ohmidog!

The Salt Lake Valley Board of Health has decided to allow dogs on restaurant patios.

Salt Lake County Council member Arlyn Bradshaw brought the proposal to the board of health, which voted 12-to-1 Thursday morning in favor of it.

Modeled after an ordinance in Dallas, the new rule lets restaurants that choose to do so permit dogs in their outdoor eating areas, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune.

Board of health member Derk Timothy, the mayor of Bluffdale, originally opposed the measure, but ended up among those approving it.

“My original instinct was I wouldn’t want to eat at a place that had dogs,” he said before the meeting. “You don’t know where the dogs have been or what they’ve licked.”

But he left the meeting believing restaurant owners should make their own decision.

“I think it’s allowing businesses to have a choice,” the mayor said. “They may eliminate some customers and they may be gaining some.”

Oral and maxillofacial surgeon Alvin Stosich was among those voting against the change, saying he was worried about diners’ safety.

“I’ve treated many dog bite injuries to the face,” he said. “It’s always family dogs that have done it.”

(Photo: Jarrett Hallas, a supporter of the proposal, with his dogs Ella and Murphy; by Rick Egan / Salt Lake City Tribune)

Cricket has only been at the Forsyth Humane Society for a couple of days, but already the rubenesque Chihuahua has been on a special outing.

Tuesday night, Cricket, along with two beagle siblings named Daisy and Boomer — who are also up for adoption — were taken to Pups in the Park, one of five dog-friendly evenings of baseball planned this summer by the Winston-Salem Dash.

The Forsyth Humane Society, a sponsor of the event, will be featuring some of their adoptable dogs at each of them.

Cricket — and we’re guessing the dog was named after the insect as opposed to the sport – seemed to take all the festivities in stride. Not that Cricket, who has been put on a diet, was striding that much.

More often, the portly pooch was being held by one of the many humane society volunteers on hand to help out.

My son and I met Cricket earlier in the day when we showed up for volunteer orientation at the Forsyth Humane Society, where we’ll be pitching in from time to time in the weeks ahead.

Cricket, Daisy and Boomer all arrived at the game in the humane society’s mobile unit.

All were outfitted in “Adopt Me” vests and mingled with arriving fans.

Since we were volunteering, Ace stayed home, but I was reminded of him every time I saw this dog (left), his lookalike, except for a white patch on her chest. Coco was adopted from the humane society last year.

We also ran into our old friend Darwin, a three-legged beagle we met during a Pups in the Park event last season.

Salt Lake County is considering a change in its doggie dining laws that would permit restaurant owners to decide whether to allow dogs in their outside seating areas.

The policy change — modeled after one in Dallas — would not force restaurants to let dogs sit outside with their owners; it would only permit them to do so if they so choose.

The board of health is seeking feedback from residents on the proposed regulation change, according to the Salt Lake Tribune

In Dallas, a “Paws on the Patio” initiative four years ago led to 64 restaurants deciding to participate, with few problems.

“Every now and then, we’ll get one about a dog in a restaurant or dogs on the patio sitting in a chair,” said Matt Cloninger, Dallas sanitarian supervisor. “But we don’t get a lot of complaints.”

Salt Lake County Council member Arlyn Bradshaw, who brought the proposal to the board of health, said he has received “overwhelmingly supportive” feedback on the idea.

“The general thought in terms of what restaurant owners have told the board is they appreciate the option,” he said. “There probably won’t be a wave of restaurants doing this.”

Cities inside the county that want to participate would have to modify their own law if it’s in conflict with the new dog regulation.

Here’s an idea that has Los Angeles — and bad — written all over it.

A new bar and restaurant in downtown L.A. is offering valet service for your dog — bring him along to dinner and, though he can’t sit with you, they’ll take care of him on an adjoining dog-only patio.

I’m not sure why one would take their dog along in the first place – only to leave him alone, but, hey, it’s Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Brewing Company is gearing up for their grand opening on April 5th, KY3 reports, and it’s offering to tend to your dog, for free, while you chow down.

