E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
Malachy, winner of the Best-in-Show at the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, eats chicken and rice at Sardi's Restaurant.
By Michelle Leifer
Every year, upon winning Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the top dog is treated to a victory meal at Sardi's, a restaurant in New York City’s Theater District. That tradition, which has lived on for three decades, almost came to an abrupt end this year when New York City’s Health Department decided to crack down on its rules against animals in restaurants.
On Wednesday, just hours after this year’s winner, Malachy the Pekingese, enjoyed a chicken and rice lunch at the historic eatery, the health department announced that Malachy would be the last dog to dine at the restaurant.
"We can't be expected to just roll over for the champ. Our primary concern is making sure people and pets follow the doggone rules — ideally without whining or begging," Health Department spokesman John Kelly told the New York Post.
Owner Max Klimavicius said he was sorry to see the tradition end.
But by Thursday morning, the Health Department had loosened its leash. A spokesperson told NBC New York that, starting next year, the commissioner would give special permission to the dog show winner to dine at Sardi’s.
According to the Health Department, “Every Westminster-winning dog should have his day and his meal.”
Michelle Leifer is a TODAY.com contributor who would happily dine alongside dogs and cats, too.
Leave a Comment:
I love animals (not just dogs but also cats, rats, cows...), and I don't have a problem with people bringing their pets with them to the outdoor dining area of a restaurant, such as a beer garden or patio, but I draw the line at having animals inside on a regular basis. Those rules are in place for a reason. However, for a special circumstance like Westminster, I think a meal for the winner indoors at a restaurant is, while a bit unnecessarily fancy in my opinion, a situation where a reasonable accommodation could be made. After all it's not like it happens every week.
I don't think small dogs are any worse than many of the bratty kids we see today. I'd rather eat beside a well-trained dog than a screaming kid.
I like dogs, and I've owned a number of them, but no, I do not want to dine with someone else's dog and therefore see no reason why anyone else should have to dine with mine, especially in nice restaurants. Service animals are fine, but our restaurants would be overtaken with every size and every description of dog on earth if dogs were allowed into restaurants. Nowadays there are ill mannered people who would bring in ill mannered dogs just to stir up trouble.