We love dogs at The Salty Dog Cafe and welcomed them when we first opened
in 1987
Lots of people came
to see us and many of them brought their dogs. Life was good – or so it seemed. Dogs of all
shapes and
sizes accompanied their owners to lunch, dinner and happy hour. Along with the Poodles came
German Shepherds,
Dobermans, Labradors, Rottweilers, and Golden Retrievers. On any given day there were a dozen
(or more)
dogs at The Salty Dog Cafe.
If you allow several dogs of any variety in close proximity to each other,
add children with cheeseburgers and ice cream cones, then throw in a margarita for the dog
owners and
the problems can begin. Owners would allow their dogs to lie in the walkways. Dogs ate off of
forks and
out of our plates. Some dogs barked almost continually. Others begged for food and stole hot
dogs from
little kids. It would be no exaggeration to say that many of the dog owners failed to control
their pets.
So, ultimately the good dog owners suffered from the actions of the bad dog owners and we
posted the
“No Dogs Allowed” signs in 1989. Why? Because we feel that we have a responsibility to provide
our customers
with a clean, peaceful and safe place to dine. We do not feel that it is our responsibility to
police
the dog situation – or to clean up after dogs or to referee dog fights. I’m uncertain if you
have ever
witnessed the utter chaos that occurs when 2 dogs suddenly decide to attack each other in a
crowded environment
such as The Salty Dog Cafe, but it can get really ugly. So, being fully aware of the
consequences, we
no longer wish to subject ourselves to the disruption to the business or the liability.
And in all fairness,
our policy is not just limited to dogs, but extends to all animals, including pythons,
cockatoos, and
monkeys, all of which have accompanied their owners to The Salty Dog Cafe. And, without
exception, these
owners questioned our reasoning for not welcoming their companions to our restaurant. Which
brings us
to the heart of the matter.
The Salty Dog Cafe is – first and foremost – a restaurant. And as our advertisements
state: a restaurant for humans. Our policy also extends to our outside tables because, in
essence, our
outside seating is part of our dining room. This outside dining area also includes the picnic
tables.
We tried the concept of allowing dogs at the picnic tables at The Salty Dog Cafe. We
felt that
it was time to relax our policy a bit, so we decided to give it another go. However, it didn’t
take long
to realize that it was not going to work for the same old reasons; dogs on the tables, dog
fights, &
dogs relieving themselves. Other than this brief period, the decision not to allow dogs at The
Salty
Dog Cafe is long standing; dating back to 1989. Our reasoning comes, in part, from the old
adage “there
are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.” And generically speaking “everyone loves dogs, but not
everyone
loves your dog.” And while we sincerely apologize to the good dog owners, it’s the bad dog
owners who
have backed us into this corner. Over the past 20 years we have received many letters, phone
calls and
personal contacts from dog owners who have questioned our position on dogs at The Salty Dog
Cafe. Some
have the opinion that since we are The Salty Dog Cafe, then we are somehow obligated to allow
dogs. On
the other hand, many of our customers are dog owners and they understand and support our
policy. Just
as the majority of restaurant customers prefer to dine in a smoke free environment, it appears
that the
majority of customers do not want to dine with a dog sitting beside them. In closing, we doubt
that we
will change our policy anytime soon. We’re sorry; we tried to make it work on two different
occasions,
but to no avail. So, we will continue to try and do the best job that we can in operating a
restaurant
for humans.
As a side note – Jake, the original Salty Dog, was adopted from our local shelter in the
early 80’s. In appreciation, we have continuously shown our support to Hilton Head Humane for
the past
32 years and Salty Dog is proud to have contributed upwards of $200,000 to their organization in that time.
