LAST WEEK MVP pub on Clanbrassil St said that it had been told it could no longer welcome dogs onto its premises.
A recent visit from the HSE meant that the informal ‘pet friendly’ policy in place in the pub would have to stop.
We asked a number of other ‘dog friendly’ bars ( as listed anecdotally by the websites like Lovin Dublin and Publin.ie) if their attitudes had changed following the MVP controversy…
The Leeson Lounge
The Leeson Lounge has been known to have a dog friendly policy in the past. The manager there said that the pub doesn’t serve food so they felt it had “never really been an issue”.
The pub has an outdoor smoking area and there is certainly no problem with dogs sitting outside. However he said this latest controversy means the pub will have the “check out” what the story is in terms of allowing dogs inside.
The Hut, Phibsboro
The Hut told us that while they had “no official policy” in the past regarding dogs on the premises, they had previously allowed regulars inside with their dogs, once the pups weren’t interfering with other customers.
In light of the HSE clamping down on MVP this week, however, they told us that they would “have to review the situation” and potentially look at enforcing a blanket ban on dogs (with the exception of guide dogs, of course).
The Gravediggers
When we spoke to The Gravediggers, they informed us that they don’t mind a dog during the day once it’s kept on its lead and it’s not busy inside, but noted that dogs were not allowed anywhere where food was being served.
They said they were not aware of the MVP controversy.
The Cobblestone
The Smithfield favourite told us that it does not allow dogs on the premises except for guide dogs, despite being listed as ‘dog friendly’ in the past.
Smyths of Haddington Road
Although listed as dog friendly, Smyths of Haddington Road have clarified that they only ever let dogs sit in their outside area. Never inside.
MVP
Bodytonic spokesperson Trev O’Shea told DailyEdge.ie last week that after a considerable amount of support the pub was going to “try to fight” the HSE’s banning of dogs from the bar.
MVP co-owner Phoebe Fairbairn told The Anton Savage Show on Today FM that allowing dogs into the pub had become a “unique selling point for the business”.
I see no reason why the HSE can’t work with me to put some kind of regularion in place where it’s at my discretion.
Beerhouse
Beerhouse on Capel Street told DailyEdge.ie that it has no policy per se on allowing dogs but that they take pets on a case by case basis.
The manager expressed understandable reluctance to explicitly say that dogs are welcome, given MVP’s recent issues, but said that as long as dogs are quiet and clean and not running around they don’t have any particular issue with it. He also said that the bar would only be asked to admit dogs maybe once or twice a week, and that it wasn’t a very regular occurrence.
Pantibar
Capel’s Street’s Pantibar is owned by Rory O’Neill who commented on DailyEdge.ie MVP story last week, saying:
Unfortunately every bar, regardless of whether they serve food or not, is considered a “food premises” under the legislation. I own a bar in Dublin city centre, the only food we serve is packets of peanuts, and we are dog friendly.
We’ve had two visits from the health officer about it who told me I couldn’t have my own small dog in the bar. The officer implied they’d had a complaint from a member of the public but I don’t really believe that – she also said she’d been passing the closed bar and saw the dog through the window.
I was very firm about my position: the dog stays, and if they wanted to drag me in front of a judge and waste everyone’s time, they could go ahead. (the dog is hardly going to open bottles of beer and pee in them, and as far as I’m concerned a dog is no more a health issue than customers wearing their street shoes in). I haven’t heard from them again and that was about two years ago.
- additional reporting by Amy O’Connor
Written by Emer McLysaght and posted on DailyEdge.ie
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