16 August 2011

Dog friendly cafes in Kingston and Manuka?

| BundahBoy
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I’m searching for recommendations for the best dog friendly cafe’s in the inner south?

I went to Kingston Grinders today and got the impression they didnt want dogs there (refused to give me an old container for water, got snooty when I asked for an empty take away coffee cup…I mean WTF?).

It made me realise that perhaps I live in a dog friendly utopia as I thought EVERYONE liked dogs, especially mine.

Suggestions appreciated.

Cheers,

BundahBoy

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A food preparation or eating area anywhere, including in your home, is no place for an animal…especially around Canberra where hydatids can be an issue.

Hi Sirco and others interested.

Sorry I should have expanded further on my last commet here. The line in the ACT law that states: 27 Compliance with food standards code
(1) A person must comply with any requirement imposed on the person
by the food standards code in relation to—
(a) the conduct of a food business; or
(b) food intended for sale; or
(c) food for sale.
Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units.

in particulary refers to the following standard in teh Australian and New Zealand food standards.

Standard 3.2.2
Food Safety Practices and General Requirements
Division 6 – Miscellaneous
24 Animals and pests
(1) A food business must –
(a) subject to paragraph (b), not permit live animals in areas in which food is handled, other than seafood or other fish or shellfish;
(b) permit an assistance animal only in dining and drinking areas and other areas used by customers;
(c) take all practicable measures to prevent pests entering the food premises; and
(d) take all practicable measures to eradicate and prevent the harbourage of pests on the food premises and those parts of vehicles that are used to transport food.

(2) In subclause (1), ‘assistance animal’ means an animal referred to in section 9 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 of the Commonwealth.

So it is actually illegal for cafe’s, outdoor seating or not, to serve people who have animals unless the animal is a dedicated assisstant animal.

Once again I should have posted all the information. Will do so in teh future.

Many many years ago on a trip to London I noticed that many suburban pubs had pub dogs that were owned by the governor and basically spent their days hanging out inside the pub.
It was nice.

I all my years of reading stuff on the internet, I have never come across a single dog owner with a badly behaved dog. It seems that the way to establish whether a dog is well behaved is to find out if the owner has an internet connection. Spooky, eh?

I don’t mind a dog that sits or lies quietly out of the way while the owner has a coffee or a snack. But, having had a full-fledged fight happen a few feet from where I was eating, seen owners offer dogs scraps on cafe crockery, put up with barking, whining, accosting passers-by and restless wandering around (all from dogs which are obviously owned by people who don’t have the internet), no thanks.

Agree that the cafe that welcomes dog owners and people with small children is doing the rest of us a great service, if they all go there.

So nobody says you have to like it, but cafes and restaurants are actually not permitted by law to allow animals into food service areas, including outdoor areas. The KG people – like them or hate them – should have actually asked you to move on, and no, not everybody likes your dog!

This issue has come up before, and dear leader JB got the mail from the health people last year:

“Dear Mr Griffiths

Thank you for your enquiry to ACT Health.

The laws concerning the presence of animals in food premises have not
changed. Under clause 24 of Standard 3.2.2 of the Australia New
Zealand Food Standards Code, animals other than assistance animals are
not permitted in dining and drinking areas and other areas used by
customers. These areas include a food premises and any associated
outdoor dining areas.

The Health Protection Service (HPS) of ACT Health has not changed its
approach to this issue, which is treated as any other food safety issue.
The HPS has not planned any “crack down on dogs in the outdoor areas of
cafes”.

Thank you again for your enquiry.

Regards

HPS”

So the er you have it!

I am very familiar with Kingston Grind cafe and am also the owner of a dog. You definitely picked the wrong cafe to sit with your dog!!! They do not like animals at all and yes you will get a very cold shoulder. Then again, the owners never have a smile on their faces dog or no dog! They are so rude and don’t even acknowledge your existence as a human, let alone a dog! But to their defence my understanding is that dogs are not allowed to be in outside eating areas of cafes/restaurants in the ACT. It is a bylaw and the cafe/restaurant can be fined by council if they are found to be in breach of this bylaw.

justin heywood7:14 pm 16 Aug 11

qbngeek said :

Why can’t we have some tosser free eating areas where we don’t have to listen to pretentious morons talk about how good they are and how everyone else is wrong/bogan/trash?