Dogs must be licensed by Los Angeles County to get in, and the doggie patio is open from noon to 10 p.m. daily.

The area set aside for doggie care is separate from the drinking and dining area, so the restaurant expects there will be no health department issues, a spokesman said.

While this seems a way to get around that, putting a bunch of dogs who have never met each other together on a patio, under the supervision of, I’m guessing, one employee, seems to me to pose far more health and safety hazards than letting dogs into a restaurant ever would.

And I’d question how many responsible pet owners will be willing to do that — to just turn their dog over to a stranger who may or may not have the skills to make sure everybody gets along.

On one hand, it’s like doggie day care, but, without the staff of trained professionals monitoring things. And unlike day care, it doesn’t seem as likely your dog would be hanging out with dogs he knows. As for me, I’d spend the entire time worrying about him.

More importantly, though, when I go out to eat and drink with my dog, I want to eat and drink with my dog — not shovel him off to a doggie valet.

Handing over the car keys to a stranger is one thing, handing over the leash is quite another.

The Winston-Salem area is about to become even more dog-friendly, with the opening, as early as this summer, of a third dog park — the dog park at Tanglewood.

On top of that, the Winston-Salem Dash, the minor league baseball team that held its first “Pups in the Park” game last summer, has announced it plans to hold five this year.

A spokesman for the group raising money for the dog park at Tanglewood (off Highway 158 in Clemmons) reports that $135,000 of the $150,000 it needs to build the park has been raised, and construction could begin in April or May.

If so, Dan Greer told the Winston-Salem Journal, the park, with separate sections for large and small dogs, could open almost a nearly year ahead of schedule.

Dog park organizers have until the end of 2012 to raise the money needed to build the park, and they hope to raise the remaining $15,000 by selling custom bricks, engraved with donor’s names, or their dog’s, that will be part of the entrance.

The bricks are $125 each, and they can be ordered here.

The other two dog parks in the Winston-Salem area are at Washington Park and Horizons Park.

Meanwhile, at BB&T Park, home of the Winston-Salem Dash, dogs will invited to five baseball games this coming season.

Pups in the Park nights are scheduled for Tuesday, April 24; Wednesday, May 30; Wednesday, June 13; Wednesday, July 25; and Wednesday, August 15.

Dogs require proof of rabies vaccinations. For additional information or to reserve your tickets, contact Sarah Baumann at sarah.baumann@wsdash.com or call 336-714-6878. More information can be found at the Forsyth County Humane Society website.

Pet Airways — viewed as salvation for those who hoped to avoid their dogs traveling, luggage-like, in cargo holds — has hit some turbulence.

Created in 2009 by a California real estate developer, the airline in recent months has canceled flights, leaving dogs and cats stranded and their owners inconvenienced and angry, the New York Times reported Saturday.

Pet Airways appears to be suffering a fate similar to its counterparts that cater to human travelers, the Times article said:

“Dog and cat owners are angry about canceled flights. Travel sites are abuzz with complaints, including customers who claim they have not received refunds for paid-for flights. And the company is burning through cash at a rapid rate.”

Alysa Binder, the co-founder of Pet Airways, acknowledged in an e-mail to theTimes that the airline has had some problems procuring planes from contractors and needed to cancel “some flights during the holidays and into the new year.”

“We are a very new company that is pioneering, just as FedEx pioneered the overnight packaging business,” Binder told the Times. “We have ups and downs, but we are keeping our eyes on the long-term goal of providing a safe and comfortable transportation option for the pets.”

The company, which says it has flown more than 7,000 cats and dogs, is still taking reservations, according to its website.

Pet Airways offers service to nine cities. Flights run from about $100 to more than $1,000 each way, and roughly 40 pets can sit in crates in the main cabin (the airline carries pets only), monitored during the trip by a  pet attendant.

