Eastern suburbs council bans dogs from entering ‘pet-friendly’ pubs
Pet-friendly pubs are urging a Sydney council to call off their dogs after it began enforcing an obscure health and safety law that has incensed publicans and patrons. Should dogs be allowed in pubs? TAKE THE POLL
NSW
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Pooches have been banned from Paddington pubs after the council last week enforced an obscure health and safety law, which has incensed publicans and patrons.
Pet-friendly Paddington pubs have told Woollahra Council to call off their dogs, claiming health inspectors would never kick a kelpie out of the front bar of an outback watering hole.
Hospitality giant Solotel boss Justine Baker, whose company owns the Paddo Inn, said the ban was heavy-handed and unnecessary.
“Our local customers are very upset they can’t bring their best mates to the pub anymore,” Ms Baker said.
“They are responsible dog owners and we are responsible pub operators so I can’t understand why it has to be a council issue.
“We respect the food safety laws and believe we can welcome our furry mates to the pub while keeping within the food safety regulations.”
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Health inspectors last week cracked down on Paddington pubs and threatened $880 fines after a Victorian woman complained about a dog in The London Hotel.
The London Hotel licensee Kingsley Smith, 50, said dogs have lain at the feet of patrons for decades.
“Legally you can’t have dogs in the pub but the law has never been enforced,” Mr Smith said.
“I remember coming here for a beer as a 20-year-old and there has always been dogs in here.
“They said we can create an area specially for dogs with no food or drinks, but it defeats the point of bringing your dog to the pub if you can’t have a beer.
“All through Europe and the UK you’re allowed to have dogs in pubs, so I don’t know why Australia has to have more and more rules in place.”
Mr Smith estimated he will lose 20 per cent of his weekend trade when he is forced to turn away regulars who stop in for a pint or a pinot while out walking their dogs.
Paddington resident Holly Asser, 27, was begrudgingly refused entry when she tried to take her dog Rosie into both The London Hotel and Paddo Inn on Wednesday night.
Ms Asser has sworn off midweek counter dinners because she refuses to leave her cavoodle cooped up inside all night as well as the working day.
“Dogs make people happy – they add a great atmosphere and everyone pats them – and the dogs sit quietly on the floor so I don’t understand what the problem is,” Ms Asser said.
“It should be up to publicans whether they let dogs inside, not the council.
“It’s just really sad and all my friends are rightly outraged. It’s a backwards step for our city.”
A spokesman for Woollahra Council rejected suggestions health inspectors were being overzealous, instead claiming they were upholding state and federal laws.
“While there have been no recent changes to legislation, we have been working with food and drinks premises to educate regarding requirements in response to changing social trends and a gap in understanding of which areas are appropriate for dogs and which are not,” the spokesman said.
Publicans have backed a bill by Balmain Greens MP Jamie Parker currently being considered by Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock, which would give pub owners the power to decide whether or not dogs are allowed inside their venues.
“We shouldn’t have to rely on councils to turn a blind eye in order to let a dog into a pub,” Mr Parker said.
“A lot of pubs want to be friendly to dogs and dog-owners, which some pubs use to promote their venue, while other pubs don’t allow dogs.
“The law we’re proposing is to let publicans decide whether or not they want dogs in their venue.”
A spokesman for Ms Hancock said the bill to allows dogs inside pubs was being “actively considered”.
The Inner West Council dumped the dog ban in 2017 without waiting for new legislation, when mayor Darcy Byrne made it clear to council rangers not to hound pet-friendly pubs.
“We’ve had dogs in pubs in Balmain and across the inner west for more than a century and it had never been a problem,” Mr Byrne said.
“When the unelected council started issuing warning letters to pubs based on complaints I sent a strong message that persecuting publicans who had long histories of allowing pet owners to drink at pubs was not a priority, and the issue resolved itself.”
A petition to allow dogs in NSW pubs created by online review site Pupsy – which grades hospitality businesses on how pet-friendly they are – has attracted 3,000 signatures. See the petition at here.
Originally published as Eastern suburbs council bans dogs from entering ‘pet-friendly’ pubs