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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

City Deep Thought

Posted by on Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 3:30 PM

Other patrons will turn a blind eye when you bring your dog into a bar—in violation of various health codes—so long as your dog is not disruptive. A smelly dog* is a disruptive dog. Leave your stanky mutt outside, please.

* "smelly dog" is here defined as any dog that people sitting on the other side of the bar can smell.

 

Comments (82) RSS

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1
This is why I prefer drinking at home.

Stop by QFC, pick out a nice red for around $8.99 a bottle, "forget" to pay, and cozy up on the couch.
Posted by just like erica on March 17, 2009 at 3:37 PM
2
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweek…
Posted by this comment will now be deleted. on March 17, 2009 at 3:37 PM
3
I so hate dogs.
Posted by sepiolida on March 17, 2009 at 3:40 PM
4
Of course, most people stink worse than most dogs.
Posted by Simac on March 17, 2009 at 3:42 PM
5
I'm outraged when anyone violates codes. Which bars have done this heinous act? Name names! Who is it? Anyone who disrespects the law should be called out in public for it.

Seriously, did you complain to the staff? What did they say?
Posted by elenchos on March 17, 2009 at 3:42 PM
6
Damnit Dan -- what carrot cake did you eventually go with? How was it?
Posted by The Cake is not a Lie on March 17, 2009 at 3:42 PM
7
@5
You would be happy in Germany, undoubtedly, because you could report such violations to the Office of Order as violations of the Order.
Posted by Simac on March 17, 2009 at 3:43 PM
8
I define a smelly dog as any dog that I can smell, period. Shouldn't be in bars or restaurants, ever.
Posted by Fnarf on March 17, 2009 at 3:43 PM
9
People shouldn't own dogs that can't be left at home for a couple of hours. Give them up to a rescue society who will put them with families that can give them proper care. If you have to bring it to the bar or restaurant, then you and that dog are a bad match.
Posted by Matt from Denver on March 17, 2009 at 3:44 PM
10
haha you got scooped by the Weekly! in your own backyard - funny. you guys really don't pay your staff well...you should give erica a raise so she can buy wine instead of steal it! i kinda figured she posted drunk...
Posted by she on March 17, 2009 at 3:45 PM
11
Stanky?

Don't you mean skanky?

We love em at Norm's anyway.
Posted by Will in Seattle on March 17, 2009 at 3:45 PM
12
Some dogs are just oily.
Posted by guilder on March 17, 2009 at 3:48 PM
13
Anyone else notice how Dan has gotten a little "get off my lawn" this week?
Posted by Oh that on March 17, 2009 at 3:50 PM
14
Why stop at stanky dogs? Extend it to people. Also why stop at odor? Extend it to visual and auditory nastiness, like that really whiny bitch with the grating laugh. Or the fugly fat lady who makes me want to vomit every time she stuffs more fries into her mouth. Ugh.
Posted by don't stop on March 17, 2009 at 3:50 PM
15
Am I having an extremely lame case of deja vu, or was this exact same thing posted yesterday?
Posted by Mr T on March 17, 2009 at 3:51 PM
16
Heck, I'm envious you're at a bar.
Posted by kim in portland on March 17, 2009 at 3:56 PM
17
Just as I was reading this, a young lady brought a dog through the door at Bimbo's.


Also, fellow Slog fuckers, it's my birthday. Come buy me drinks.

Posted by Matt Fuckin' Hickey on March 17, 2009 at 3:58 PM
18
The Daily Weekly regulars are popping huge boners over this shoplifting business.
Posted by tabletop_joe on March 17, 2009 at 3:59 PM
19
@17

Nobody cares.
Posted by you are your biggest fan on March 17, 2009 at 4:01 PM
20
I don't understand this, really. I mean, why must one bring a dog to a restaurant? Our dog is crate trained and runs to his crate for treats. For a few hours, he's great. Besides, I'm sure he'd beg for food from the table. . .
Posted by Balt-O-Matt on March 17, 2009 at 4:02 PM
21
A lot of us are, @18, because the unique blend combination of nonstop ramped-up holier-than-thouness and ethical shortcomings that ECB provides is just irresistible.