Tosser-free dining? Be a pretty quiet place here in Canberra.

Honestly people. If an eating establishment doesn’t want to serve your dog, take the hint. What if pet pigs suddenly become trendy? Pigs are friendly and generally smarter than dogs. So if I adopt a pig, I assume no dog-lover here will object to eating beside him. (?)

Baldy said :

sarahsarah

sarahsarah said :

I thought there where regulations about this that disallow people from bringing their dogs (except guide dogs of course) to cafes? Maybe that’s why they were cheesed off? I’m sure that the owner of both the dog and cafe are liable to be fined if they are caught. I could be remembering this wrong though.

There are. According to the ACT Food act 2001 it is actually illegal for Resturants and Cafe to allow pets in food serving areas unless they are required (e.g blind guide dogs).

Here is a link to the ACT -> http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2001-66/default.asp

The relevent bit is in Division 3.3 (27) Compliance with food standards code.

I’m actually curious about this and not having a go but I couldn’t find anything to do with dogs specifically in that section of the Act.

All I got was this:

In the ToC:

“Division 3.3 Other offences relating to food…
…27 Compliance with food standards code 17”

then on page 17:

“27 Compliance with food standards code
(1) A person must comply with any requirement imposed on the person
by the food standards code in relation to—
(a) the conduct of a food business; or
(b) food intended for sale; or
(c) food for sale.
Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units.
(2) A person must not sell food that does not comply with a requirement
of the food standards code that relates to the food.
Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units.
(3) A person must not sell or advertise food that is packaged or labelled
in a way that contravenes the food standards code.
Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units.
(4) A person must not sell or advertise for sale food in a way that
contravenes the food standards code.
Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units.”

Where else does it state that dogs (or any other pet) aren’t allowed in the outdoor areas of cafes in Canberra?

sarahsarah

sarahsarah said :

I thought there where regulations about this that disallow people from bringing their dogs (except guide dogs of course) to cafes? Maybe that’s why they were cheesed off? I’m sure that the owner of both the dog and cafe are liable to be fined if they are caught. I could be remembering this wrong though.

There are. According to the ACT Food act 2001 it is actually illegal for Resturants and Cafe to allow pets in food serving areas unless they are required (e.g blind guide dogs).

Here is a link to the ACT -> http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2001-66/default.asp

The relevent bit is in Division 3.3 (27) Compliance with food standards code.

EvanJames said :

…Dogs, incidentally, have no effect on the peace and quiet…

Sometimes when you get more than one dog in one place, there is a dog fight (surprise, surprise!). I’ve seen it a few times at cafes. The last time was at Yarralumblaa a few months ago….
So, it’s not always sunshine and lollipops with dogs congregated together.
Then, I suppose you could say it has to be ‘well trainined’ dogs, but that same logic would then apply to kids?!? Who decides who’s dog/kid is well trained? Gee, life is getting complicated again!!! 🙂

EvanJames said :

Dogs, incidentally, have no effect on the peace and quiet.

BWAHAHAHAHA…..

Do you actually read the rubbish you post?? I have two English Mastiffs that I am happy to bring around to your place. They bark on command. Trust me they will have an effect on your peace and quiet, plus they can leave your ears ringing for a few hours afterwards if you get too close when they bark.

My stepmother is a dog trainer and handler so my dogs are exceptionally well trained and are too lazy to bother barking unless I tell them too (they are too lazy to do anything unless told). I can only imagine what a poorly trained little yappy ball of energy would be like if it got started in public.

Peewee Slasher12:34 pm 16 Aug 11

“Kids don’t usually lick their balls in public.”

I tried … well I wasn’t really in public … and I wasn’t really a kid ….

Dogs, kids, loud mouth twats, prams! Hell, anyone would think the cafes want business!

Calamity said :

Yup. And in any case, I kind of feel as though putting up with other people (whether they have a dog with them, kids hanging off them or a mobile phone plastered to their ear) is simply the price you pay for eating in a public place… ? No? If you want absolute peace & quiet, have your brekkie at home.

And yet, in this discussion we have people objecting to dogs being around outdoor eateries.

Dogs, incidentally, have no effect on the peace and quiet.

Well said Calamity, couldn’t have put it better myself.

qbngeek said :

EvanJames said :

Why can’t we have some child-free eating areas, if they can refuse dogs, surely they can refuse kids too? In the US, they take their dogs everywhere, even into shops, and I can’t see that it’s a problem at all.

