Melbourne pub raided by council over dog complaint
A Melbourne business owner is calling for change this morning, after council officers raided his Fitzroy pub just because there was a dog in the bar.
Bailey the pup is The Rose owner Neil Spark’s own pet and he told Today he thinks there should be more pet-friendly venues around.
Neil Spark's pub in Fitzroy was raided because of his pet dog. Today
“A couple of weeks ago we had a visit from the health inspectors and they were wearing bodycams and said they would be issuing a fine because we had dogs in pubs,” Spark said.
“It just feels like they are taking a bit of the fun out of coming to the pub.”
Spark confirmed there is a current law that means dogs are not allowed in pubs, but he wants it looked at and amended.
“We are hoping that the state government might change that law for us,” he said.
“It’s lucky we have the support of the mayor, Stephen Jolly, because he is also very keen to see the law changed, but it’s a state government law that is enforced by local council.”
Spark said there have been no problems for patrons who enter his venue and see customers with a dog at the bar and, if anything, it even encourages them to socialise more with each other.
“It is crazy that we can now have dogs travelling on planes, so how is it unsafe for a dog to be sitting next to you at the bar while their owner enjoys a beer?” he said.
“The dogs are on a leash, they aren’t running around or dancing on the bar… they aren’t cooking a steak in the kitchen.”
We’d love to hear from you