Was there a mug shot? Please, oh God, please tell me there was a mug shot. I'll cream my jeans if there was.
Posted by youknowitstrue on March 17, 2009 at 4:03 PM
22
Happy Fucking Birthday, Mister Hickey. You'll have to come to Wallingford for your drink, I'm afraid.
Posted by Fnarf on March 17, 2009 at 4:06 PM
23
Seriously. Leave the dog at home else unless it has legitimate medical reasoning to come, or the bar is marketing itself towards dog owners. People and their entitlement issues...
Posted by Abby on March 17, 2009 at 4:07 PM
24
I'd rather a smelly dog than a caterwauling baby. Or the toddler that stares at me, drooling. Or the "cute kid" who is allowed to roam around unattended, walking right up to my table and talking to me while I eat. Or just about any child, frankly.

Readers vs. Breeders
Posted by eric on March 17, 2009 at 4:08 PM
25
I better go bathe my pitbull then.
Posted by g on March 17, 2009 at 4:11 PM
26
Seriously...REGISTRATION NOW!!!

Kill off the Trolls before they get worse.

I'd take Ecce Hommo (if he were real) over most of these new dorks...
Posted by michael strangeways on March 17, 2009 at 4:13 PM
27
Candidates for mayor should never dis dogs (even smelly ones).
Posted by Joe on March 17, 2009 at 4:13 PM
28
@24, but you're always safe from children and babies at a bar in Washington! Seriously that's the best thing about our draconian liquor laws.
Posted by lily on March 17, 2009 at 4:15 PM
29
#24

Fuck you.
Posted by tabletop_joe on March 17, 2009 at 4:17 PM
30
Dan won't out them here because he needs their advertising dollars, right Dan?

Hooker and escort ads only go so far.

Posted by Jeff on March 17, 2009 at 4:18 PM
31
@26, You mean register for comments?

Or register for community service. Like when you get caught stealing a bottle of wine from QFC, for example.
Posted by $8.99 on March 17, 2009 at 4:21 PM
32
I got kicked out of Norm's for giving a look of incredulousness at the owner of a dog that was the size of a small horse in the bar ON A SATURDAY NIGHT.

Or maybe it was because I made pistol fingers and pointed at the dog.

Either way, that woman is a bitch. Thank god she's got her pony instead of children.
Posted by Fuck you and your dog. on March 17, 2009 at 4:22 PM
33
In all seriousness Dan...

Can we just have an ECB stole a bottle of wine post and get this BS over with?

Everyone wants their pound of flesh, and this will at least allow us to comment normally on other posts without them being hijacked by this craziness.

Why are you being so hypocritical and not doing it?

Seriously?

Ohh and my dog has gone to bars with me before. But he is a cute friendly lab and everyone loves him. And nope.. he doesn't smell.
Posted by Inquiring minds want to know on March 17, 2009 at 4:28 PM
34
Would just ONE of you please complain to the staff when somebody brings a dog in to a bar and then come back and tell us what they said? I want to know.

I'd do it but for some reason in my bizarro world no dogs come into bars when I'm there.
Posted by elenchos on March 17, 2009 at 4:30 PM
35
I was going to give Dan grief about being in a bar at 3:30 in the afternoon, but what the fuck - he's Irish and it's St. Patrick's Day, he's allowed.

