A number of social norms have been broken lately.
Public language is coarser. Dress codes for Broadway shows are looser.
And dogs are having their day.
We see them everywhere: Stores. Supermarkets. Even restaurants.
(And no — they are not all service animals.)
Most are on the small side.
Some are not.
This was the scene yesterday, at Barnes & Noble:
Let’s crowd source this.
What’s the appropriate etiquette for dogs in public indoor spaces? Does it vary by size, or type of establishment? Why do owners want to bring their dogs everywhere? Why would others object? And who should make the call?
Click “Comments” below. Please use your full, real name — and let us know whether you own a dog, or not.
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Speaking of dogs: Cat Malkin writes, “Yogi Bear enjoyed seeing Santa and eating delicious treats at Earth Animal yesterday. He (Yogi) supported supported their holiday wreath sale — with 100% of the proceeds going to CT Foodshare.
“Yogi wants all pet-loving Westporters know they can bring pet food — and old towels and blankets — to Earth Animal. They’ll make sure it goes to pets in need.
“You can also bring dog and cat food to the Homes with Hope food pantry (Gillespie Center on Jesup Road, behind Barnes & Noble) and the Connecticut Humane Society (now at 863 Danbury Road, Wilton).
“Yogi says, ‘Woof, woof, woof. Happy Holidays to all!'”
Yogi and Santa. (Photo/Cat Malkin)
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Speaking of Santa: The transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas occurs smoothly.
And everywhere.
This was the scene yesterday, at Compo Beach:
(Photo/Regi Kendig)
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Last month marked the 5th anniversary of Wheels2U service.
From its beginning in 2020 during the early months of the COVID pandemic — serving a handful of riders in a portion of Westport — it has grown to cover the entire town, providing a record 3,069 rides in October alone.
Wheels2U is projected to book over 31,000 rides in the fiscal year ending June 30.
Commuters to and from Westport, seniors and families across Westport rely on it every weekday.
For just $2, the service offers curb-to-curb and curb-to-platform transportation to destinations including the Saugatuck and Greens Farms train stations, Senior Center, Jesup Green and Imperial Avenue Farmers’ Market.
Key features include:
- Seamless technology: An app-based booking system allows riders to schedule trips and track vehicles in real time.
- Sustainability impact: Transitioned in November to more comfortable and fuel-efficient vehicles, saving an estimated 4,100 gallons of fuel and reducing 80,000 pouds of CO₂ emissions annually (equivalent to the yearly energy use of 5 homes). A switch to electric vehicles this spring will further reduce emissions
- Expanded service hours: Extended morning service to and from the 2 train stations to 10:30 a.m., and evening service to 9:30 pm. Added service Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to downtown locations.
- Exceptional rider satisfaction: Maintains a 4.9/5 average ride rating, with 95% of all reviews at 5 stars. The average wait time for a pickup is under 12 minutes.
Wheels2U
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Oyster Turkey tail mushrooms make their first appearance in our “Westport … Naturally” series today.
Nancy Axthelm spotted these edible fungi at Winslow Park.
(Photo/Nancy Axthelm)
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And finally … you may have guessed this was coming:
(Yogi Bear says, “You don’t need to be smarter than the average bear to help ‘06880.’ You just need to click here, to support the hyper-local blog that every person and dog loves. Arf!”
I am an absolute dog lover, but I think it’s incredibly rude and inappropriate to bring a dog to a restaurant and/or store. But it’s classic Westport…
I agree with Michael. Any experience for me would be even better with a dog to relate to, but many other people don’t feel that way and I respect that. Dogs don’t belong in restaurants or stores
I am a dog owner and I leave Shelby home when I go out. If I tell her “I’m going to the store,” no matter where I’m going, she knows I will always come back. When I see dogs left alone in their cars, I wonder if their owners are aware that the car, along with the pup could be STOLEN? It’s my opinion that dogs should not be in retail establishments or restaurants. They aren’t’ allowed at the Westport Farmers Market, according to their site :* Sorry no furry friends per the health department.” Occasionally, there are dogs at outdoor cafes. I worry about dogs who may not be well behaved- and there are some- who might react negatively. I say leave them home.
I’ve been and continue to be a proponant of Wheels 2 U and encourage Westporters (In particular my retired neighbors) to use it. I was sorry to hear my neighbors experience. They needed a ride to Greens Farms Train station during the stated hours of service. Twice now they weren’t able to. The first time was through the app (no joy there) and the second time they called the booking number to speak with a ‘live’ person. Their experience was frustrating. Their phone call was pleasant but the person they spoke to wasn’t able to help them determine if or when Wheels 2 U could come to their address or even if they could! In questioning they they learned that the employee in Norwalk couldn’t do much more then consult the app which didn’t help determine when or if a vehicle would get to them much less on time for their train.
I still beleive Wheels 2 U is the future for Westport but like autonomous vehicles it still needs to be debugged…..and I hope it’s soon so those who have tried to end it don’t get the oportunity to remove it from the budget. Could AI help here?(Hope Peter Gold gets to read this or someone gets it to him).
Mark
Thanks for being a supporter of Wheels2U and thanks also for letting me know about the problems your neighbors have had with it. If you –or they–can provide me with the details, for example, when the problem occurred, I can look into it and make any necessary corrections. They are also free to call me directly should they have any problems in the future so they can be addressed “in real time”.
it’s another reason I prefer to eat at home
I’m delighted you asked this question, Dan! I have been seeing more and more people taking their dogs with them into Westport restaurants and stores. Although I, too, like dogs, I find the practice to be incredibly inconsiderate.
LOVE LOVE LOVE dogs but do not bring them inside a store or restaurant regardless of size. Some restaurants have an outdoor patio and allow dogs which is fine if people allergic/afraid of dogs know in advance. Lose the fake “service dog” harnesses too pls.
