Law allows dogs on restaurant patios

People who dine at a restaurant's outside patio may soon have some canine company.

Starting July 1, many Tennessee cities can choose to allow dog owners to bring their pets onto restaurant patios. Knoxville leaders still have to approve it, and individual restaurant owners would still have the final say.

But what comes as good news to dog lovers has one Knoxville city councilman asking "What if?"

If every dog has her day, then July 1 belonged to 2-year-old "Bijou," who joined her owners on the patio at Oodles restaurant Wednesday.

"We can actually take her inside the fence, and she can sit under the table with us," said Bijou's owner Louisa Trott.

The bill was signed in June by Governor Bredesen and went into effect Wednesday meaning, if local governments approve, dog owners are free to bring their pets to outside patios.

"People have typically come and they bring them and tie them up on the outside patio," said Oodles manager Amelia Adams. "But it doesn't really make a lot of sense not to allow them the 2 feet over to be directly with their owners."

But some fear the pets could cause problems.

"One has to wonder what's going to happen with larger dogs, especially," said Knoxville City Councilman Joe Hultquist. "Are they going to get into fights with other dogs, bite people, try to take food off the tables? Time will tell whether or not those issues are real issues or whether they're red herrings."

"We'll see."

"Dog owners, for the most part, when they take their dogs out, tend to be very responsible," Adams said.

As for Bijou, Independence Day seems to have come a little early.

"She's still not going to get any food from the table," Trott said. "That's a no-no in our house."

Again, Knoxville City Council has to approve the measure to make it legal here. The bill applies only to cities with 100,000 people or more; however, amendments allow Sevier, Blount, and Fentress Counties to participate, also.