Maybe the dog's Irish too.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on March 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM
36
@33: because then the douchebags win. I hope they never post something about it.
Posted by Abby on March 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM
37
@17 - happy birthday! you'll have to come to University Heights (2nd floor, north end) at the 43rd Dems social followed by meeting between 6:30 and 9, but I'll spot you a drink (Guinness, Henry's, red/white).
Posted by Will in Seattle on March 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM
38
oh and @36 for the douchebag-free Seattle win.
Posted by Will in Seattle on March 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM
39
I may be a douchebag, @36, but I'm an ethical one. And we all know that the Stranger would be all the fuck over a journalist at any other local rag that did this.
Posted by Is the Stranger's cred compromised? on March 17, 2009 at 4:36 PM
40
@2

LOL, the only comments on the Weekly blog are about Savage and ECB. Sad.
Posted by frat boy weakly on March 17, 2009 at 4:37 PM
41
Abby, I'm sure it's "douchebag," singular. It'll be old news in a day or two and he'll move on to something else. He probably has the attention span of a gnat.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on March 17, 2009 at 4:38 PM
42
Yeah, just like that Christopher Friezelle 'I'm not condoning rape, but-' story. That blew over quickly and with no fanfare, right?

I mean, the internet is a forgiving place.
Posted by Seriously? on March 17, 2009 at 4:45 PM
43
Dogs do not belong in bars. Period. It's funny how entitled some people feel to disregard the law when it's not convenient.
Posted by BYU Bottom Boy on March 17, 2009 at 4:50 PM
44
@42 Don't forget the guy who is still mad that Dan endorsed the war on Iraq.
Posted by grudgy mcgrudge on March 17, 2009 at 4:53 PM
45
Hey Abby ever been trashed in print by Erica Barnett?? If you had and she had never even bothered to talk with you, you too would be excited as a kid in a candy store. It is fascinating to watch the implosion.
Posted by ilikewine on March 17, 2009 at 4:53 PM
46
Bush was the most pro-ECB president we ever had. America needs to stand strong with ECB now. The Stranger has gone against conventional Seattle wisdom and been pro-ECB. Bush is the best American president ECB has ever known, and many in the Seattle Jewish community appreciate what Bush has done for ECB.
Posted by Josh on March 17, 2009 at 5:05 PM
47
@39,

No, actually we don't. Give one example, just ONE fucking example, of a Stranger staffer trashing another columnist for something that columnist did on his or her own time.
Posted by keshmeshi on March 17, 2009 at 5:07 PM
48
dogs are cleaner than babies that are sitting in their own filth.
Posted by tracey s, Portland OR on March 17, 2009 at 5:10 PM
49
Dogs gross me out. I probably couldn't eat or drink if the there was a smelly dog (or human, or cat, or goat, or minataur, or whatever-the-fuck. It's usually dogs.) nearby. Especially if it's one of those light colored dogs with the black eye boogers. Nasty. Not that I think it should be illegal. I just think that people should be a little more considerate on their own than to subject people to their animal stink.

But then again, apaprently my house smells like garbage and I hardly notice anymore. It's just as likely at the odor-offenders didn't realize just how offensive their pet's stink really was.
Posted by Register? Not in a million. on March 17, 2009 at 5:10 PM
50
@ 17,

Happy Birthday!

Now, this Irish girl is going to get herself a drink.
Posted by kim in portland on March 17, 2009 at 5:19 PM
51
@47

What about trashing Knute Berger for living in Kirkland? Was that fair? Or Frank Blethen for what kind of car he drives? Or for once taking up two parking paces in said car? Want more?

Anything is fair game from what I can see. Don't even get me started on the "New Column" episodes mocking Venus Velasquez for her DUI or Richard McIver for his domestic violence...
Posted by elenchos on March 17, 2009 at 5:27 PM
52
keshmeshi@47, you want one fucking example?

http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/04/more…

And, while he's not technically a columnist anymore, can anyone forget this?

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Conte…

Notice who authored both of those? Shit like THIS, combined with ECB's joy at snarkily scolding anyone and everyone, is why this whole affair is so hilarious.
Posted by LOL on March 17, 2009 at 5:28 PM
53
I don't get the anti-dog thing. Service animals are allowed everywhere. Service animals are not magically free of odor, dirt, germs, or drool and yet, except for the Muslim taxi drivers in parts of Minnesota, nobody complains about their presence. If I bring my dog anywhere, which I do very rarely, it is only to a place with an outdoor patio.

p.s. Dog haters, don't go to France. You'd be in Hell. Puppies galore...everywhere including restaurants. They're so dog friendly they have restaurants dogs can get into that kids under 18 years old can't
Posted by yucca flower on March 17, 2009 at 5:39 PM
54
Come on, Elenchos, Blethen's Porsche Cayenne is completely inexcusable.
Posted by Fnarf on March 17, 2009 at 5:40 PM
55
Fnarf,

Can you please pull your head out of Savage's ass for five minutes and tell us how owning a car is worse than shoplifting?

