Where’s Fido? Almost everywhere

Bernadette Laos of Santa Rosa takes Canela with her whenever she can because the dog has separation anxiety. She draws the line at grocery stores, though.

Lisa Carreno of Forestville works in downtown Santa Rosa and brings Kilo with her. There’s a reason: Kilo is a service-dog-in-training.

Patrice Lockwood of Santa Rosa she brings Carly wherever dogs are allowed, except into grocery stores. “I don’t want to make anyone mad,” she said.

They’re part of a phenomenon referred to as either a canine invasion or a long overdue dog-friendliness, depending on your point of view. But whether it’s a trend you loathe or welcome, there’s no denying that a growing number of people are going about their business accompanied by a dog, either clasped under one arm, peeking out from a purse or being toted in a carrier.

Starting Jan. 1, their numbers are likely to grow. That’s the date California’s Assembly Bill 1965 takes effect, giving restaurants permission to provide patio service to patrons and their pets, unless prohibited by local ordinance.

“It will soon be legal to take your beagle with you to dinner,” said bill sponsor Assemblymember Mariko Yamada, D-Davis, in a prepared statement. “With Governor Brown’s signature, restaurateurs in California will see more businesses catering to their customers and the canine companions they love. I wish everyone ‘bone-appétit’.”

AB 1965 contains lots of conditions - dogs can’t enter through the building, eat from tableware, sit on the furniture or wander off leash, for example. It also prohibits dogs from getting closer than 20 feet to farmers market sites, food trucks and outdoor food vendors, and lets restaurant owners choose whether to allow pets in their outdoor eating areas.

Pets other than service animals have always been banned from facilities that prepare and serve food, although business owners, often eager not to offend customers, sometimes turn a blind eye. Facebook posters report a bevy of recent sightings:

*A man exiting a Railroad Square coffee shop with a three-legged dog under his arm;

*A man who carried his diminutive dog inside his shirt as enjoyed a loud tavern band;

*A woman in Santa Rosa who clutched a small dog beneath one arm as she leaned over the produce at a recent Wednesday Night Market;

*A woman in Bodega Bay restaurant who held a small dog while leaning over the food counter to speak to the cook about her order;

*A woman with a thirsty pup that she held up to the drinking fountain at a Kaiser Permanente facility in Santa Rosa.

On one trip to Grocery Outlet, Santa Rosa Veterinarian Deborah Crippen said she witnessed an obviously unhealthy pitbull mix that kept scratching, leaving her concerned about the fleas and other parasites it might be carrying. But more upsetting to her is the thought that dogs aren’t always willing, happy participants in public outings.

“I am seeing a lot more dogs in public places, some appropriately and some not,” she said, adding that she often sees uncomfortable, fearful dogs even at dog parks. Many pets are more comfortable at home, Crippen said. That includes her own dog, an introvert that is eager to say hello to everyone at outdoor neighborhood socials, then anxious to go home.

Dogs also get overheated at outdoor events, she added, especially short-faced dogs like pugs and bulldogs, which have a harder time cooling off. Public places in general can be too loud or too busy for many pets.

Bernie Schwartz said he used to bring his own dogs to work with him at California Luggage on Fourth Street in Santa Rosa but realized they were happier at home. He still welcomes other visiting pets, as does Marta Koehme of Santa Rosa, who said she doesn’t mind having canines in her West End store, Hot Couture. “Most dogs are as well-behaved as the children,” she said.

But what if Fido bites a patron in a store? Who is liable for that?

Under state law, the owner would be strictly liable, said John Ranis of Allstar West Insurance Services in Petaluma, but store owners can be held legally responsible for damages.

Contact Santa Rosa correspondent Ann Hutchinson at santarosatowns@gmail.com.