A photo posted on a local Facebook page showing a woman placing her dog on the seat of a banquette at a restaurant table in Rock Springs, Wyoming, has struck a nerve and divided the community. Some are appalled, calling the act “presumptuous” and unsanitary, while others are pushing back and urging people to leave the woman and her dog alone.

“RANTTTT,” reads the text above a photo in the Sweetwater County Rants and Raves group. “If you’ve already made the legitimate decision to take your dog to a restaurant (Sapporo), DO NOT let him sit on the bench where other people are sitting. Disgusting and inconsiderate.”

The image has sparked a deeper, emotional debate about allowing animals in restaurants.

Some of the respondents urged others to be considerate of the woman’s circumstances and consider whether the dog was a service dog. Some said the dog seemed well behaved and others suggested that children are much messier than dogs and should be allowed to sit at the table.

“If your pampered butt is too pristine to sit in the same restaurant as a dog,” wrote one commenter, “you are the problem, not the dog.”

Other commenters, however, agreed with the tirade and said that people need to get out of the mindset of seeing dogs as people. Others said they have no problem with having a dog in a restaurant, but making the animal sit at the table like a guest is too much of a good thing.

“Everyone should take a moment to really think about this,” one man wrote. “This is a grocery store, not your home kitchen. Could this be a service dog? Yes, but it would be more responsible if that person wore an appropriate vest or sign to express that. People have allergies, and unless you have a certified service animal, you have no right to bring a pet that could disturb other people in public grocery stores.”

Additionally, state laws, Wyoming culture, and basic etiquette also play a role.

The companion dogs of Wyoming

The Wyoming Department of Agriculture, which oversees restaurant cleanliness standards, is banning all animals except service dogs from entering restaurants, Sara Geffre, environmental health officer for the Sweetwater County Health Department, told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.

The agency’s website links to federal regulations that say restaurant employees can only ask a person if they need a dog because of a disability and what task the dog will perform. Employees cannot ask for documentation or proof that the dog can provide a particular service, the policy states.

Perhaps a feature of the state’s individualistic culture, many Wyoming residents ignore regulations about bringing dogs into dining establishments. It’s not uncommon to see ranchers chasing their dogs after work in bars in small towns in Wyoming.

Jerry Zhang, Sapporo’s owner, said he tends to take a gentler stance in this area for several reasons: He doesn’t want to separate a lonely or disabled person from their dog; he doesn’t want to leave a dog in a hot car; and he cleans thoroughly between guests anyway.

“If the dog is well behaved and doesn’t bark, I say OK,” Zhang said. “I’ll be truly sorry if I say no.”

On the other hand, he said he was sorry if dogs made some people uncomfortable and hoped to compensate for that with his thorough cleaning. He said his staff would wipe down the seats between guests and clean the entire restaurant daily.

“I always tell myself that I have to put myself in other people’s shoes to understand how others feel,” Zhang said. “That’s why I allow well-behaved dogs.”

Well, that all depends

Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, author of the etiquette guide “Don’t Burp In The Board Room,” said how each individual handles the situation depends on the circumstances.

The first consideration should be whether area regulations allow dogs in restaurants, she said.

She was aware of the anti-establishment attitude of many Wyoming residents toward such regulations and said the region’s culture was also an important consideration.

Restaurant guests without dogs can approach the dog situation in several ways.

Randall said the offended guest should consider whether he or she is actually suffering from the dog’s presence.

“Does what you see really affect the dining experience, or are you focusing so much on something you don’t like that you ruin your own dining experience?” she asked hypothetically.

If the dog isn’t harming anyone, it might be wise to overlook one or two guests, Randall said.

However, if the dog poses a problem, the guest can contact either the dog owner or the restaurant manager, depending on the nature of the problem.

For example, a smelly dog ​​can spoil the dining experience of other guests nearby.

“Little white lies” can be helpful, says Randall. He adds that you could say to the dog owner, for example, “Excuse me, I have a slight dog allergy. Can you please move him to the other side of the table?”

If this is not a viable option, the guest can contact the manager and request to be seated elsewhere.

Finally, the guest may need to ask the manager to take care of the dog situation, especially if the dog is causing other problems, she said.

The restaurant owner may have to weigh whether or not their dog policy is costing them revenue. This is another consideration that is related to the culture of a region.

Claire McFarland can be reached at [email protected].