Posted by LOL on March 17, 2009 at 5:58 PM
56
NEW COLUMN IDEA:

The Stranger's "Stupid Fucking Credulous Thief" of the Day!
Posted by AOL on March 17, 2009 at 5:59 PM
57
We live in same hood, Dan, and one of the bar owners encouraged me to bring my dog into the bar. The staff of an adjacent bar offers up cooked bacon for my dog that was never once asked to leave by any patron--everyone smiled and wanted to pet my furry friend.

My favorite café, still in our neighborhood, has cookies for the dogs. My dog was always greeted with smiles up until curmudgeonly customer pitched a fit for everyone to hear. The staff apologized for the customer who was, and I quote, "a total cunt."

Don't castigate dog owners, Dan, your gripes lie with the establishments that encourage neighborhood relations.

Also? Buy your staff a beer today. From what I read regarding Erica's actions, I'm guessing your employees can't afford their own drinks.
Posted by James on March 17, 2009 at 6:00 PM
58
People, how can you care about a dog in a hipster (read:smelly) bar with peanuts all over the floor? That being said, I only used to bring my near-pony sized dog to places with outdoor patios as well, and sometimes the pub over on the corner of Mercer. I want to keep defending dogs, and their owners, but most suck, just like most parents suck.

Talk about cognitive dissonance!
Posted by Tizzle on March 17, 2009 at 6:01 PM
59
@ 17,

If today is your birthday, shouldn't your name be Pat Fuckin' Hickey?

Also, Happy Birthday but I'm not buying you a green beer.
Posted by yucca flower on March 17, 2009 at 6:01 PM
60
Transients smell much worse than dogs, yet they are god's children too.
Posted by Train your dog, then dog your train on March 17, 2009 at 6:07 PM
61
@55, the Slog is not a court of law. We don't sit in judgement here -- well, you do, but not the sane ones.

Lots of things are worse than owning a car (though not many are worse than owning a Porsche Cayenne), but not all of them are discussed here. Why, just the other day, a fellow was arraigned for two counts of felonious larceny of a motor vehicle in Greenville, NC, but there's no outcry for Slog coverage.
Posted by Fnarf on March 17, 2009 at 6:24 PM
62
@54, do you even have any idea what a Porche Cayenne msrp's for?

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…

It's not "inexcusable" and it's not a $300,000 Bentley.
Posted by ECB: Hack, Hypocrite, Thief on March 17, 2009 at 6:27 PM
63
I be dang if I can find anything regarding keeping dogs out of bars or even restaurants in the Revised Code of Washington. What health codes is Dan talking about?
Posted by Ruff Bark on March 17, 2009 at 6:27 PM
64
@57

I don't care who calls me a cunt. Dogs don't belong in bars. Fuck you and your fucking dog.
Posted by One angry cunt. on March 17, 2009 at 6:30 PM
65
@53, it's called "civilization". You should look into it. Dogs in Parisian restaurants are well-behaved, and tiny, not gallumphing behemoths whose owners think they're in a corral somewhere. Seattle is unusually afflicted with people who only own dogs because they have no way of filtering or understanding the Hive Mind, which has determined that Dogs Are Trendy Now, but who don't even know enough about their dogs to know they need to be TRAINED.
Posted by Fnarf on March 17, 2009 at 6:31 PM
66
Ol' jailbait ECB is becoming quite the familiar face down at Ye Olde Courthouse.... What a sad day. I'm going to celebrate by kicking back on the couch, pouring myself a glass of red wine (that I actually paid for), and watching a movie I just got from Netflix.
Posted by Van Roozh on March 17, 2009 at 6:32 PM
67
@63:

