A pint with your pug? City unveils dog-friendly dining
‘The interest . . . has been growing, so being able to create a new policy to accommodate all interested parties is great.’ SEAN LYDON, Inspectional services commissioner
Boston’s dog-friendly dining program at beer gardens and outdoor restaurant patios officially launched this week, and nearly two dozen businesses have received special variances allowing customers to bring their canines to the al fresco spots, city officials said.
The program started Thursday, and officials in Mayor Michelle Wu’s office on Friday said 23 establishments have “approved dog-friendly patios.”
“OMG PUPPIES!” Dorchester Brewing Co. posted on its website about joining the program. “Thanks to the new dog-friendly spaces variance policy from the City of Boston, we’re excited to welcome pups on our outdoor patio starting on June 1! All puppers, pooches, woofers, and floofers welcome.”
The city is reviewing four other applications to become “DogFriendly Spaces,” officials said.
Dog-friendly spaces must be entirely outdoors, Wu’s office said last month, and establishments must ensure that no food preparation is happening in those areas. Customers are responsible for their dogs’ behavior and pets must remain leashed at all times.
“We’re committed to making Boston a vibrant, family-friendly city, and that means rethinking our outdoor spaces to better build community,” Wu said when she announced the program in May. “Residents and small business owners have been eager for four-legged family members to be able to enjoy our outdoor spaces too, so we’re happy to make this regulatory change allowing dogs on outdoor patios and beer gardens.”
Sean Lydon, commissioner of the city’s inspectional services department, said at the time that “creating these safe and sanitary dog friendly spaces is an exciting opportunity for both businesses and dog owners.”
“The interest for such an environment has been growing, so being able to create a new policy to accommodate all interested parties is great,” he said.
Segun Idowu, the city’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, said last month that the program was prompted by feedback from people interested in bringing their pets to outdoor restaurants and breweries.
“This policy change will help us advance Mayor Wu’s vision of a city that supports its small businesses, turns our neighborhoods into destinations, and creates opportunities for more residents to engage each other later into the night,” Idowu said in the city’s statement.
Businesses can fill out an online application for a dog dispensation, according to Wu’s office.
“We’re thrilled about the city’s decision to welcome dogs in beer gardens and Aeronaut Allston is eager to embrace this policy change,” Ronn Friedlander, cofounder of Aeronaut Brewing Co., said last month. “Our passion for cultivating an engaging community space in Allston is only enhanced by the opportunity to include our guests’ furry friends.”
Tim Smith, who was dining over the weekend at the Shy Bird in South Boston with his friend John Samela and Samela’s 2year-old blue poodle Charlotte, said the list of participating restaurants is limited.
“It’s going to be easier for friends with dogs to join us for things,” Smith said. “There are certain groups that will come, and I’m sure there will be others who won’t want dogs to be there.”