dog-friendly in philadelphia

[alkonin]

In a couple of weeks, we're getting a puppy. We have been waiting for said puppy for a very long time, and we are extremely excited about his/her arrival. We like to go out, and we plan on bringing out pup along as much of the time as possible. What i would like to know is, what are the dog-friendly spots (restaurants, bars) in philadelpiha?

[stephenc]

700, Abbaye, N. 3rd, if I remember correctly are all pup friendly.

[Andy Lynes]

I have recently become a dog owner for the first time (German Shorthaired Pointer, 5 months old, name of Lulu), and although I can offer no advise on dog friendly Philly restaurants, would love to know what sort of dog you are getting.

We haven't braved taking Lulu to a restaurant as yet, and I must admit haven't looked into where in the UK might be dog friendly. However, we did manage to have bacon sarnies and tea in a Brighton seafront open air cafe yesterday without major incident. A big leap forward for us.

[Fat Guy]

In a couple of weeks, we're getting a puppy.  We have been waiting for said puppy for a very long time, and we are extremely excited about his/her arrival.  We like to go out, and we plan on bringing out pup along as much of the time as possible.  What i would like to know is, what are the dog-friendly spots (restaurants, bars) in philadelpiha?

Anyplace with outdoor cafe-type seating is likely to be pet-friendly, and anyplace else that both serves food and allows pets (in the USA) is probably acting in violation of local laws. You'll also find that there are a number of books and Web sites that catalog this sort of thing.

Let me also inject a dose of realism into the fantasy of puppy ownership: it's a lot of work, you may find that going out is actually a great way for you to get some quiet time away from a demanding puppy, and bringing a puppy out to a restaurant can be completely inappropriate in many cases. How old will the puppy be when you get it? If it's going to be very young, chances are your vet will advocate quarantine until around 16 weeks age, in order to shield the puppy from parvo and such. From 4 months until anywhere from 1-2 years old, most puppies are going to be too excitable and yappy to come out to restaurants. My dog, who has just recently turned 2, is finally at the stage where he can come out for coffee and not be a huge pain in the ass. Earlier experiments were total failures. It's also important to consider that a critical part of a puppy's training is to learn to be alone. If there's someone home all day, and you take the puppy with you whenever you go out, you have a good chance of creating a separation-anxiety situation that can be very difficult to fix later.

You might want to check out the GreatPets.com site -- the folks there in every city have the latest info on pet-friendly places around town, and they can help with all sorts of decisions.

[alkonin]

We are getting a pug, which are generally quiet, well behaved, sociable little beasts, and just the kind of dog that does well out with its' owners. the puppy wil be 10 weeks when we bring it home, and we're spending the first 2 weeks of its arrival home. we (my husband & i) will both be working 9-5 until january, when i will be going to grad school full-time, and spending more time at home. until then, one of us will come home during the day to walk the dog and spend a little quality time with him/her. we're not likely to try and take the dog out with us early on, but when it is ready (mature enough and well-mannered), we plan on bringing the dog allover with us.

[lancastermike]

My wife and I own two dogs. We love them both and they are an important part of our family. However, I would never even think of taking them to a bar or restaurant. It would be unfair to them and also greatly unfair to any other customers. Many people do not care for dogs at all, some folks can be greatly freaked out by them. I do take the dogs with me when I go out some places but never to a dining place. As the post above stated any dining establishment that allows it would be in violation of the law.

It is very important to socialize your dog by taking him places and having him be around other people and animals, however, restaurants would not be a good place.

BTW, pugs are very cool dogs. They are a small dog that acts like a bigger dog. I hope you enjoy the pup very much.

[Andy Lynes]

The French have no such worries about taking dogs to restaurants. I remember being in a fairly upmarket bistro in Paris and the table next to us was a man dining alone with his very well behaved and quite large dog cuddled up next to him on a banquette. When we left, the man was standing outside the restaurant with the dog cradled in his arms!

[sammy]

I take my dog (black lab puppy) to Starbucks (we sit at the outside tables) and Dairy Queen. I bring along a marrow bone stuffed with peanut butter and she is kept busy munching on that until our coffee or ice cream is finished. She doesn't bother anyone else, as long as she is kept busy with a bone, and enjoys getting petted by people walking by.