Why can’t we have some tosser free eating areas where we don’t have to listen to pretentious morons talk about how good they are and how everyone else is wrong/bogan/trash?

BTW not all kids are unruly. My two behave very well if we go out because they know that should they fail to behave it will be a long time before we go anywhere again. But hey, you just go on and keep making sweeping statements about kids, it helps identify you as a miser.

Yup. And in any case, I kind of feel as though putting up with other people (whether they have a dog with them, kids hanging off them or a mobile phone plastered to their ear) is simply the price you pay for eating in a public place… ? No? If you want absolute peace & quiet, have your brekkie at home.

EvanJames said :

Why can’t we have some child-free eating areas, if they can refuse dogs, surely they can refuse kids too? In the US, they take their dogs everywhere, even into shops, and I can’t see that it’s a problem at all.

Why can’t we have some tosser free eating areas where we don’t have to listen to pretentious morons talk about how good they are and how everyone else is wrong/bogan/trash?

BTW not all kids are unruly. My two behave very well if we go out because they know that should they fail to behave it will be a long time before we go anywhere again. But hey, you just go on and keep making sweeping statements about kids, it helps identify you as a miser.

I like dogs. I’d prefer to sip on a coffee and be amused by a cute, content pooch sitting by it’s owner. I haven’t yet seen a dog barking uncontrollably, jumping up on tables or taking a poop.
Heck, I go to cafes for a quiet drink and have to put up with a screaming baby or a brat throwing a tantrum. Babies poop, babies shrill and their pram-warrior mothers have strollers the size of a Hummer just to take up unecessary space and inconvenience everyone else around them.

So long as your dog is well-trained and not running amuck, then why the hell not?

TrenboloneBandit10:53 am 16 Aug 11

DanRayner said :

Hey guys,

I’ve just (6wks ago) opened a cafe in Kingston, with a good friend Tim, called Bittersweet and we are quite happy accommodate pet owners in our outdoor area. And as it’s very large outdoor space there’s plenty of room for those who may not get along with dogs as well.

We also like lycra-clad pushie riders and mothers groups with strollers!! The more the merrier we say 🙂

Hope to see some of you soon,

Cheers,

Dan

Great, if we can just isolate each mentioned demographic to just your cafe, everyone wins

EvanJames said :

sarahsarah said :

At any rate, even if it’s okay from a regulation standpoint, I know it’s hard for dog owners to believe but not everyone does like dogs. Personally I love all animals but I can understand why others wouldn’t like sitting next to a dog in the outdoor area of a cafe.

That’s how I feel about having to have loud unruly children sitting next to me at a cafe, but they get to be there. I’d much rather share that space with dogs. And dogs are dirty but kids aren’t? Ha!

Why can’t we have some child-free eating areas, if they can refuse dogs, surely they can refuse kids too? In the US, they take their dogs everywhere, even into shops, and I can’t see that it’s a problem at all.

I did say further down in my comment that the same could be said of kids, but thanks for not taking my comment in its entirety. I honestly don’t care if there are dogs or kids or whatever but you have to rememeber; as much as people love their doggy family members (or any animal for that matter) they are dogs, not humans and different rules apply. Sorry to say.

TrenboloneBandit10:50 am 16 Aug 11

EvanJames said :

sarahsarah said :

At any rate, even if it’s okay from a regulation standpoint, I know it’s hard for dog owners to believe but not everyone does like dogs. Personally I love all animals but I can understand why others wouldn’t like sitting next to a dog in the outdoor area of a cafe.

That’s how I feel about having to have loud unruly children sitting next to me at a cafe, but they get to be there. I’d much rather share that space with dogs. And dogs are dirty but kids aren’t? Ha!

Why can’t we have some child-free eating areas, if they can refuse dogs, surely they can refuse kids too? In the US, they take their dogs everywhere, even into shops, and I can’t see that it’s a problem at all.

Youre talking about dogs having rights over human beings

o_O cant tell if troll or stupid

Hey guys,

I’ve just (6wks ago) opened a cafe in Kingston, with a good friend Tim, called Bittersweet and we are quite happy accommodate pet owners in our outdoor area. And as it’s very large outdoor space there’s plenty of room for those who may not get along with dogs as well.

