Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash
Dallas loves its dogs, and you can find man’s best friend pretty much everywhere, on coffeehouse patios, at festivals, and sometimes unfortunately loose on the street.
But On April 27, the city sent out letters to approximately 140 businesses with patios letting them know how they can go about receiving a dog variance in Dallas. Makes you wonder how dog friendly is Dallas.
“Right now, we’re in education mode, sending out letters and talking to people when we’re out doing inspections and letting them know they need to come in and register to be in compliance,” says Kris Sweckard, director of code compliance for the city of Dallas.
When it comes to the ordinance, it’s not about whether or not food is served. “There isn’t a distinction made between food and alcohol when it comes to dogs because it’s all consumables,” Sweckard says.
The city updated its patio policy in June 2016 to align with updates made by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The main change called for signs to be posted both at the front door and on the patio of places that have received a Dog Variance. The signs read, “Dog friendly patio – dog access only through outdoor patio.”
Read the full article "Dallas needs to roll over its policy on dog-friendly businesses" online at CultureMap.