It is very important to socialize your dog and I've found shopping centers like strip malls (with a good coffee shop with outside tables) are a good place to accomplish it.

[menton1]

Alkonin, good luck with your doggie, pugs are very nice-- (as are all dogs!). What you really need to do with your mindset is relocate to France. Most of the US culture is anti-dog, they are considered a health hazard (!) in food establishments, and a nuisance in other establishments, even though they may be better behaved and more sanitary than many humans.

France is the only place in the world where dogs are welcomed as humans, they are clean, well-behaved, welcomed in restaurants, shops, everywhere! I have a great photo in Galeries Lafayette of a giant Samoyed sitting comfortably on the escalator with his companion as they patiently wait for it to descend to the next floor!

Bon chance with your chien!!

[Fat Guy]

I've even seen dogs in restaurants with three Michelin stars. When we were at Georges Blanc a couple of years ago someone was there with a Great Dane! It was an older dog and it slept under the table the whole time, except when the waiters occasionally brought it some water or a snack.

The French are for the most part very civic-minded, however, about the dogs they bring to restaurants. I have never, ever seen a puppy or an adolescent dog in a nice restaurant in France. I'd hazard a guess that the youngest dog I've ever seen in an actual sit-down dining establishment was around 4 years old. I've only ever seen one dog misbehave, and the other customers at the restaurant were extremely aggressive about pushing the family with the poorly behaved dog out of the restaurant.

In the US, what I've noticed is that people are even more oblivious of the poor behavior of their dogs than they are of the poor behavior of their children. I'm glad dogs aren't allowed in restaurants in the US, because as much as I'd like to bring my dog with me I know exactly what a disastrous situation it would be if someone brought a poorly trained pit bull to Gramercy Tavern -- and I know that in New York there are thousands of people stupid enough to do that.

[menton1]

Absolutely, FG!! It is a people-problem, not a dog problem.

I was recently in a mall here and some toddlers were having "fun" screaming at the top of their lungs, and their parents were blithely continuing to browse in the store windows, as if nothing was happening!

Have to go, need to buy a lottery ticket so that I can relocate!!

[alkonin]

What you really need to do with your mindset is relocate to France.

this is the best piece of advice i have ever received.

[Holly Moore]

Anyplace with outdoor cafe-type seating is likely to be pet-friendly, and anyplace else that both serves food and allows pets (in the USA) is probably acting in violation of local laws.

I seem to remember sharing a table with a young bulldog and it's charming owners at Carman's Country Kitchen.

[Fat Guy]

Shhhh!

[Pugman]

Congrats on your upcoming adoption! (Can you tell something by my screen name?) Unless you can convince restaurants that your pug is in training to be an assitive companion (dog for deaf, etc.,) I think you're out of luck except for some sidewalk cafes.

Besides France, I've seen some extremely well-behaved dogs at restaurants in Belgium (including a very polite West Highland Terrier at an upscale place in Bruges). It's too bad that we're so uptight in this country.

Pugs love to go everywhere, but just keep in mind that they have difficulties in extreme weather (hot or cold).

Since he can't go to good restaurants, my pug does manage to guilt me out of my leftovers from Chicago's best. Not many dogs have had Elysian Fields Lamb and Foie Gras from Trio or duck from Spring. (Not that he REALLY appreciates them, since he'll also eat cat poop and business-reply cards.)

Picked out a name yet? Mine's Cha-Siu Bow Wow (some of you will find this very funny).

[herbacidal]

so why exactly is he a pork dog?

[Pugman]

Why is he a pork dog? Easy. He has a curly tail, snorts, is very intelligent, and eats everything...just like a pig. Also, the breed originated in China.

[cdh]

Why is he a pork dog? Easy. He has a curly tail, snorts, is very intelligent, and eats everything...just like a pig. Also, the breed originated in China.

Yup... pugs are the ideal candidate for the name pork-dog. They've got the curly tail, they make the right noises, they go crazy for scraps and leftovers (and just about anything else edible).

