Country divided: Should dogs be allowed in pubs?
A debate around the validity of pets in pubs is gaining momentum after a Melbourne Council reminded dog owners that their pets are only welcome in outside areas.
The City of Yarra Council said it was just enforcing the law citing food safety reasons, however pub owners and pub goers have expressed their displeasure.
A Change.Org petition has garnered 14,000 signatures in support of pets in pubs. The petition has called the law “outdated”.
Council concerns are genuine.
Australia’s states and territories must enforce a national food safety code set out by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
The code prohibits dogs in kitchens and indoor dining areas; service dogs are excluded. It was amended in 2013, to allow dogs into outdoor areas at the business owner’s discretion.
The City of Yarra is concerned about food contamination food, with faeces spreading pathogenic organisms, which could cause food-borne illness.
An FSANZ investigation found that this type of contamination is likely to be rare.
No matter what the reason for the ban, the debate about pets in pubs is raging across the country.
In Sydney, publican Ben Johnson who owns the The Lord Gladstone says, “If your dog’s a pain in the arse or makes a mess or carries on, it’s not welcome here – just like a patron. As long as your dog’s well behaved and you clean up after it … I don’t give a fuck.”
Johnson says the fact animals have become an extension of the family must be taken into consideration. He also says the patrons find the pub more endearing with well-behaved dogs.
However, some pub goers flat out reject the need for dogs in the venues.
“I don’t think dogs especially enjoy being there – they just sit there anxiously – so I feel like the feeling is mutual,” Sydney pub-goer Joey told The Guardian.
“Pubs are crowded, noisy spaces where humans get unpredictable. [Surely that’s] a dog’s worst nightmare.”
Some told The Guardian that dogs could be a trip hazard and that some owners would forget to monitor their dogs.
La Trobe University researcher Dr Tiffani Howell told The Guardian, the practice is more common overseas.
“The rules about where animals can go, particularly dogs, does appear to be much stricter in Australia than in some other parts of the world. So, for example, in much of Europe and the UK – Italy, France – it’s really not uncommon to see dogs out and about; you see them in restaurants and cafes sometimes, and you can see them even in supermarkets and things. You don’t really see that in Australia.”
But just because it is more common elsewhere, does that make it right?
Not according to food safety expert Erina Male, of Food Safety Consultants Australia.
“I don’t think they should be inside. I do think that outdoor dining is acceptable,” Male told The Guardian. “They’ve made this exception with outdoor dining because it’s more ventilated. And I think it should stop there … There’s a place for animals and I just don’t think it’s inside a food business.”
Jonathan Jackson, 25th September 2023