Except that people will not know in advance. There is no reasonable expectation of an encounter with a pet in a store or a restaurant. Unfortunately, too many owners assume everybody’s a dog lover, especially their dog. I have a grand dog.
Dogs: Having been to France countless times I’ve witnessed well behaved dogs at restaurants but almost always at sidewalk tables occasionally inside but far lass frequently. For decades my wife and I have hosted ‘rescue’ animals, sometimes a couple at a time. We try to bring them with us when it’s practical. There are many limitations in public especially indoors. There are many people who are fearful of dogs (for good reason) and many more that are allergic. Another concern is when two or more dogs are indoors there can and often are personally issues between them bringing about frightening situations of restraining the animals. Bringing any dog that’s not a documented and TRAINED service animal to any public area (especially enclosed areas) is only acceptable with explicit advance permission and agreement.
I love dogs and I loved my “Dora” for 18 years. But nope on dogs in restaurants (in or out) and no dogs in stores.
As a dog lover, Almost anywhere that is appropriate to bring a child, with the exception of str down restaurants and health care facilities, are fine to bring a down.
I am fearful of dogs and I do not want them in the stores or the restaurants. The stores do not seem to have any control over the banning of dogs. It seems that the health department does nothing to enforce the law, you cannot even get a return call from them. I do not like them near the food that I want to buy or when I am eating in a restaurant. What can be done about this?
Health Department please respond.
Katherine, I agree with you. By the way, I was friends with Patty Calise. She went to Central Catholic in Norwalk. How are you related to her?
My grandfather, on my mother’s side, had Calise cousins from the New Britain area. One cousin married our aunt. Could they be related?
I’m perfectly ok with dogs in stores, or outside seats at restaurants.
Me too
Pretty sure that’s turkey tail – it’s good as a tea, but not for eating.
If dogs are well-behaved, I love having them anywhere. Most babies and children are less well-behaved than most dogs.
WASA (Westport Animal Shelter Advocates) just dropped off a large quantity of quality dog and cat food at Bridgeport Animal Control (236 Evergreen Street, Bridgeport). On any given day, staff are responsible for the care of 95 5o 120 dogs as well as a large number of cats and kittens. With their budget being cut again by the powers that be in Bridgeport, tough decisions and situations exist in regard to the appropriate care – vet care and nutrition – for these abandoned animals. Unfortunately this scenario is the norm for over-crowded municipal shelters in CT as the number of abandoned animals continues to climb, the number of organizations that help abandoned or soon-to-be-abandoned pets in CT decline and vet costs rise. It’s a crisis situation. Most municipal shelters do not have volunteers groups like WASA that fund vet care, provide fostering and pet care duties as well as fill in gapps in regard to special dietary needs of the “guests”. Think about helping CT’s municipal shelters before making donations – monetary or supplies – to facilities with millions in their coffers.
This doesn’t seem like a black and white issue (except with regard to indoor dining, where dogs should not be). Popping into B&N to quickly buy a book while you have a leashed dog—or maybe even browsing for a bit—isn’t a big deal. Most people wouldn’t be bothered by that. OTOH, bringing a 90 lb dog inside and then sitting down and making a phone call while people can barely get past your dog to get to whatever section he is blocking comes off as oblivious and selfish. Common sense and consideration for others, rather than hard and fast rules, are what is required.
This is a complete black and white issue. Leave your dogs at home. People are allergic to big and small dogs – size doesn’t matter. Some people, like my daughter, are even allergic to hypoallergenic dogs. If left to common sense, people like you would bring dogs to stores and restaurants. Please don’t be selfish, respect others, and don’t bring your dogs into stores or restaurants.
Another dog lover who has had many dogs over my lifetime (over 70 years). But there is a time and place for everything and except for service dogs, dogs do not belong in any stores or indoor restaurants. Same reasons as above – respect and consideration for others and the just-in-case scenario where one dog and another do not get along.
I am dog lover. We walk our 58 lb Goldendoodle
everyday and on occasion bring him into a couple of Main Street establishments known for having dog treats. Max remembers every one it is a quick in and out visit.
We’ve brought him to outdoor dining spots exactly twice. We hated having him there, and I think he hated being there.
So we do not take him to run errands or go out to eat. We don’t bring him to friend’s homes unless he is expressly invited (as he is next Saturday).
So I think walking dogs outdoors is fine nearly everywhere. We respect property owners and tjose neighbors who do not appreciate dogs on their property. I do not like to see dogs in restaurants and any type of food store.
Interestingly, just this week while doing some last minute grocery shopping at Wegman’s grocery store, a woman had a small dog IN A SHOPPING CART!!!
No, no, and no!
Thanks for opening up this dialogue. Let me start by saying that I love dogs. Have had them in my life either as an owner or a lover of friend’s dogs, for about 7 decades. I have watched in amusement as dogs have gone from being dogs who most often were left at home; to being children who are taken everywhere with their families. I have sat next to dogs on planes; watched them trail around their owners in shops everywhere and sit next to me in restaurants while I am eating and they are drooling. I personally do not think that dogs have the same ‘rights’ as children – people forget that they are animals and as such, animals can snap, get out of control, and cause fights with other dogs and cause allergies in humans. I believe that dogs do better at home — it is their human’s needs that are being met by bringing them to many human places. I bet if they could talk they might say —“leave me home to sleep”!
About the question “why woud others object ?” I have an answer. I love animals but I am highly allergic to them and that certianly includes dogs, Its like a silent disability.
If kids can’t bring peanut butter to school because of the potential allergies of others, then why should dogs be allowed in restaurants and store. Their presence can ruin a meal or outing or worse an unwelcome trip to the emergency room.