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)

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.

Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS) is one of five shelters that will take part in a pilot program aimed at reducing euthanasia of pit bulls, encouraging responsible ownership and improving the perception of the breed.

A $240,000 grant from PetSmart Charities will fund the programs, coordinated by Best Friends Animal Society.

The grant was announced last week in Las Vegas at Best Friends’ annual  No More Homeless Pets Conference.

The “Shelter Partners for Pit Bulls Project” will create partnerships between Best Friends and shelters in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Baltimore, Md., Washington, D.C., Carlsbad, Calif. and Tampa, Fla.

All will be based on the partnership between Best Friends and Salt Lake County Animal Services that began in July 2009. It resulted in a 10 percent drop in euthanasia of pit bull-type dogs in its first year, and led to twice as many being adopted as the previous year.

The Salt Lake program, which will serve as a model for the new pilot projects, offers community education and free or low-cost training and spaying and neutering — all aimed at keeping pets in the family and reduce the numbers being abandoned.

The program uses volunteers, called the “Pit Crew,” to showcases dogs for adoption through outreach events, photos and descriptions online and also fosters dogs whose time is up in the shelter. There also is emphasis on creating frequent media opportunities to portray pit bull-type dogs in a positive light–to counter the image of the breed often presented in the news.

Funds provided by PetSmart Charities and additional funds from Best Friends will be used to pay for a shelter coordinator in each city, support marketing and public relations in those markets, and pay for a Best Friends program manager to oversee implementation and reporting in the five shelters.

“As with any dog that is spayed or neutered, properly trained, socialized and treated with love and kindness, pit bull-type dogs can be well adjusted, happily balanced, and affectionate members of the family,” says Jamie Healy, Shelter Partners for Pit Bulls manager. “It’s the person on the other end of the leash who decides how their dog interacts with others and who sometimes put these dogs at the wrong side of the law.”

Best Friends Animal Society works to help pit bulls through its national campaign, Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dog, which helps dogs who are battling everything from a sensationalized reputation to legislation designed to bring about their extinction.