The Dog Blog

The Austin City Council had a lively debate on the pets on the patio proposal this week, but didn’t manage to make a final decision on rescinding the health department ban on having dogs on the patios at participating restaurants.

Instead, they scheduled a public hearing for March 2, at 6 p.m. so that all of us dog lovers could come and give our views as well as hear from the business owners that are interested.  This is a great opportunity for us to show our support for our four legged friends so try to make the meeting if you can.

Opal Devines has collected over 800 signatures in favor of allowing dogs, but I believe we need to give our full support though emails, phone calls, and best of all physical presence at the meeting on the 2nd.

For those of you who wish to be active in this regard here is the relevant contact information.  I urge you to make your thoughts known and to call their offices to voice support for the Pets on the Patio proposal.

Mayor Will Wynn:  ph. 974-2250

Mayor Pro Tem Danny Thomas: ph. 974-2266 

Coucnil Member Raul Alvarez: ph. 974-2264

Council Member Betty Dunkerley:  ph. 974-2258

Council Member Jennifer Kim:  ph. 974-2255

Council Member Lee Leffingwell:  ph. 974-2260

Council Member Brewster McCracken:  ph. 974-2256

You can also send email to all these members at this address. 

Give these good public servants a buzz to let them know we love our dogs and think that well behaved ones should be able to accomany us to as many places as possible.

Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works
www.fideliodogs.com 

The city council has taken up the pets on the patio issue for restaurants. 

For those of you in favor of allowing dogs on restaurant patios go to this link and send the council a note saying you support item #28 on their agenda.

 Here is an excerpt from the Austin Small Business Alliance on the issue:

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AIBA is supporting several members’ efforts to continue to allow dogs on their outdoor patios and an ordinance that is on this week’s City Council agenda that would allow them to do so. This is an important issue because many of our members cater to dog owners and have built a following of canine patrons and their owners. Only recently has the Austin/Travis County health department begun to crack down on these restaurants, docking them critical points in their health code inspections.

You can show your support for the ordinance being proposed by Council Members Jennifer Kim, Brewster McCracken and Lee Leffingwell by stopping by City Hall this Thursday and signing in as a supporter of Item #28 (see below) or you can e-mail the City Council a letter of support by following this link (make sure to reference support for "Item 28" or "Pets on the Patio" in your subject heading) http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm

28. Approve an ordinance amending Chapter 10-3 of the City Code relating to food and food handlers to permit dogs in outdoor dining areas of food service establishments. 

And from the Austin American Statesman:

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IN THE NEWS

Patrons pushing for paws on patio
Change in city law would let restaurant customers bring their dogs outside
By Asher Price

Saturday, February 11, 2006

At what was billed as a "press conFURence" Friday, Council Member Jennifer Kim announced she will push a change to city law that will allow restaurants to welcome leashed dogs back on their patios.

Under current city and county rules, dogs are not permitted at restaurants unless they are patrol or guide dogs.

Restaurants that persist in allowing dogs on their patios - and there are a few around town - risk losing a "critical point " in a health inspection, according to Austin/Travis County health department officials. Critical points are reserved for violations that may lead to disease transmission, but losing one point doesn’t automatically lead to a failing score on its own.

Kim, who announced the move at Opal Divine’s, a dog-friendly eatery on West Sixth Street, said that under the new policy, restaurants could choose whether to permit dogs on their patios. She said she will propose the move at next week’s council meeting.

"I don’t believe they are a health risk," said Kim, who was accompanied by a Pekingese named Sammy and a bearded collie-wheaten terrier mix named Einstein. "We’re not allowing dogs indoors, just where customers are unprotected from the elements anyway."

"It’s a quality-of-life question," Stephen Mason, a 29 year-old lawyer who likes to go to restaurants with Hotard, his rat terrier (named after his College Station dorm).

"Dogs carry a lot fewer dangerous diseases than the grackles, and if you let dogs on the patio, they scare off the grackles," Mason said.

The change has the support of the Austin Independent Business Alliance, said Melissa Miller, its director.

"This is a serious issue for some of our members," Miller said. Catering to dog owners is an "important niche market."

Some business owners said they support a rule change that would allow customers to decide whether to patronize dog-friendly restaurants.

Opal Divine’s has gathered 800 signatures from customers who want to bring their dogs to the restaurant’s patio, manager Chet Butler said.

"It rubs my fur the wrong way," said Fred Nelson, the owner of Freddie’s Place on South First Street of the current city prohibition of animals on his patio. "If everyone hated having poodles under the table, then we wouldn’t allow poodles under the table.

"It’s not really a matter of public safety," said Nelson, who confessed that two of his dogs sleep in his bed regularly.

"I try not to kiss them because I never know where their noses have been."

asherprice@statesman.com; 445-3643 

Thanks for reading this and please let your opinion be known to the city council

Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works
www.fideliodogs.com 

Every dog needs a job, and I really don’t believe they are happy unless they have one.

I got a call from one of my clients last night in which she described the most wonderful job for her dog.  Betsy, my client, is a BUSY woman.  She has three small children and a major league corporate gig.  Over the past few months the idea that her dog needed a job has been nagging at her so she finally came up with a most elegant solution that involved the kids with the dog and a clean house.

 Betsy, being the every dog loving person she is remembered that she had a backpack in her garage that one of her previous dogs used to carry things while she hiked in her days before momhood.  Trying the pack on her new dog she got the idea to have her pup wear the bag around the house every evening while the kids picked up their scattered toys in every room and loaded them into the pack.  The house gets cleaner as the kids follow the pup through the house toward the toy chest where everything is unloaded and stowed until the next day. 

Voila’ the dog has a job, the kids have fun with the dog, and Betsy gets a clean house every night.  What more could a dog want than such a wonderful job.

Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works
www.fideliodogs.com 

I’ve got a wonderful client that I’ve been working with for the past few weeks that has started a blog on her experiences while working with her pup on a troubling issue.  Carrie is documenting her progress as she moves through training and behavior modification work designed to address her dog’s aggression issues with men.
I urge everyone to read through her entries to see how difficult this work is and how much time she is devoting to it.
She’ll be discussing the use of some medications we will be using with her other dog which has a high level of anxiety and fear around people other than his owner.  We’ll be monitoring both of them closely as she moves through the exercises.
 
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works
www.fideliodogs.com