'Gone to the dogs' no longer applies to Vancouver patios

The expression “gone to the dogs” no longer applies to Vancouver patios — and one pet owner wants to change that.

When Danielle Bauer recently visited one of the patios she frequents with her dog Beans, she was stunned to be told the Chihuahua mix was no longer welcome.

The health inspector had visited the restaurant and several others in the area to issue warnings forbidding dogs from the premises.

“Not every patio catered to dogs but some of them did and it was nice to have that option,” she told Yahoo Canada News. “It’s nice to take your dog with you, and not have them cooped up in a hot condo.

Bauer did some digging and found that restaurant health regulations are mandated by the province, and Vancouver Coastal Health is the local authority that enforces the regulations.

“Clearly they hadn’t been enforcing these regulations and then within a three-week period, all these restaurants, without exception, had been canvassed and given these warnings not to have dogs on the patio,” she says.

So Bauer started a petition, asking the health protection program with Vancouver Coastal Health to allow dogs on outdoor patios at the discretion of the owner or operator.

Laura Heinze, a spokeswoman with the B.C. Ministry of Health said registered guide dogs and fish in aquariums are the only live animals allowed on restaurant properties.

“Health officers have identified several potential health concerns associated with dogs in food premises,” she said in an email. “These include allergies, risk to patrons and staff from attacks or bites and infectious diseases that animals can transmit to humans.”

Bauer agrees that rules should be enforced within an indoor space, but an open-air patio is a completely different story.

“We’re not saying they should be allowed up on the tables or chairs or anything like that,” she says. “There should be an opportunity to create a distinction between interior environments and what’s appropriate for health and food safety versus what makes sense for health and food safety in outdoor, open air environments.”

At press time, the petition needed 241 signatures to reach its goal of 1,000.

Of all the major Canadian cities, Toronto is arguably the most dog-friendly.

Unlike Vancouver and Montreal, where dogs must be contained in handheld cages, (which basically excludes all canines over 10 pounds) the Toronto Transit Commission allows dogs of all sizes to ride freely outside of rush hour.

There are also several regulated eateries, like the coffee shop inside of Pawsway pet store, and shopping malls like the upscale Bayview Village, which encourage dog owners to bring their furry companions.