Lunch With Fido?

Animals stay out! Parchita waits for me on the sidewalk.

 Dogs accompany us at home, on walks, on vacation. So, why can't they join us at lunch?

Bogotá's prohibition against pets in restaurants is irregularly enforced, but does leave lots of dogs tied up in doorways in the sun or rain while their owners enjoy lunch or dinner.

No dogs allowed.

Now, Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, (although no favorite of the animalistas lobby because of the reappearance of bullfighting in Bogotá), wants to let the animals in.

In fact, what good reason is there to keep animals out? Dogs are dirty, but so are people. And many animals are better behaved than their owners. Besides, the person who pets his or her dog before entering a restaurant carries in lots of that animal's microbes, anyway. And at home pet owners share their kitchens and dining rooms with their animals to no apparent ill effects. (In fact, lots of research shows that early exposure to animals and their microbes helps kids develop healthy immune systems.)

This seems like the sort of thing which the market can decide: Restaurants which believe that their customers like animals could let them in, while more formal, straight-laced places can keep them out.


By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours