Dining Out With DOGS is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. He couldn’t do a lot but he enjoyed going out to eat so I took him out as often as I could. Instead of his 3-6 month diagnoses he made it another seventeen months. Today my current dogs enjoy going out to eat.

There are several things you need to know before you dine out with dogs. Most restaurants in metro Phoenix do have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. You need to see a dog friendly sign on the patio. If you don’t see a dog friendly you need to call the restaurant and ask if it’s ok to dine there with your dog. I highly suggest to dine out with your dogs at off times. You need to avoid as many other people and dogs as possible. Many people don’t share your love for dogs. Other people might be allergic to dogs. You also want to avoid dining with other dogs because dogs like to bark at each other and you might be asked to leave. Save yourself all this possible trouble. Call the restaurant first and ask if it’s ok to dine with your dog and dine at an off time.

There are also rules for dining out with dogs. Dogs are not to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off restaurant plates. Dogs also must be close to your side at all times.

You need to be aware that much of the food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even TOXIC to your dog. You must get a list from your veterinarian of safe and non-safe foods for dogs. Usually a small lean piece of un-sauced meat is usually safe. You should also bring a water bowl from home for your dog when dining out.

The other thing that you need to be aware of is that your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. All dogs are just like people and do have different heat tolerances. For most but not all younger healthy dogs 90 degrees F and over is too hot to dine out with dogs. Maybe up to 90 degrees but only in full shade. When in doubt it’s always better to leave your dog home.

Now we are ready to dine out with dogs.

I’m turning my blog over to my dogs so they can tell their story.

“We are on our way to Salad and Go in North Phoenix but they removed all the tables that we used to sit at.”

“FORK” “No tables”

“Looks like we are driving by a window where sacks come out”

“This table behind Salad and Go at The Hilton is really nice!”

“There is even a trash can that we will use!”

“We mostly ate chicken off the seasonal Harvest Salad.” Tried a little bit of mozzarella cheese off and antipasto style salad.” “We enjoyed what we ate from Salad and Go!”

www.SaladandGo.com

“We are on our way to Bottega Ristorante Pizzeria in Glendale!” “They serve Italian foods and pizza!”

“Female companion that we depend on for food is getting the half soup and salad….I don’t smell any food in her soup…only vegetables.” “Oh thank goodness she got some chicken added on to her salad!”

“Our male human companion got the half Italian dried beef panino with a cup of pasta fagoli.”

“We always enjoy EVERYTHING we eat at Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante!”

www.BottegaRistorante.com

“We are on our way to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix.” “They are a PHO-FREE Vietnamese Restaurant that specializes in serving around a dozen different banh mi baguette sandwiches and also offer most of your Vietnamese favorites…except for Pho.”

“Today one human companion got a pork rice plate filled with a very generous portion of tasty moist pork.”

“Our other human companion got the curry chicken with rice….and it smells really Forking Good!”

“Ummmm it does smell really intoxicating!”

“We always enjoy everything we eat from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery!”

www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

“Well that was dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix for December 2019.” “We hope to see you you next month and for now we hope you have a happy holiday and a really Forking Great New Year!”