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DHEC: Dogs at restaurants OK if rules followed
5/21/2008 12:06 AM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend

By KAREN DAILY

Staff writer

Outdoor dining in the City of Aiken may have gone to the dogs - as long as they stay in pet-friendly areas.

For more than a decade, state law has prohibited animals, other than service dogs, from being on a restaurant's premises. However, not until a recent complaint was filed with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control did officials begin issuing a number of warnings when animals were spotted dining outdoors at downtown restaurants.

Some restaurants have, in fact, become so pet-friendly that water bowls sit outside for the four-legged customers. And for a number of customers, that is a draw.

But unless those restaurants follow the guidelines mandated by the public health agency, they may find themselves facing harsh penalties.

Local DHEC representatives say pet-friendly areas may be designated; however, only paper-serving products can be used in those areas.

If a restaurant owner defies the regulations, he faces a four-point deduction from the 100-point scale.

To keep an A rating, a restaurant owner must keep 90 of the 100 points.

After a critical violation has been noted, the restaurant has 10 days to make corrections. If that violation is not fixed, that restaurant will then drop a letter grade.

Once a C is issued, a restaurant must close until the behavior is corrected.

Restaurants like Aiken's New Moon Cafe will have little trouble meeting the requirements of a pet-friendly environment because most of the restaurant's dinnerware is disposable.

But for restaurants like TakoSushi, ordering disposable dinnerware is likely not an option.

The West Side Bowery's owner Sam Erb also voiced concerns over disposable dinnerware.

"Quite honestly, I don't want my customers to have to come in and eat off plastic," Erb had said.

The health guidelines are nothing new, but neither is residents eating outdoors with their pets.

The responsibility, however, falls on the restaurant owners, health officials said.

"DHEC isn't going to cite pet owners," said Clair Boatwright, a DHEC spokeswoman. "(Restaurants) must stay in compliance with DHEC."

The rules are no different from those put in place by the Food and Drug Administration, she added.

"We all love animals, and what you do at home is one thing, but that risk is limited to you and your family and you are aware of that, but when person B walks in after A with a pet and gets the same dish, you are looking at a risk," she added.

The dishwashers are designed and required to sanitize the dishes, but DHEC has received more than one complaint from callers who claim they have witnessed animals eating from plates. Health officials say they have to enforce the rules in place.

Complaints locally included a one caller who reported seeing a customer purchase a meal, take it to his vehicle and feed a dog. He returned to the restaurant with the plate.

Another caller notified the state agency after witnessing two dogs sitting on chairs outside a local restaurant, DHEC officials said.

But the problem is not unique to Aiken. In Charleston, a number of restaurants have made similar changes, allowing dogs in pet-friendly areas where only paper products are used. In Myrtle Beach, DHEC has received complaints from customers who say they have seen pets in purses inside restaurants.

State officials will continue unannounced compliance checks.

Contact Karen Daily at kdaily@aikenstandard.com.





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