Dog Friendly? - Enough Already

Since Asheville is generally considered on of the most dog friendly cities in the country, why wouldn't you just go somewhere else?

Wicked Weed and Funkatorium - no dogs inside. Highland - no dogs inside. Thirsty Monk - no dogs inside. Green Man - no food, but no dogs inside in the upstairs area. Which means you are complaining about Burial, Wedge, and Twin Leaf. There are a plethora of options where dogs are not allowed. Instead, you want to complain about people bringing dogs to Burial, whose website states "Kids and dogs both are welcome at our taproom!"

There is a much larger problem with drunken asshole tourists in Asheville bars than dogs. You won't find a bar in Asheville which will tell you the dogs behave worse than the drunks.

 

Dogs are not allowed inside at an establishment which serves food in Asheville.

 

I was going to abstain from this topic because I felt that this was turning negative like pretty much every other thread recently. After reading #4 I decided to share some input.

First, I will state for the record that I love dogs. I have had a black lab, and I have these two lying at my feet right now. This 12 year old lady

and this 3 yr old sister of hers

Second, if a bar/brewery allows dogs, then there is no way to blame people for bringing them along. Good idea or not. Personally, I only take mine to an outside oriented location because they are 100 and 55 lbs respectively and take up a bit of room and could be intimidating. Even if I keep them at my feet I don't want anyone to have to walk right past them. No, they dont look scary. To me... I have to ask if you are implying that any/all fear of dogs is irrational? That seems like a very broad brush assumption and statement if so. Who are we as biased dog lovers to tell someone that they need therapy for being uncomfortable, or flat out terrified of them?

I agree that dogs are a "common part of our society" and that a phobia that is debilitating and interferes with your everyday life should be addressed by professionals (as with many other fears), but we have to realize that there are people who just aren't comfortable with certain exposures. We also have to realize that some of these concerns can be well founded. Here is a picture of what happened to my son by petting a startled pound black lab/greyhound mix that weighs about 40 lbs at our neighbors house last year, before the 13 stitches. http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...are-you-drinking-now-888.273338/#post-3464042

I also can tell you about a girl that I went to school with who we burried a couple of years ago after her German Shepherd who they never had any kind of issue with suddenly took her down from behind. I think about how many times I have seen countless lap dogs of various breeds nip people and I can't blame anyone for not trusting them. The bottom line is they are animals, and no matter how well behaved they are, they are unpredictable, as with any other animal. I would be beyond flabbergasted if my old girl even got someone by accident, but I cannot guarantee anything.

This is the long winded way of saying there are 2 sides to the coin and I am only focusing on one dimension of this topic. I can agree that having to worry about stepping on a dog's tail (see my previous examples) or having your feet licked (which I am used to, so I could take it for granted) are valid concerns. Just as smoking, and having a kid crawling over a booth and smacking you in the head or kicking the back of your chair are. However, there are many variables to consider too. Like when the Cincinnati Reds have "Bark in the Park" games. There are times when you know what you are getting into. I would personally have established days/hours that pooches were welcome

 

Came to this thread expecting to read about a new beer that dogs were able to drink... you can imagine my disappointment.
That being said, I'd love to take my dog to a bar. I hang there with my friends all the time, why not my BEST friend???

 

Are you sure they are tourists, or just people that have lived there for 10 seconds & now consider themselves as local? Most of the people throwing me attitude have lived there for a few years at best. I say that as someone who has spent 7+ years in the Hickory area & has some perspective...

 

Some dogs are filthy animals and have no place around food or drink. How is this not a health code violation? Plus they are fucking annoying if not PROPERLY trained

 

I coming to a bar with my dog right now! Going out like The Shwayzee!

 

Usually tourists, often from Charlotte or Atlanta. It has been a running game with a group of friends where we guess the city. The true locals usually only get really annoyed by the ever increasing number of bachelor/bachelorette parties or groups of males aged 20-30 behaving like they are at a frat party.

I agree, there are a number of transplants that seem to think they are better than tourists because they have lived in Asheville 60 days.

 

Dogs are not allowed indoors at establishments which prepare food in Asheville. It is a health code violation.

 

I love dogs but it's a slippery slope. I like when I see a well behaved dog enter a brewery. It's pretty much 1 dog to 80 people. But then more dogs enter and before you know it, theres always that one dog that wants to be left alone that is being cornered by friendly puppies. Or the hipster couple who have a rescue who is trying to.acclimate their dog to crowds. There is a point of overcrowding but for the most part, owners don't want to put their dogs in potentially bad situations. So for my area, it hasn't reached a bad level yet. At most ,6 dogs for a crowd of 100. The ones wit dogs definitely aren't the norm

 

Burial's website clearly states "Kids and dogs both are welcome at our taproom!" (font copied from the website, evidently they have it in bold). There are a plethora of dog free options in Asheville, why would a person go to one of the dog friendly ones and complain about it? No different that sitting on a smoking porch and complaining that people are smoking on the porch.

 

Get your shine box

 

Advocating for domestic pet 'quality of life' issues is something I participate in, and as such am a bit sensitive about. To that end, I want to thank every person who was able to argue respectfully on either side. Without singling anyone out it's really heartbreaking to hear what some pet owners in this thread have said about how they view their dogs. I honestly get a little scared when I get a new message notification for this thread.

In the end, this is an easy one for me to let go because my side already won. A lesser man might even get a bit of schadenfreude at the notion of passively punishing uptight people just by hanging out with my dog... but I can't say I really think about it. Ultimately, the people who hold a reasonable and tempered opposition to dogs being at dog friendly establishments (read it again by the way in case people lost track of what is being discussed here) will just be grown ups as they grin and bear it. Those who absolutely can't hang will just have to drink at home where they don't have to be adults about the fact that society is diverse and not always tailored to their specific beliefs.

 

I love "dog friendly," but people should err on the side of keeping their dogs in their immediate vicinity, and controlled. I love the friendly nose and lick. But when I do bring my dog to a place, they are absolutley with me.

 

How anyone can get all kissy and wrestle around with an animal that buries it's face in rotten animal carcasses is beyond my comprehension

 

My dog would also most likely try to steal food off of tables and im absolutely not about to get into it with someone in public and get arrested or banned lol. Another reason why i leave him at home, if i can get someone to watch him so he isnt alone of course. Hes older and well trained but he also gets custom food instead of just bagged dry food so when he smells food he gets crazy and try holding onto an 80lb Rott if he runs for food lol.

 

I don't think I would venture into a bar that allow dogs, it seems a bit ruff to me.

 

awful

 

That's fine, but the same goes for people. Too many dogs or too many people can either one be a pain.

 

Yeah, my wonderful Walker Hound just wants to share his beautiful self with everyone. He's a cool dog and the coolest dog he knows, so he stays home. Plus, if he started howling- at the moon or airplanes- he'd clear the place.