Not too many years ago, it was nearly impossible to find a dog-friendly place to eat outside of very small towns and very hip areas. Today, almost everywhere you turn that has any semblance of outdoor seating also has dog-friendly seating. Not only that, but many establishments have dog water bowls, places to hook up leashes, and even treats ready when you bring your pup to eat with you. Some of the most exciting spots even have dog menus, where you can order your pup a healthy (or very unhealthy) treat.
Things to consider
Dog cafes come with a lot of perceived pros...and some cons. While it’s great to say that your restaurant is dog-friendly, what does that mean for your pup? Well, the first thing to consider is that the restaurant owner might not be taking your pup’s best interest in mind when serving him any food. Especially at local places (not national chains who have been sued enough to figure it out), it’s important to be very careful before giving your dog any food.
Speaking of food, it’s very important to consider how aggressive your dog is with food before taking him out to an eating establishment. If your dog has the least bit of food aggression, you don’t want to worry about him taking a bite out of your neighbor’s hamburger, or worse, your neighbor’s finger, just because he isn’t trained yet to manage his food impulse. Lastly, many of these types of establishments are also very kid friendly, meaning you have to be very sure that children running around and being children isn’t going to upset your pup. Dogs and kids are great together except when they aren’t, and adults are very, very protective of their babies and fur-babies alike. It’s important to take into account that there might be other dogs, trained and untrained, as well as children, also trained and untrained, at these eating establishments and how those interactions might impact your pup and your meal. The best dog cafe is the cafe that is cool, calm, and collected and results in your dog having a wonderful meal with you and your family!