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Maybe the enchantment of "Lady and the Tramp" has captured our imagination, but doesn't every dog lover hope someday to share a plate of spaghetti with man's best friend at a fancy eatery?

No need to hope anymore. From Panama City Beach, Florida to Newport, Rhode Island, dog owners are saying, "Yes, we can."

Dining out with the dog, in fact, moved from silver screen fantasy to reality years ago in numerous communities across the United States.

If it's a summer Monday afternoon in Newport, R.I., for example, dogs and their owners head for the Canfield House porch behind storied Bellevue Avenue.

Canfield House started Doggie Cocktail Hour on its restaurant porch two years ago, according to owner Maggie Wiggins, around the time her daughter brought home a new puppy and realized Newport didn't offer any place for people who wanted to go out with their pets.

"It's a great time," Wiggins said. "We have birthday parties for the dogs, and the owners meet and mingle." On Monday nights, the restaurant's main dining room is closed, so the dogs can take over the porch and patio without disturbing any patrons who might not be pet lovers.

So far, there have been no problems, she said. "It's outdoors; it's not a food safety issue," Wiggins said, "and they do it in Europe."

In the U.S., the practice isn't legal everywhere. New York City's Health Department, surprisingly, bans dogs at outdoor restaurants -- despite the fact that pooches have long been part of the sidewalk cafe scene all over the city, especially in dog-friendly neighborhoods such as Greenwich Village, SoHo and Little Italy.

Zoe Tobin, associate press secretary with the New York City Health Department, had no information about any plans to change the ban on dogs at outdoor cafes. Except for service dogs, she said, live animals are not allowed at restaurants, including outdoor patios, porches and sidewalk cafes. She denied health inspectors look the other way; inspectors are out and will enforce the dog ban if they see a violation, she said.

But a growing number of municipalities are officially changing their laws to welcome dogs at sidewalk cafes and in other outdoor sections of restaurants.

Last month, for example, Panama City Beach, Fl., issued its first "doggie dining" license, according to Mel Leonard, director of building and planning.

"It's an early success," Leonard said, adding that he hopes more restaurants will apply. Panama City Beach has 300 eateries; and so far, Salty Sue's is the only one licensed for doggie dining.

Billy Joe Knowles, Salty Sue's manager, said he paid $50 for a yearlong permit.
"It's been working out pretty good," he said. "No problems." Knowles estimated 25 to 30 dogs arrived -- with owners on leash -- for an event, a fund-raiser.

Dogs of all sizes are allowed, as long as they're leashed. "The little dogs sit on the patron's lap, but they can't touch the table," he said. Salty Sue's has a special doggie menu and serves the fare in disposable dog dishes, he said.

The restaurant has also added an agility course for the dogs who want to play.

Panama City Beach was not the first Florida community to jump on board with doggie dining, Leonard said, estimating that four or five other cities have also taken advantage of the 2006 state law, granting local governments authority to write their own rules about dogs and restaurants.

Those rules come with a few restrictions, of course. The restaurants must post signs so other patrons will know that dogs may be in "designated outdoor areas," he said. Hand sanitizers and waste kits are also required, and the dogs can't come inside. "They're prohibited inside; they can't come in contact with the dishes or the table," he said.

Leonard also likes the doggie dining law because it doesn't force any restaurant to cater to the dog clientele.

In the D.C. suburb of Frederick County, Md., plans are in the works to start doggie dining, but have been put on hold pending a change in state law to give the local governments the authority to write their own ordinance, according to Kara Norman, executive director of the Downtown Frederick Partnership.

The partnership, which promotes Main Street businesses, is behind doggie dining because it's good for the local economy, she said.

"There's an economic benefit of catering to customers with dogs," she said. "They're loyal and consistent."

Between 50 and 60 businesses self-identify as "dog-friendly," putting out the welcome mat for people who want to shop with their pooches, she said. Some restaurants were in that dog-friendly category and already allowing the dogs at outdoor areas until the partnership learned the practice was illegal, Norman said. "We didn't know about the rule," she said.

Norman said doggie dining is not without controversy, but the partnership hopes to follow the Florida model. Frederick County's doggie dining rules would not force any restaurants to serve to dogs, she said.

Norman is not sure if the state will make the change in time to allow dogs at outdoor restaurants for the Dog Days of Summer event, she said. If not, she is hoping to win a special exception for the one day, which is the most popular downtown promotion.

Since 2003, the partnership has organized First Saturday monthly events to bring people downtown. A typical turnout is about 11,000, but many more people come out for events with a pet theme, like Dog Days of Summers.

Several websites provide lists of restaurants and cafes that allow dogs outside. If you have a favorite spot in your community, you might call ahead and find out the policy. With any luck, you and your dog could be enjoying a "bee-you-tee-ful" night under the stars at a sidewalk cafe.

Meanwhile, eating inside the restaurant will remain a dream. But remember Asta in "The Thin Man" movie series?

Maybe someday....

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