Washington State Health Code

6-501.115 Prohibiting Animals.
(A) Except as specified in ¶¶ (B) and (C) of this section, live animals may not be allowed on the PREMISES
of a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT.
(B) Live animals may be allowed in the following situations if the contamination of FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT,
UTENSILS, and LINENS; and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES can not result:
(1) Edible FISH or decorative FISH in aquariums, shellfish or crustacea on ice or under refrigeration,
and shellfish and crustacea in display tank systems;
(2) Patrol dogs accompanying police or security officers in offices and dining, sales, and storage
areas, and sentry dogs running loose in outside fenced areas;
(3) In areas that are not used for FOOD preparation and that are usually open for customers, such as
dining and sales areas, SERVICE ANIMALS that are controlled by the disabled EMPLOYEE or PERSON, if a
health or safety HAZARD will not result from the presence or activities of the SERVICE ANIMAL;
(4) Pets in the common dining areas of institutional care facilities such as nursing homes, assisted
living facilities, group homes, or residential care facilities at times other than during meals if:
(a) Effective partitioning and self-closing doors separate the common dining areas from FOOD
storage or FOOD preparation areas,
(b) Condiments, EQUIPMENT, and UTENSILS are stored in enclosed cabinets or removed from the
common dining areas when pets are present, and
(c) Dining areas including tables, countertops, and similar surfaces are effectively cleaned before
the next meal service; and
(5) In areas that are not used for FOOD preparation, storage, sales, display, or dining, in which there
are caged animals or animals that are similarly confined, such as in a variety store that sells pets or a
tourist park that displays animals.
(C) Live or dead FISH bait may be stored if contamination of FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS;
and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES can not result.
More...
Posted by No Dogs Allowed on March 17, 2009 at 6:34 PM
68
I'd rather sit with dogs than a typical herpes/aids-infected Capitol Hill resident.
Posted by mallard on March 17, 2009 at 6:45 PM
69
I still want to know why you people keep going back to dog friendly bars. It's like if they play crap music and won't change it, go somewhere else. If they won't kick out the people shouting and singing at the next table, go somewhere else. If they welcome dogs and you hate that go somewhere else.

I'm sure when you get there you'll find a complaint to blog about.
Posted by elenchos on March 17, 2009 at 7:03 PM
70
@63:

RCW 43.20.050 gives the State Dept of Health the authority to "(c) Adopt rules controlling public health related to environmental conditions including but not limited to ... cleanliness and space in all types of public facilities including but not limited to food service establishments, ..."
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?…

Then the Dept of Health writes the rules, largely based of FDA code/rules/suggestions:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/food/rule.html

Chapter Six: Physical Facilities is here:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/food/ruleworki…

And at the end of the chapter, you'll find:

6-501.115 Prohibiting Animals.
(A) Except as specified in ¶¶ (B) and (C) of this section, live animals may not be allowed on the PREMISES of a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT.

(B) Live animals may be allowed in the following situations if the contamination of FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS; and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES can not result:
(1) Edible FISH or decorative FISH in aquariums, shellfish or crustacea on ice or under refrigeration, and shellfish and crustacea in display tank systems;
(2) Patrol dogs accompanying police or security officers in offices and dining, sales, and storage areas, and sentry dogs running loose in outside fenced areas;
(3) In areas that are not used for FOOD preparation and that are usually open for customers, such as dining and sales areas, SERVICE ANIMALS that are controlled by the disabled EMPLOYEE or PERSON, if a health or safety HAZARD will not result from the presence or activities of the SERVICE ANIMAL;
(4) Pets in the common dining areas of institutional care facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, or residential care facilities at times other than during meals if:
(a) Effective partitioning and self-closing doors separate the common dining areas from FOOD storage or FOOD preparation areas,
(b) Condiments, EQUIPMENT, and UTENSILS are stored in enclosed cabinets or removed from the common dining areas when pets are present, and
(c) Dining areas including tables, countertops, and similar surfaces are effectively cleaned before the next meal service; and
(5) In areas that are not used for FOOD preparation, storage, sales, display, or dining, in which there are caged animals or animals that are similarly confined, such as in a variety store that sells pets or a tourist park that displays animals.

