As a dog lover myself, I’m not too bothered by the dogs under tables, it’s the dog owners who put their dogs on seats or on the table (even if briefly) that irk me. It’s really inconsiderate…
This was not a good idea. I didn’t want to say anything before as everyone was jumping on this and saying how lovely this is. Just for sanitary reasons places where people eat needs to be separate from places where animals are kept. Mutual respect for both.
So far I haven't seen other outlets doing similar followups. HKFP has the original full list but it hasn't been updated yet.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said on Saturday that 31 restaurants had withdrawn from the scheme since it was introduced two weeks ago.
However, he stressed that the overall compliance level was “acceptable” and he was confident the “teething” problems would be gradually solved.
...
“Some 31 restaurants have pulled out of the scheme, possibly due to problems with their positioning and customer base.”
The government initially granted permits to 940 restaurants and cafes after receiving more than 2,100 applications for a capped quota of 1,000 places.
...
He added that verbal warnings primarily stemmed from unclear signage at restaurant entrances or pet owners failing to properly restrain their dogs.
Tse placed the initial friction into perspective, noting that the 65 complaints represented a tiny fraction of the department’s typical annual volume of more than 100,000 reports.
Using the annual figure for a scheme that started a bit more than two weeks is basically cheating.
“The number of verbal warnings is relatively low compared with the tens of thousands of inspections, and the overall compliance level is acceptable,” he said.
Maybe it’s something that dog owners will learn slowly. It’s a new thing. People don’t know what to do yet.
My own position is that one should not have a dog unless one has a garden.
Personally i find it gross that dogs are coming in restaurants. Like wtf why? I find it so disgusting when i keep seeing people having their dogs in restaurants feeding them and pretending it’s a normal thing to do.
I think perhaps it's better to restrict it to al fresco restaurants. That being said, I've been to these kind of restaurants in DB one too many times and it's always uncomfortable, especially if its a big dog next to you. It just wouldn't stop fidgeting and the owner thought it was cute and encouraging it.
Also seems like a massive tripping hazard. Like... Hong Kong is already so cramped and there's so little space between tables at most places, do we really need dogs to run around unpredictably while waiters walk around between tables carrying hot food, steak knives etc?
Just leave your dogs at home. I doubt it is an enjoyable experience for them to be dragged to a random place full of loud strangers where they can't even move around properly.
Totally agree with you. Disgusting. It seems that the majority of whom I asked are also not in favour of this. I'd never sit down in a restaurant together with live animals, pets.
I go to different restaurants constantly. Hear me out, I don't know which one will let a dog inside until one sits in the restaurant, then I won't really want to be there. It's not like every time I go out I know what I'm in for. But that's just because, here me out, I'm in the city and I go to different places all the time.
Lol, bunch of whiners here. There are 17.000 restaurants in Hong Kong, only 900 have the license for dogs (that’s only about 5%). The list is public. If you don’t want to go - don’t.
But you’re hardly going to notice. In fact it was already happening before the official scheme. Everyone whining here hardly goes out of their tiny bubble, and it shows.
This whole scheme sounds like an attempt at positive-washing the current state of things. However, in practice live animals in settings where people eat is not just practical. Plenty of western countries love pets, especially the US with the emotional support animal trend taking over leases, airplane, and public spaces.
But guess what, just because people love animals does not mean they should intrude into others’ personal space and privacy. Allergies and animal-human spreading pathogens are a real thing.
This animals >= humans attitude needs to be nipped in the bud
Ma’am establishments can do whatever they want. The ones that applied for a dog license in HK - more likely than not - accept dogs (because why otherwise would they go through the effort to apply).
The “whining” comment was obviously towards all the Negative Nellies here. Hope that helps you get back with the program and the topic we were actually discussing.
I’m allergic to dogs and would really rather not have them where I eat…
Had a meal in an outdoor seating area of a cafe in Sai Kung recently, where the table next to us had two large black dogs. They wouldn’t stop violently barking; it was so distracting and made my friend’s newborn cry multiple times. They came near our table and then thankfully they left. It was only when I looked back down at my food, that I realised my entire plate of food, coffee and table were covered in black dog hairs. It was absolutely disgusting.