The airline was a welcome alternative to the major airlines, some of which ban pets in the cabin entirely. Most typically store animals in the plane’s cargo hold, where temperatures can vary wildly and have contributed to deaths. According to the Department of Transportation, 122 dogs died in cargo holds on U.S. airlines between May 2005 and July 2010.

Records indicate Pet Airways had no flights between Dec. 16 and Jan. 16, and it is unclear if it has had any flights since then, according to the Times.

“We are working toward being in the air as soon as we can be assured that the planes are ready for our use,” Binder said.  

In a recent regulatory report, the company said it did “not currently have sufficient cash on hand to meet our financing needs … Our auditors have raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.”

Sometimes breaking the rules leads to better rules.

The Rose Brooks Center for women took in a domestic violence victim and her dog, departing from their standard no-dogs policy after hearing the details of her case — her Great Dane had saved her when she was attacked by a hammer-wielding boyfriend.

According to KCTV 5, the dog covered her with his body, absorbing most of the blows until the boyfriend threw them both out of a second story window.

Despite their injuries, the woman was able to escape with her dog, who sustained several broken bones. She eventually got in touch with the center, located in the Kansas City area.

The center offered her a bed, but when they told her pets weren’t allowed, she balked. The shelter decided, for the first time in its history, to overlook their regulations and allow the dog to stay.

That decision would go on to lead to a change in policy at the shelter.

About 40 percent of battered women with pets stay in abusive relationships  to protect or remain with their pets, said the center’s chief executive officer, Susan Miller.

“They provide so much comfort, and to have to leave that pet behind is so heartbreaking,” Miller said. “It has become abundantly clear that the incredible therapeutic benefits that pets can have on a family greatly outweigh the cost and inconvenience of housing them.”

The center is spending $140,000 to add seven kennels, a walking trail and a pet-friendly play area.

Miller, who made the decision to break the rules, credits the abused woman — who isn’t being identified — with bringing about the change.

“She was not going to leave her pet alone with him,” she said. “He saved her life.”

Shelter officials say they’ve seen a 300 percent increase in applications since becoming pet-friendly.

It’s clear to see — or maybe it isn’t — that Ace has found his new bar.

Ever since departing Baltimore, though he makes up for it by being social in other ways, I think he has missed his regular corner bar, which we never identify because dogs in bars are illegal in the city.

He idled away more than a few hours in there, though – starting as a pup, when he wasn’t even big enough to reach the bar.

And it was there, once he got big enough, that he first learned to jump up and, sensing something might be going on that involved food (even if it was only a lime), lay his front paws on the bar, as if waiting to be served.

The habit only became more entrenched during our year on the road, during which, in hopes it might get him a treat, he plopped his front paws on scores of cheap motel check-in counters.

At his new bar, Recreation Billiards, in downtown Winston-Salem, the habit has gotten totally out of control, thanks to a bartender named Katie, and the Beggin’ Strips they keep behind the counter.

Wednesday night, Ace (quickly ascertaining during our previous visits that Katie was a soft touch) must have jumped up on the bar 20 times, and if she wasn’t there with a treat, he’d drool on the counter until one came.

At one point, when he did it, there were three people taking pictures of him at once (damn puparazzi), including this non-blurry one (taken with her cell phone) by an actual award-winning photographer, Lauren Carroll:

We’ve started showing up there most Wednesday nights ($2 Yuenglings), and after about five visits, we’re to the point that there will usually be three or four people who remember Ace by name.

It’s partly a small town thing; partly, I can only assume, because he is so memorable a beast, unlike his master. (“Hi Ace! And what was your name again?”)

In any event, Ace — like Norm on “Cheers” — seems to love walking into a joint where people know him. Not as much as he loves the Beggin’ Strips, though.

Recreation Billiards welcomes dogs inside and out. They’ve always got treats handy (or at least they did before Ace cleaned them out Wednesday night), and are quick to offer a big bucket of water.

They draw a diverse mix of customers, unlike the homogenized crowds at some other local bars, and offer pool tables, foosball and darts, as well as the requisite TVs tuned into sporting events.