(C) Live or dead FISH bait may be stored if contamination of FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS; and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES can not result.
More...
Posted by SO KEEP YOUR FUCKING DOGS OUT. on March 17, 2009 at 7:05 PM
71
Damnit, I got beat to it.

@69, I don't go back. All this bitching and moaning is about the retards that think this is their right. Fuck you and your dogs!
Posted by Fuck you and your goddamn dog. on March 17, 2009 at 7:11 PM
72
@47: You're full of shit. And you've got your nose so far up Dan Savage's ass I would have thought you were a guy.
Posted by Your Name Here on March 17, 2009 at 10:18 PM
73
@57 Dear James, It seems to me that Dan was complaining about a specific kind of dog, i.e. a "smelly*" dog (*here defined as any dog that people sitting on the other side of the bar can smell), not about all dogs.
Posted by Amy on March 17, 2009 at 10:35 PM
74
@73 Dear Amy: "smelly" is subjective, at best, and Dan gripes often about dogs. And lesbians. He's got mad issues.
Posted by James on March 17, 2009 at 11:00 PM
75
your mom's got mad issues, bitch.
Posted by Amy on March 17, 2009 at 11:53 PM
76
So bars that don't serve food are in the clear.

I note from the statute that (a) At least every five years, the state board shall convene regional forums to gather citizen input on public health issues.

If the Washington State Board of Health has neglected this duty, I don't see how any rules it promulgates can be valid.

The "Washington State Health Code" is a misnomer, because it is not part of the Revised Codes of Washington. Nor is it part of the Washington Administrative Code. It is a blending of the WAC and the Federal FDA Food Code of 2001.

This section, "6-501.115 Prohibiting Animals" exists only in the FDA Code, and was not developed by any Washington State authority. Considering that the FDA in 2001 was part of the Bush administration, I cannot see why any Washingtonian would give it any credence.
Posted by Ruff Bark on March 18, 2009 at 7:42 AM
77
I like an old bar with and old dog lying in the corner.
Posted by Rob in Baltimore on March 18, 2009 at 8:03 AM
78
You Seattleites are super aggressive on the comments for SLOG, which belies the quasi-California major eye-contact, super-smiley-chattiness I experienced in my two weeks there just recently.

Is it the dog/smelly dog issue that brings this out in people, or are the majority of you contributors just giant-sized hats made of ass?
Posted by sheiler on March 18, 2009 at 8:12 AM
79
how come the law citings are all about restaurants? Dan mentioned a bar. Was it a bar and grill, Dan? because it makes sense to avoid a bar and grill with the pup, but after my dog has spent all day alone while I'm at work, I like to take her out to a bar at night. Of course, if she emits an odor that is offensive to other patrons, I will take her home without argument.
Posted by pain on March 18, 2009 at 8:23 AM
80
In Portland, we have dog friendly places. My favorite, is the Lucky Labrador on Hawthorne Blvd. Nice, covered outdoor seating for both dogs and their owners. It's a nice place to stop after a long day hiking in the Gorge.
Posted by kim in portland on March 18, 2009 at 10:11 AM
81
Isn't 'smelly dog' a euphemism for 'leaky asshole'?

As in:
"Hey Dan, isn't it time you gave that smelly dog a bath?"?
Posted by who says you need a tight asshole to be Mayor? NOT DAN!!!!!! on March 18, 2009 at 1:29 PM
82
@81: It will only leak, if you decide to remove your tongue. So be sure and keep your tongue in there, nice and tight. Jerkwad.
Posted by frau blucher on March 18, 2009 at 5:53 PM

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