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Thanks to a new law, dogs are no longer left out from enjoying the pleasures of patio season in Northeast Ohio

Posted at 7:31 AM, Mar 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-22 18:38:33-04

CLEVELAND — People take their pooches everywhere. This spring, residents across Ohio are likely to see a different type of guests at their favorite grub spots.

House Bill 263 passed in June and went into effect in October. Prior to the new law, animals were prohibited from restaurant patios, with the exception of service animals and police dogs.

Tremont Taphouse Owner Chris Lieb said his patio is pup-friendly.

"There will be at least one, two, maybe 10. It just depends on the day and the weather," Lieb said.

Dogs are not allowed inside with the exception of service dogs. They must be leashed, vaccinated and under control.

"We can easily accommodate people if they don't like dogs, have allergies to dogs or just any other reason they don't want to be around dogs," he said.

If people are on the fence about bringing their pup to the patio, experts said it is an easy training technique, without much work.

Owner of K-9 Miracle Training in Cleveland, David Tirpak, said the law should've been passed long ago.

He said taking their canine companion to a restaurant is a cheap training trick.

"One thing that I am constantly telling my clients to do was make sure they're getting the dogs out and about as much as possible because it's so simple to break that cycle to make sure they're seeing things and getting that and environmental socialization," he said.

Lawmakers said the prohibition of dogs on patios was not enforced well by the health department prior to this law being passed.