With the new rules, restaurant owners will not have to ask someone with their dog for paperwork.  This was a major sticking point that required anyone who does bring a dog with them, must also paperwork on the dog’s health status (updated shots for example) and license status on paper with them.  Now, that’s no longer an issue.

Now, restaurant owners will simply have to post visible signs that inform people wishing to dine with their dogs, that this information is something that they are required to have with them.  However, there won’t be a checkpoint set up to check everyone’s dog out individually.

“I’m so pleased that the city Department of Health threw dog lovers a bone,” said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan).  She sponsored the law to allow dining with dogs.  “These proposed regulations are common sense measures designed to protect the public health while allowing New Yorkers to dine with their dogs.”

The health department is also satisfied with the new rules as well.  Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said, “[The new rules] ensure that restaurant patrons can bring their dogs to outdoor areas, while also keeping other diners protected.”

The other rules will not be changing.  Dogs are still to be kept in outdoor dining areas, and kept away from people walking by the restaurant with or without other pets, dogs are still not to come into contact with eating or table surface, and dogs still not become an obstruction for people moving in the dining area.  However, there won’t have to be specially build barriers and checkpoints to go from one place to another once inside.

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In New York City, laws were recently passed that allowed people to dine at restaurants in the area with their dogs, as long as they followed a specific set of rules.  Now, supporters of the legislation are accusing local health officials of scrambling to do anything they can to make the practice very difficult.

“Just because the city opposes this law does not mean they are allowed to neuter it through onerous regulation,” said state Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan).  Rosenthal was a big sponsor of the laws before they were signed in.

The local health department seems to be making an attempt at coming up with stiffer and stiffer regulations to deter people bringing their dogs to eat with them.  Almost as if they want to make it so difficult to actually do, that people will simply give up.

The new regulations could see restaurant owners being forced to check for proper licensing of the dog.  If the license can’t be validated, then the dog and their human will be denied service.  There will also be new stipulations stating that new barriers must be built at the restaurant, further confining the dogs to a smaller and smaller space.  The dogs would not be able to touch any of the tables or chairs in any way, and must not be in a required 36-inch buffer zone surrounding the tables.  Finally, there will be new required signage that will need to be posted, advising that dogs are on the property and that they must remain outdoors at all times.

Edita Birnkrant with the Friends of Animals said, “It is killing the spirit of the bill in that it is making it virtually impossible for restaurants to allow people to bring their dogs.”

The Health Department for NYC has issued a statement highlighting the health and safety of both diners and passersby.  The public has a say in whether or not the new regulations will be taking effect.  A hearing is scheduled for January 26^th at the Long Island offices of the Health Department.

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