I could see issues with a young pug in a restaurant... mine (13 years old now) used to love to chase large moving things... dessert cart watch out! (she lost a front leg at 3 when she had delusions of grandeur and discovered that attacking a riding mower was a bad idea... also loved to stand in the middle of the road and challenge oncoming traffic... we always caught her before anything happened with that particular exuberance) Mine was also quite vocal when something interesting was beyond her reach... fine for outside in the country, but bad for inside. She develops convenient "itches" that occur (and require vocal yipping and yapping while scratching herself) when people around her have food and she doesn't... the show stops when food falls onto the floor near her. She was also quite pig-headed in the training context... would learn tricks, but only do them when the snacky reward was visible, no other time. And she would never, ever, reliably come when called. More often than not, she'd look at you, cock her head, and then run the other way. A lot of that has mellowed as she's gotten elderly, but now she's deaf and can't hear you call her name so the result is the same.

Pugs are great dogs... they get along well with cats, they are cute attention getters in public, they are smart, but they are good at manipulating the people around them.

[alkonin]

Picked out a name yet?

not yet. we've been waiting to get a dog for about a year now, and we've kept a running list of possible dog names in my filofax. some of the contenders, however, are:

girl names:

blanche

mona

rhoda

ruby

stella

maude

boy names:

Henry

Wallace

Tony

Arthur

Lionel

Schneider

any other suggestions? i like the idea of giving puppy a sort of silly human name, and I am partial to those names from 1970s tv shows (not that these names are all specifically from tv shows).

[Bux]

Kids and dogs are generally better behaved in adult settings in France than they are in the US. You are also more likely to see dogs in fine restaurants than kids. I don't have a great opinion of dogs in restaurants although because I am used to American customs, the first few times I saw large dogs in restaurant it seemed almost shocking--I've seen them sitting on chairs and with nose and paws on the table. After a while it seems natural. Health codes here generally forbid dogs in bars and restaurants although I've not noticed the French to be any less healthy than us.

France a uniquely hospitable country for dog owners. We have friends who live part time in the Languedoc. They rarely take their dog to a restaurant, but it's quite easy for them to travel within France and they rarely bother to even ask if a hotel will take dogs. On the other hand, traveling with them in Spain was a bit of a pain as most hotels will not admit dogs and our selection of hotels was quite limited.

I don't know the code in Philadelphia, but I'd be surprised if it permitted dogs inside restaurants.

[MatthewB]

any other suggestions? i like the idea of giving puppy a sort of silly human name, and I am partial to those names from 1970s tv shows (not that these names are all specifically from tv shows).

Lamont (from Sanford & Son) or Aunt Esther (same show).

No other names will do.

[alkonin]

Lamont (from Sanford & Son) or Aunt Esther (same show).

No other names will do.

Lamont is GREAT!

[guajolote]

any other suggestions?  i like the idea of giving puppy a sort of silly human name, and I am partial to those names from 1970s tv shows (not that these names are all specifically from tv shows).

Lamont (from Sanford & Son) or Aunt Esther (same show).

No other names will do.

grady

[KatieLoeb]

There was a woman in the lobby of my building last week waiting for the elevator. Her Pug was wearing a BURBERRY doggie trench coat! It was the funniest and cutest thing ever. Plaid collar lining was visible, it had the little epaulets at the "shoulders" and a little belt. Tres chic!

The name thing is tough. Pets should have a name that's easy to call. Human names are great if they suit the pet's personality or some attribute the pet has. An old neighbor of mine had a beautiful grey cat with six toes on his front feet. His paws looked like little boxing gloves as a result. His name was Cassius . My mom had a dachshund named Elvis. What a great dog. I miss him lots

Long dignified human names sometimes suit the smaller dogs. And then you just call it by it's nickname. Maximillian becomes Max or Maxie, Wallingford becomes Wally, The Czarina Alexandra becomes Lexie or Sasha, etc.

I like Lamont! And I like Ruby for a girl of the ones on your lists. I'd like to add Bijou (little jewel) to the list for girls and Watson and Oswald to the boys list.

[Marmish]

We also have a pug and a half (one is a Boston Terrier/Pug Mix). Kirby and Milo. On occasion, I volunteer for the N. IL. Pug Rescue. I also once made the acquaintance of a tiny pug named Ruby, who was the runt of her litter and full grown would fit in your pocket.

Congrats on your pug! They garner lots of attention wherever they go.