Dinner Out with the Dogs

Hi Eve!

I have found a new source of entertainment for the pups! :-)

This is Jenner with the Crew on her, though all you can see of Marshal is his hip and back where he has shoved himself under her right arm. Marhsal and Ansel are chewing on each other's faces while Paisle is pawing at her. But mauling our guests with happy tails and slobber is not the new source of entertainment (though that was fun too!)...we went out to dinner!

There is a website in town that lists all the restaurants that will allow you to take your pups to dinner with you. One of them is W.A. Frost, in St. Paul, where they welcome dogs on the patio. The outdoor temp hit 72, and Jenner and I had plans for dinner anyway, so I talked her into bringing the dogs along.

We left Ansel at home--he's not quite so outgoing as the pups and I was pretty sure the two dogs would be difficult enough for us to handle. We brought props with us: Paisle's blanket from my sister Koren, some of their favorite toys, and the treat bag (no clicker).

The other patrons did not seem so happy to see us, when we arrived. We were seated in a closed section of the patio, away from any other guests, along a low retaining wall and steps, right next to the kitchen door. I thought it was the perfect table for us. The low wall created a pocket of protection for one dog, with the table on one side and human bookends. The other dog was on my right, putting that pup at the foot of the stairs and in the line of waiter/waitress traffic.

Jenner and I each had a glass of wine (I had a salad too), then dinner, then coffee with dessert. We were there about 2.5 hours.

The wait staff and one of the managers certainly warmed up to us. Most stopped by to say hello to the dogs (we rotated who was in the pocket and who was on the outside), some more than once. A fellow patron recognized Paisle right away when we walked in, from our puppy class. She is Nancy, mother to Juno who is a BEAUTIFUL boxer mix, a week younger than Paisle. Juno and Paisle played very well together in class, and I am so glad Nancy stopped by to say hello to the Bean.

The dogs were so well behaved! There were a few snags...at some point Paisle became fixated on something at the kitchen door and started growling (we put her in the pocket and I was able to refocus her on sits/downs/high fives with lots of treats). Marshal suddenly became very restless (have I mentioned what a strong pup he is?) so I took him outside the patio and he immediately peed. And it was hard trying to maintain a conversation while keeping an eye on the pups. But overall it was definitely a success.
Here is Marshal, in the pocket on Paisle's blanket.

And fair is fair...since I posted a photo of Jenni, I am also putting up my mug--with Paisle of course. You can see the kitchen door behind us, and just a piece of the RR tie that is the retaining wall. Marshal is just out of sight, under my left elbow.
We will go back! I hope they remember us, and speak well of us to other patrons.
I wish you had been able to partake in outings like this, Everett. I hope you were with us in spirit, enjoying the positive experience with pit bulls.