Growing up, I had meals with pets. Usually two and, at times, three labrador retrievers waiting just outside the kitchen for any signal that they could to clean up the crumbs. Ears perked, big puppy dog eyes, they eagerly watched. Over the years, my dad leaning back in his chair after dinner, triggered the dogs to approach the table.

While we had meals with pets, there were rules. Dogs could only be at the kitchen table with permission. Today, when we visit my parents the rules for dogs list is shorter. Dogs in beds, dogs in cars, and dogs under tables. Dogs were always part of the family but their status improved.

The elevating status of pets is visible everywhere. Been to an airport lately? Dogs are frequently a seat mate on my flights. It’s not just dogs! Check out this miniature service horse spotted traveling recently.

There was a small horse in line at the airport today and I’m so curious about it. #ORD pic.twitter.com/bwX1HEeYcH

— Amberley Felter (@AmberleyFelter) August 30, 2019

One reason for the elevated status of pets stems from their effectiveness for emotional and psychiatric support. Registration of emotional support animals is on the rise. A study of registrations for assistance dogs in California saw an increase in the psychiatric/emotional registrations of 1000% between two periods of analysis (2000-2002 and 2010-2012).

California saw an increase in the psychiatric/emotional registrations of 1000% between two periods of analysis (2000-2002 and 2010-2012).

Research shows that emotional support animals offer benefits. Handlers show reduced anxiety and increased social interactions. For individuals with mental or psychological disorders, a pet offers a less intrusive alternative to pharmacological treatment. Pets are relatively low cost and use for emotional support is protected by law. Finally, the process to register is pretty simple.

The Emotional Support pet provides a pathway for pets to penetrate more of the spaces for services. Transportation and entertainment vendors are all facing the pressure to address this trend. Pets will be a major factor shaping meal experiences in the next decade.

Pets will be a major factor shaping meal experiences in the next decade.

Dining with Fido

There is a growing legal framework to support pet friendly food service. Eleven states since 2006 passed laws addressing companion pets in food service establishments. Many of these state laws allow pathways for local government to make the ordinances/law regarding meals with pets. A summary of these ordinances shows an attempt to balance health codes, needs of companion pet handlers and the needs of general patrons.

• a requirement that employees wash their hands after touching pet dogs and prohibitions from touching dogs while preparing or serving food
• a reminder to patrons to wash their hands after touching dogs (waterless hand sanitizer must be provided at all tables in the designated outdoor area)
• rules that patrons shall keep their dogs on leashes at all times and under reasonable control
• a prohibition against dogs on chairs, tables, or other furnishings
• signs that inform patrons and employees of the rules
• provisions to clean up and sanitize areas that contact pet waste. The law also states that “[a] kit with the appropriate materials for this purpose shall be kept near the designated outdoor area.”
• rules against dogs traveling through indoor areas of the restaurant even when entering or exiting the restaurant

Treats on Wheels

Sure, food truck events make a fitting scene for meals with pets. There at open spaces where food service providers don’t need to worry about the seating. And, if you attend a food truck event, you will notice that attending with pets is popular. Acting on this trend there is a growing fleet of food trucks for pets. Usually an extension of a pet food bakery, food trucks offer a mobile platform to bring the products to the buyers. Fetch in Birmingham, AL offers ice cream and treats for dogs.

Braised Lamb for Two

Dogs used to get scraps from the table and crumbs. Now, an extra plate is made for the family pet. Cook books are branching into this space with recipes that are friendly for the whole family, including the pet. The Dog Gone Good Cookbook offers fish burgers to lamb shanks that can be enjoyed by you, your kids and the family dog.

My dog is vegan

At home, handlers embracing stronger emotional attachment to pets for therapeutic purposes, drives unusual side effects. Loving animals and pet ownership are correlated. Loving animals and veganism is also correlated. It appears that these animal loving pet owners are interested in turning their pets into vegans. Of 3,673 cat- and dog-owning humans surveyed around the world, a whopping 35 percent expressed interest in turning their meat-eating pets vegan (source). With veganism on the rise, this is a concerning trend for maintaining health pets. However, it’s not just veganism. Pick your diet and there is likely a pet option available. Yes, there is keto for pets.

What do you think about pets at meals?

Share your thoughts in the comments

Author

Dan Kurdys is a dad that cooks at home for his wife and three daughters. Growing up, meals were a critical part of Dan’s learning and family bonding. He feels the struggle of balancing a full time job and preparing family meals that are convenient, on budget and healthy. He started his side hustle blog Meal Genome in 2018 to discover insights for better meal experiences. The approach is to use skills from career experience in corporate strategy, a MBA and a degree in Economics toward analytics of meal experiences.