in totes are not service dogs and therefore not allowed in public eating establishments. As far as somebody handling their dog and the fruits/veggies in the store.... I've seen icky birds eating off fruits and veggies in WalMart and BJ's. ugg

[dustin]

Well if it's ok to bring in a yip yap dog to olive garden, i guess i'll bring in our 90 pound catahoula.

He sure likes breadsticks.

[libertytyranny]

Originally Posted by dustin

Well if it's ok to bring in a yip yap dog to olive garden, i guess i'll bring in our 90 pound catahoula.

He sure likes breadsticks.

Id love to see the purse you'd put him in

[Nickel]

Originally Posted by dustin

Well if it's ok to bring in a yip yap dog to olive garden, i guess i'll bring in our 90 pound catahoula.

He sure likes breadsticks.

More pizza crust pleeeease.

[vraiblonde]

Originally Posted by Nickel

More pizza crust pleeeease.

Awwww

I don't understand why someone would be grossed out by a small dog in a tote in a restaurant. It's not like the dog is out pooping on the floor or licking the silverware.

And I absolutely don't get the objection to the lady in BJ's. Do you not think diapered children sit in those cart seats, and do you not think they probably have little accidents? If the woman pets her dog, then goes in to shop, how is that less germy than if she pets her dog while she shops? Did you follow her to make sure she didn't pick a wedgie or her nose before she fondled the produce?

One of the more charming things about downtown Annapolis is that it's quite dog-friendly. In fact, restaurants set up their outdoor seating to not only allow dogs to sit with their owners, but they provide water dishes and little snackies for the pooch. So please let Mrs. Gopher and her friends know to stay away from Annapolis.