We also like lycra-clad pushie riders and mothers groups with strollers!! The more the merrier we say 🙂

Hope to see some of you soon,

Cheers,

Dan

Kids aren’t legally allowed to be left alone – thats why you end up with them in all sorts of public places. I think you’ll find people can leave dogs alone during the day.

Kids don’t usually lick their balls in public.

Very few people are scared of kids – annoyed by them yes – but few have major anxiety in their presence.

Kids grow up to become adults – if they are isolated from dining out at an early age they will be unable to function as adults in such environments.

I generally love dogs but this whole dog vs kids things is so Sydney people – I like for my kids to be exposed to dogs as they can be fearful and thats the best way for them to get over it. But when people have large dogs off leash who leap around all over the place (ironically on the main street in Kingston last time) I get pissed off.

Lookout Smithers10:41 am 16 Aug 11

How come? I can’t think of a cafe in Melbourne that doesn’t put out a bowl of water for the local pooches. No wonder we humans will never understand the magic of the K9 world!!

“Love me, love my dog.”

Whatever you’ve been smoking that makes you think everyone likes dogs is probably illegal.

sarahsarah said :

At any rate, even if it’s okay from a regulation standpoint, I know it’s hard for dog owners to believe but not everyone does like dogs. Personally I love all animals but I can understand why others wouldn’t like sitting next to a dog in the outdoor area of a cafe.

That’s how I feel about having to have loud unruly children sitting next to me at a cafe, but they get to be there. I’d much rather share that space with dogs. And dogs are dirty but kids aren’t? Ha!

Why can’t we have some child-free eating areas, if they can refuse dogs, surely they can refuse kids too? In the US, they take their dogs everywhere, even into shops, and I can’t see that it’s a problem at all.

TrenboloneBandit said :

No one wants to have breakfast with your mutt.

An owner of a business does not want to cater to your mutt, especially when busy.

The waiting staff should not be expected to handle the ‘old container’ that your mutt drinks from

The other customers do not want to listen to your mutt whining

I would rather sit next to a smoker than listen to your mutt yap and carry on

Protip: Leave your mutt at home – only you believe your mutt is precious…no one else cares

Not true. I’d very much like to dine with the mutts! I love them! They’re good for the soul, whether they’re mine or not.

Totally understand health regulations keeping dogs out of some places – but would be so nice if there were more places they were welcome.

I thought there where regulations about this that disallow people from bringing their dogs (except guide dogs of course) to cafes? Maybe that’s why they were cheesed off? I’m sure that the owner of both the dog and cafe are liable to be fined if they are caught. I could be remembering this wrong though.

At any rate, even if it’s okay from a regulation standpoint, I know it’s hard for dog owners to believe but not everyone does like dogs. Personally I love all animals but I can understand why others wouldn’t like sitting next to a dog in the outdoor area of a cafe. Dogs can have a doggy smell – you may not notice it but other non-dog people certainly will. And if they are taking up a large/awkward space, bark at things or drool everywhere (my mum’s dog is notorious for this last one!) it can annoy/gross out people. The same could be said of children too I guess, haha! I’m not saying your dog is a “bad dog” but other irresponsible dog owners can ruin it for everyone.

As for the water container, you can get those squishy/collapsible bowls for your pooch rather than relying on the cafe to provide something for you. They can fold down small enough to fit in alongside your poop collecting gear, which I am sure as a responsible dog owner you carry. 😉

TrenboloneBandit10:08 am 16 Aug 11

No one wants to have breakfast with your mutt.

An owner of a business does not want to cater to your mutt, especially when busy.

The waiting staff should not be expected to handle the ‘old container’ that your mutt drinks from

The other customers do not want to listen to your mutt whining

I would rather sit next to a smoker than listen to your mutt yap and carry on

Protip: Leave your mutt at home – only you believe your mutt is precious…no one else cares

dog friendly cafes are run by nicer people. It’s normally a good sign.

I’d much rather share a cafe with dogs than with kids, no contest. I’ve seen a few shops with water dishes outside at Manuka, but can’t recall any eateries.

Kingston Grind is not a great place!

Try, is it, Velcro? Velvo? Bike cafe around the corner between Pizza Hut and Crust, they always have happy dogs sitting around 🙂

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