{"id":698932,"date":"2026-05-28T00:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/698932\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T00:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:37:11","slug":"outdated-rules-on-dogs-in-cafes-are-hurting-struggling-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/698932\/","title":{"rendered":"Outdated rules on dogs in cafes are hurting struggling small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia loves talking about supporting small business. We hear it constantly.<\/p>\n

Support local. <\/p>\n

Back small operators. <\/p>\n

Help regional communities survive and thrive.<\/p>\n

Yet the moment a cafe owner wants to allow a quiet, leashed dog to sit beside its owner while they drink a coffee indoors, suddenly the country turns into a risk management seminar.<\/p>\n

As someone who grew up in Germany, Australia\u2019s approach to dogs in cafes and restaurants has always baffled me.<\/p>\n

In much of Europe, business owners are treated like adults capable of making adult decisions. Dogs are commonly allowed inside cafes, pubs and even shops, provided hygiene standards are maintained and animals stay out of food preparation areas.<\/p>\n

The world keeps spinning.<\/p>\n

People somehow continue eating meals without society collapsing into a canine-fuelled health emergency.<\/p>\n

MORE NEWS<\/p>\n

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\u2018I saw you\u2019: Neighbour declares war on dog poo bandit<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

I enjoy bringing my dog along to meet friends at cafes but sitting outside in winter can get a little chilly.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Australia \u2013 a nation with an estimated 7.4 million pet dogs nationwide \u2013 there are only about 5.8 million children under 18.<\/p>\n

Yet one is routinely banned from entering certain establishments while the other is allowed in regardless of behaviour.<\/p>\n

And honestly, that\u2019s where the debate starts becoming hard to ignore.<\/p>\n

Because I\u2019ve lost count of the number of times I\u2019ve watched children sprint between tables, scream through restaurants, smear food into furniture or turn a quiet brunch into something resembling a suburban indoor play centre.<\/p>\n

And before parents come charging for me online, no, I\u2019m not talking about neurodivergent children or parents genuinely trying their best.<\/p>\n

\"Pets<\/p>\n

Same But Different cafe owner Kellie Hunter with Trudy Semler feeding her mini schnauzer Floyd a puppacino in Hahndorf, SA. Picture: Mark Brake<\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about the small minority of adults who seem to think public dining spaces should simply tolerate absolutely any behaviour from their children while everyone else silently suffers through it.<\/p>\n

Yet the golden retriever quietly sleeping under a chair is apparently the hygiene issue.<\/p>\n

Sure!<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Australia \u2013 despite being a country utterly obsessed with dogs \u2013 a small business owner can face fines for allowing a well-behaved dog through the front door.<\/p>\n

It feels wildly outdated.<\/p>\n

Particularly when hospitality businesses are already being smashed by rising costs, staff shortages, insurance hikes and declining consumer spending.<\/p>\n

The latest example comes from the South Australian tourism town of Hahndorf, where Same But Different Cafe has found itself fighting to reverse a council decision <\/a>banning pets inside the premises after a single complaint.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Same But Different cafe has been a popular cafe for dog owners but recently got in trouble for allowing dogs inside.<\/p>\n

One complaint.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all it took.<\/p>\n

Owner Kellie Hunter said the change came immediately after a complaint was lodged \u2013 and now the cafe risks fines if dogs remain inside.<\/p>\n

The timing could hardly be worse.<\/p>\n

Winter is coming and anyone who owns a dog knows people are far less likely to sit outside in freezing weather with a coffee and brunch.<\/p>\n

The frustrating part is the cafe reportedly had no hygiene complaints while operating as dog friendly.<\/p>\n

Because here\u2019s the thing many Australians don\u2019t realise: Europe already figured this out years ago.<\/p>\n

Under Australian food standards, dogs are generally banned anywhere food is prepared, handled or served indoors, unless they are certified assistance animals.<\/p>\n

Europe takes a far more sensible approach.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Europe, dogs in cafes and restaurants are a common sight. Even celevrity chef Gordon Ramsay is on board.<\/p>\n

Their regulations focus on keeping animals out of kitchens and food preparation areas \u2013 which seems entirely reasonable \u2013 but they largely leave decisions about dining spaces up to business owners and local authorities.<\/p>\n

In other words: adults are trusted to make adult decisions.<\/p>\n

What a concept.<\/p>\n

And despite what some people seem to believe, Europe has not collapsed into a canine-fuelled health apocalypse.<\/p>\n

I understand the arguments against it.<\/p>\n

Some people are allergic to dogs. Some are afraid of them. Fair enough.<\/p>\n

But nobody is forcing anyone to sit beside a dog any more than people are forced to holiday at adults-only resorts or book flights in child-free airline sections.<\/p>\n

Consumers already make these choices constantly.<\/p>\n

Singapore Airlines even offers \u201cScootinSilence\u201d zones on some flights \u2013 adult-only cabin sections for passengers aged 12 and over.<\/p>\n

Clearly there\u2019s a market for escaping noise and chaos.<\/p>\n

And speaking of chaos, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay recently found himself dragged into an online debate<\/a> after a TikTok video appeared to show a dog standing on a pee pad near diners at one of his London restaurants.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, Ramsay was recently forced to responded to a viral TikTok video, allegedly filmed at one of his London restaurants, which sparked discussion online about a dog seen standing -and peeing \u2013 near diners.<\/p>\n

The internet, naturally, reacted as though civilisation itself was ending.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is foul,\u201d one commenter wrote.<\/p>\n

Another added: \u201cI\u2019m a dog owner and this is still a massive no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramsay later clarified the footage had been \u201coverexaggerated\u201d and said dogs were only permitted on the outdoor terrace anyway.<\/p>\n

Which is kind of the entire point.<\/p>\n

Businesses are perfectly capable of setting boundaries and rules without governments treating every cavoodle like a biosecurity threat \u2013 particularly during a cost-of-living crisis where small hospitality businesses are already struggling to survive.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m being completely honest, the worst behaved thing I\u2019ve encountered in a restaurant lately wasn\u2019t a dog.<\/p>\n

It was someone\u2019s child throwing chips at strangers while their parents ignored it while sipping an almond latte.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia loves talking about supporting small business. We hear it constantly. Support local. Back small operators. Help regional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":698933,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-698932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/698933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}