Pubs bite back after Sydney council bans dogs
A council dog ban across pubs in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has irked pub owners and patrons alike, who are calling for an end to the blitz on pooches.
Woollahra Council has been cracking down on pet friendly pubs as they sought to enforce an obscure health and safety law.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Solotel boss Justine Baker said the ban has upset patrons at the Paddo Inn.
“They are responsible dog owners and we are responsible pub operators so I can’t understand why it has to be a council issue,” she said.
“We respect the food safety laws and believe we can welcome our furry mates to the pub while keeping within the food safety regulations.”
Pubs are being threatened with fines of $880 for breaching the regulations after a complaint about a dog in The London Hotel by a Victorian woman.
But The London Hotel licensee Kingsley Smith told The Daily Telegraph the law has never been previously enforced.
“I remember coming here for a beer as a 20-year-old and there has always been dogs in here,” he said.
“They said we can create an area specially for dogs with no food or drinks, but it defeats the point of bringing your dog to the pub if you can’t have a beer.”
Smith says the ban will punch a 20 per cent hole in weekend trade. But the council has rejected claims they are being overzealous.
“While there have been no recent changes to legislation, we have been working with food and drinks premises to educate regarding requirements in response to changing social trends and a gap in understanding of which areas are appropriate for dogs and which are not,” a spokesman for Woollahra Council told The Daily Telegraph.
Other Sydney councils have made their own changes without waiting for state legislation, with The Inner West Council scrapping their dog ban in 2017.
Sheridan Randall, 10th February 2020