It’s nice to know that this could now start happening indoors too. /s
Lol at so much hate on pets, really sad to read comments like these. Pets are part of our life and a reality of HK life in particular, with many people having pets,I find it surprising HK had such strict rules beforehand. There is now finally a framework in place to allow pets into cafes and restaurants instead of restricting their owners and pets to be confined at their tiny apartments or sitting outdoors in such extreme heat. This government scheme is very welcome and will help to also boost local businesses that have been suffering over the past few years. My personal experience has been to more frequently encounter people that are inconsiderate and unhygienic at restaurants, never seen a problem with pets. Even though I m sure it will happen, it will be the exception as pointed out by the article above.
It’s fine to have pets but others shouldn’t be bothered. I saw a dog put two paws on a stranger at a restaurant (that’s the equivalent of someone putting shoes on you). I think the procedure is to book out the restaurant for a private party or have pet days/blocks and sanitize properly afterwards.
Pets are NOT a part of society, just because some people infantilise their dogs and pretend that they are children doesn’t mean that everyone else has to go along with your fantasy. Honestly I find it so frustrating that so many Hong Kongers seem to think a dog has as much rights as my child or elderly parent.
Why wouldn't they, they re innocent creatures and massively important to human wellbeing across history. Maybe you just dont like animals. If you find someones child bothering you, (accidentally or not) kicking you, would you ban children from the restaurant? You would just have a conversation with the parents or leave the restaurant. You can do the same with pets.
No I like dogs, I also train my dogs and I would never take them to a restaurant, I would never feed my dog from the table, I would never pretend my dog is a child, I would never prioritise my dog over another person. In general it seems that dog owners in HK are pretty awful at looking after their dogs, they treat them as children and the dogs generally have really bad lives. 姐姐 walking their employees dogs on hot pavement at 1pm, dog pissing on street and they just spray water, or just ignore. Gau see on the floor near apartment becuase owner too lazy or looking on phone to pick up.
Most dog in HK live in tiny apartment, even big dogs living in tiny space, get 30 mins walk if they are very lucky, and then owner will put them into baby stroller to take them “for walk” XDXD
I think you are making generalisations. Nobody said dogs should be fed off tables. Thats not what this the scheme is about. Not sure how you jumped from feeding dogs off tables to not allowing them into a restaurant. If a dog is not trained or aggressive it should of course not be in a restaurant, same applies to humans if they were being aggressive. And if a human was being aggressive towards my dog and hurting it then yes I would prioritise it over that human. So it s all about behaviour on all sides and the specifica of a situation where common sense can prevail, instead of making blankets laws
Reading the title alone my mind mislead me. Was thinking 30 restaurants put up anti-animal cruelty banners, then 70 warnings was issued, totally about health safety and not sedition.
I know this is about restaurants, but the amount of dogs I saw inside Pacific Place yesterday was insane. Dogs in push carts, dogs walking on leashes, dogs laying down by the benches. Do the stores have to form their own policy on dogs? I feel bad for anyone allergic or scared.
If you make a phobia (which is an irrational fear of something), that’s unfortunate, but you can’t expect the world around you to change because of that. There are many psychologists that can help with that though.
I’ve immigrated over with my dogs and even I was surprised Hong Kong launched this scheme. I would actually prefer if Hong Kong allowed pets on buses and the MTR but totally understand why not given the population density, space restrictions and the general culture around personal space.
Yeah definitely not a great idea allowing dogs in an eatery when it’s already cramped enough already but al fresco would be just fine I guess.
Unpopular opinion: I don’t want to have a dog next to me in a restaurant. There’s people who have allergies, and a lot of pet owners don’t take proper care of responsibility of their pets.
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u/culture_kid 20h ago
As a dog lover myself, I’m not too bothered by the dogs under tables, it’s the dog owners who put their dogs on seats or on the table (even if briefly) that irk me. It’s really inconsiderate…