Back in June, I adopted a fantastic dog named Peggy Olson. A mutt who I think is a Carolina Dog, Peggy is about a year and a half old and was rescued from a Texas kill shelter by Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue. Peggy has been an absolute dream — sweet, silly, affectionate, and most importantly, friendly. She’s fantastic with other dogs, people, even kids and babies. Her exceedingly good behavior led me to think that she’d be a great companion for a Brooklyn bar crawl at dog-friendly bars. And for the most part, it was a very fun experience. But I learned quickly that Peggy was not quite ready for prime time.
And I am VERY, VERY SORRY.
Don’t get me wrong — Peggy is merely young and in need of training. She wasn’t trying to bite people, she wasn’t jumping all over the place, her bodily functions were totally under control. But she was a loudmouthed brat, and as a result, I was That Person With That Dog.
I should clarify that while I am a person who employs a dog stroller to bring my dog on public transportation, that is only to comply with regulations and not because I think my dog is people. I don’t expect to be welcomed everywhere with a dog. I also understand that not only do most people generally prefer an animal-free evening, there are also people with allergies or a legitimate fear of dogs.* I respect those people as I also respect a business’s right to refuse a dog’s entrance. That’s why I really did my homework. I only wanted to hit places that were 100 percent accepting and open to dogs.
One of those places was the appropriately named Bar Toto, an Italian restaurant and bar with a pretty fabulous alcohol artist capable of some serious mixology magic, according to my human bar crawl companion Trisha. Generally I like red wine with my Italian food, but this wasn’t an evening to be spent following routines. I had a dog with me, after all. That is not normal. So while Trisha and I got dinner and drinks, Peggy was treated to Bar Toto’s excellent service right outside the fence of the outdoor seating.
The staff were super accommodating and friendly, and Peggy even made a tiny human baby friend before we left. Unfortunately, we were in Dog Central, U.S.A. and Peggy insists on socializing with every dog she can see. If she can’t mingle with new dogs, she barks. Loudly and forever. So, that was an indication that this evening might not go quite as smoothly as I was hoping. Lucky for us, it wasn’t crowded, and I’d had the Toto Mule — the bar’s version of a Moscow Mule — plus a really nice cucumber concoction. For me, cucumber cocktails are just light and fruity enough to make me feel like summer does not turn all of New York City into an armpit.
After that, we hit up Mission Dolores, a bar built in a former tire garage known for its pinball games and dog-loving crowd. This was the bar most recommended to me by fellow dog owners.
As we got settled, Peggy started barking at other dogs around her. I did my best to calm her down while I ordered a Dark and Stormy. Then Peggy got a few other dogs barking and they began officially causing a ruckus. I prepared for a quick move, but not before the angry bartender berated Trisha about the dog while the other bartender tried to get her coworker to chill out.
We moved to a table across the bar. Even in this more private space, the anti-Peggy bartender came over and re-engaged Trisha about taking the dog outside.
“Can you tell him to stop barking?” the bartender asked.
“Maybe when she learns to speak English,” Trisha replied.
We finished our drinks and left since it was clear this bartender wasn’t feeling us. It wasn’t a great experience and Peggy was not a model guest, but if you really don’t like dogs, maybe don’t work in a bar that has a strong reputation for welcoming dogs? I should add that the customers who were around us didn’t complain and didn’t seem to require the apology I gave them. That said, I still apologized that I was That Person With That Dog. But I’m not apologizing to That bartender.
Next, we moved on to Talde, but they were closing their outdoor area. Talde and the other restaurants owned by Chef Dale Talde have a great reputation for allowing dogs in the outdoor areas, so I hope I get to visit with Peggy in due time. The Gate, another bar/restaurant that is known for allowing dogs was, unfortunately, not allowing dogs that night. They did mentioned that they were trying to get permission to allow them again in the future.
Finally, since every other place was shutting down, we ended up at Thistle Hill Tavern — another Chef Talde restaurant — to get one last drink and dessert. Not only were they going strong at 10:30 on a Thursday night, but their outdoor area was still open. Also, we were no longer in a heavily dog-populated area, so this was seemed like a great way to forget the experience at Mission Dolores and end the evening on a pleasant note. It was really lovely. I got myself another delectable cucumber drink, the Classic Eastside, and Trisha and I shared a ridiculous Nutella-filled blueberry pastry creation that should probably require a breathalyzer test because it was way too decadently crispy, doughy, chocolatey and perfect. For her part, Peggy was treated to more friendly service — again, on the outside of the fence, but not too far away.
As a new dog parent, I file the night under “learning experiences.” As I said, I’m not one of those entitled dog people who thinks that everyone should automatically accept my precious fur baby as a fellow citizen with all of our human rights. Bringing a dog with you — even to a dog-friendly place — means the dog has to behave herself, and Peggy was not exactly an A student that night. Not a failure, but probably a C. Maybe a C+ if you take a long look at her adorable face (I mean, come on). Overall, everyone loved her and she was very sweet to everyone who wanted to pet and greet her. She didn’t try to run away, never lunged or snapped, didn’t try to hump anyone. She was just loud. And a little rude. I’ve honestly experienced much worse behavior (louder, humpier) in exclusively human bars by humans who drank away their boundaries. I’d say the majority of people were understanding when they didn’t have to be. At least they seemed that way after several cocktails.
Once Peggy is older and learns some manners, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring her on another outing like this, especially if there is an opportunity to enjoy more creative alcohol creations, even more especially if they involve cucumbers.
Until then, I remain VERY VERY SORRY.
*People who don’t like dogs without any clear reason are people I just don’t trust, but that’s another story.