Ace doesn’t care about those amenities, though. In fact, I think he could do without the sounds of billiard balls smacking into each other, much like the sound of baseballs hitting bats.

But for all the attention and treats he gets, I can only conclude that he concludes it’s worth it. It may be mostly about the treats, but I don’t think it’s all about the treats. When bartender Katie took a break, he joined her, and lingered at her side even when she explained there were no more — going so far to sit on her foot, his way of saying “please don’t ever leave.”

What can I say? He’s a social animal.

The Salem Red Sox beat the Winston-Salem Dash 16-10 last night, and Ace didn’t like that at all.

That’s not because he’s a huge Dash fan, but because — I’ve ascertained after our second dog-friendly minor league baseball outing — he prefers shutouts. The crack of bat striking ball, like thunder and fireworks, seems to unnerve him, if only fleetingly.

Still, slugfest that it was, Ace — and scores of other dogs — seemed to enjoy the first pooch-friendly night at Winston-Salem’s  BB&T Park.

In particular, he seemed most impressed with the kiddie pools, which he could both climb into and drink from at the same time, the treats, the attention from other fans, the treats, the canine fellowship, and the treats.

The Dash threw together its first “Pups in the Park” event in the waning days of the season, but pulled it off, it seemed, without a hitch.

To me, it proved again that, when it comes to baseball, the Minor Leagues — where salaries aren’t pumped up, concessions aren’t too inflated and heads aren’t yet swelled — aren’t just the most dog-friendly, but the most fan-friendly, and perhaps there’s a connection between the two.

I did pay $7 for a beer, but there were $1 hot dogs to be had (I just couldn’t find them). Besides, I don’t mind inflated prices if I get to bring my dog along.

Those who brought their dogs were restricted to the lawn in left field. It’s a pretty steep incline, leading a few dogs and humans to slide downwards, or rollover more often than they intended, but most people seemed to find comfortable spots to lay down their blankets.

A beagle named Darwin — rescued after he lost one of his front legs to gunfire — had no problem cozily settling in:

The Forsyth Humane Society — a sponsor and beneficiary of the event — was there with several adoptable dogs and their mobile unit, which Ace found fascinating, either because of its smells or the animals depicted on its sides:

Ace also got a chance to meet the Humane Society mascot, shown to the left.

Some of the proceeds from the event are also going toward the building of a new dog park in Tanglewood.

You can learn more about that project  here.

We got to see a lot of great dogs — including two we’ve run into before, Stringer, a chocolate Lab, and Gatsby, a Great Dane.

We also got to meet Louis, an English bulldog not quite three months old (left), a massive St. Bernard named Cooper, a charming little pug named Meatball, and dozens more.

Every single one was well behaved, acting as if they’d been going to baseball games all their lives.

Some rested quietly, some sought diversion — but then that could be said of the humans, too, depending on how many $7 beers they’d had. 

There was some mild frolicking, but all of it in moderation.

This one decided he wanted the blanket he was sharing with his owners all to himself:

This one was playing tug of war with his leash, until a home run soared overhead, the ball landing not far away:

As for Ace, he couldn’t seem to get comfortable on the hill, until we figured out that if I lay downhill from him, with my head on his belly, he wouldn’t slide, and I would have a pillow, not to mention a somewhat level spot, my belly, on which to rest my $7 beer.

The photo to the left was taken by Lauren Carroll, a photographer, otherwise off-duty, for the Winston-Salem Journal.

The high point of the game came when the Dash got their 12th hit — thereby entitling every fan to redeem their ticket for a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, ensuring my belly will become even less level.

The highlight for Ace, though, was after the game, when he got to go with his friend Stringer to his favorite bar downtown, Recreation Billiards, a highly dog-friendly establishment.

After getting oodles of attention from customers, he was handed a treat from the bartender, prompting him to stare longingly at her for the next 30 minutes.

Eventually he came out of his trance and joined his friends in the booth, where, though tempted with beer, he abstained.