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Susy Smith loves the new breed of dog café but wonders if it’s a recipe for canine chaos
have always been of the opinion that a walk – whether in town or country – should include a well-placed pub or café en route. Better still, it should take in a pit stop that welcomes dogs. Happily, there are plenty of these in and around the local parks where we walk Finlay, our cocker spaniel. Indeed, in this neck of the woods, enterprising proprietors have opened cafés specifically designed for dog walkers. Once you have tired out your pooch, you can refuel and relax with a coffee while your four-legged friend has a treat, too.
I’m not just talking about a dog biscuit or two here: canine menus can be surprisingly inventive these days. When my daughters took Finlay to a dog-friendly café for his first birthday, he was offered a Puppuccino (a bowl of warm, frothy milk with dog treats at the bottom) and a Pupcake (a sort-of carrot cupcake). His initial response was mixed. He lapped up the drink in an instant but the cake, topped with a lighted candle and served to the accompaniment of “Happy Birthday”, momentarily fazed him. However, as soon as the candle was removed and the cake lowered to his snout, he very rudely snatched it and ran off, determined not to share it with any of his well-wishers!
Dogs have long been welcomed in pubs and even some hotels, but most cafés and restaurants used to be deemed out of bounds: even though there is no UK law banning dogs, food hygiene regulations oblige café owners to exclude domestic animals from areas where food is prepared. In recent years, however, many cafés and restaurants have become more relaxed, not only tolerating dogs in seating areas but actively advertising their dog-friendly creds. In this respect, pets have been beneficiaries of the pandemic, when many eateries created outside areas for customers. Now, in these cash-strapped times when businesses need all the custom they can get, many continue to extend their hospitality to dogs – and have added bespoke catering on top. I thought it was hilarious when I first saw menus designed for dogs but I guess it makes good business sense to add a few extras to the dog-loving customers’ bill.
Sometimes, however, I can’t help feeling it’s all gone a bit too far. I see that The Dogvine, the self-styled “go-to blog for London dogs”, lists restaurants that not only provide bowls and beds and allow dogs on the seats, but whose doggie menus include cooked-to-order speci
