A reader writes:
I agree with the dog-haters who wrote in that American dogs tend to have terrible manners and clueless owners. But this is because they live in a system that creates bad dogs and clueless owners. European dog ownership works because it sets dogs up to do what they do best: hang out with humans doing what the humans want them to do. American dog ownership is a mess because dogs are expected to do things that dogs just aren't good at, like being alone for hours at a stretch and not being a consistent part of the human's social and work life. Let dogs into restaurants and hold them accountable for their behavior, as in Germany and France, and dog manners will improve.
My dog's manners are impeccable because he needs them. He works with me, runs many errands with me and, for now, eats and drinks with me.
Another points out more differences:
Last time I checked, people aren't allergic to children (at least in the medical sense) but plenty of people are allergic to dogs. I know several people who almost immediately start getting congested with rhinitis around dogs. Along the same lines, but more in the mental health area, is that a fear of dogs is a common phobia.
Another testifies:
Growing up, I lived in inner-city Cleveland where packs of dogs ran loose. I don't know if I'm phobic, or just very cautious. But since some of your dog-loving readers seem to think it's OK to equate dogs with rude children, I thought I'd share my fear. A child may be obnoxious. But she's not going to bite my face off.
Another:
There is another huge difference between a child and a dog: a child is a human being, usually a U.S. citizen, who has a right to be served food in a restaurant. Public accommodation laws have never been applied to animals.
Another:
Whenever I become frustrated with a noisy or annoying child in a restaurant, on an airplane, or any public space, I try to remind myself of how my behavior affected adults when I was very young. I’m sure I was as loud, whiny, and boisterous as very young children tend to be before their parents’ efforts to teach them to control themselves take effect (if they ever do). We were all noisy, crying infants once; grownups had to put up with us then and we have to pay that forward.
Another:
Almost everyone who has written to you regarding the presence of dogs in bars has pretty much taken it as a given that dogs shouldn't be allowed in places that serve food because of health concerns. Can anybody find a shred of evidence that there are health risks to having dogs in restaurants, or is this just (excuse the pun) dogma? Seriously, I am much more concerned with the cleanliness of the kitchen staff then I am of canines.
The Dish 