Bar Josephine Footscray facing dog ban after council crackdown
It’s on the aptly-named Barkly St, but a Footscray pub’s doggie days are over after a council crackdown on pooches being let inside. The pup-friendly venue has been threatened with a huge fine if it doesn’t ban its long-running custom.
North West
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Dog-friendly pubs across Melbourne’s west say they are being hounded by the council over legislation banning pooches from inside pubs.
Footscray’s Bar Josephine, aptly located on Barkly St, has been slapped with a warning from Maribyrnong Council following complaints about their canine patrons.
The bar faces a$200,000 fine if they continue to breach the Australian Food Standards Code, which bans dogs, except assistance dogs, from inside premises serving food.
But owner Aaron Donato says he will not roll over on the issue.
“Nobody has complained to me or gone against it on social media, so clearly there’s been a complaint to (the) council.”
Mr Donato said the bar has been letting dogs inside for almost three years with no issues and
the venue would not be the same without them.
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“I couldn’t think of a day we haven’t had a dog in the bar,” he said.
“It’s going to be awful if we can’t let them in anymore, I’d be so disappointed.
“People that don’t have dogs love it, they get to have a pat, you get to hold them and play with them.”
A petition calling for dogs to be allowed inside has been started by the bar owner and already has several hundred signatures.
“We’ve run out of pages already, people are coming in just to sign the petition,” Mr Donato said.
He said the dog ban was absurd because the council promoted the venue as dog-friendly on their website.
“They literally have photos of dogs inside our bar on their site,” Mr Donato said.
The Ascot Lot owner Jacob Bettio said his venue in Ascot Vale was only allowed to have dogs in designated outdoor areas, but he believed dogs should be allowed inside.
“Bringing dogs to the venue is a major drawcard for us and people love to sit down and have a beer with their dog,” he said.
“It’s only a benefit and we really don’t understand the health risks associated to be honest.”
Maribyrnong Council planning services director Nigel Higgins said the issue fell under state legislation and was enforced by local government.
“Following complaints regarding Bar Josephine, including a dog on the bar, the owners have been provided with a warning – no enforcement action has been taken at this time,” he said.
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Footscray state Labor MP Katie Hall said she was a regular at the bar and was looking into a viable solution.
“I’ve often taken my dog Maggie into Bar Josephine, and I know it’s a very welcoming space for four-legged friends,” she said.
“The Food Standards Code is set by the Federal Government, although it’s enforced under state and local laws.
“I’m looking into this issue to see whether there are any potential exemptions available and will keep Bar Josephine’s owners informed.”