Athens is home to a variety of local businesses and businesses. For many people, it can be difficult to find stores and restaurants where you can shop and eat with your pet. Stores like Walmart and Starbucks have service dog-only policies and ban pets.
It can be difficult for businesses to adhere to policies and codes put in place to restrict pets in public spaces while wanting to maintain a welcoming environment for pets and pet parents. A local favorite in Athens, Donkey Coffee is as pet-friendly as possible while remaining compliant with Ohio Health Code. Donkey Coffee owner Chris Pyle said he always wanted the store to be pet-friendly.
“We were more pet-friendly until the cord issue,” Pyle said. “That's why we allow people to come in with their dogs, place their order, and then take their dog home with them as long as it's not a service animal.”
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals must be allowed in public spaces such as restaurants and stores.
Pyle says when people bring their pets to Donkey, even for a short time, the atmosphere changes.
“People just flip out, and that just makes the day,” Pyle said.
While Donkey abides by the rules set forth by health code regulations, another local Athens business, Jackie O's Brewery, has found a way to circumvent the rules with its taproom location.
“All of our food comes in from elsewhere or is loaded onto food trucks,” said Andrew Ostrike, president of Jackie O's.
Ohio Administrative Code allows pet dogs in outdoor dining areas as long as the outdoor dining area is separate from indoor areas and food and beverage operations. Jackie O's has found a way to make the store pet-friendly while adhering to health code rules and regulations by sourcing food from a separate location from the kitchen, her truck and dining area.
“We always want to be pet-friendly,” Ostrike says. “I think people like it if the dog is well-behaved.”
Some people, especially those who are passionate about pets, will bring animals into any facility, regardless of a clearly defined service animal policy. However, some people believe that all stores and public spaces should be open only to service animals, adhering to the rules.
Abipsha Banerjee, a second-year astrophysics, mathematics and computer science student, believes all businesses should be pet-friendly.
“If they are in control and are not actually destroying property, then they should not have any obligation for it,” Banerjee said.
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