It’s their world; we’re just living in it.
Dogs tied to posts outside establishments of any kind are a common sight in cities. Increasingly, our four-legged friends have been permitted to enter human-centered places under the guise of “therapy dogs” (this is, of course, aside from dogs who have legitimate occupations working as seeing-eye and other types of companion dogs).
Recently, I witnessed a minor drama at a Starbucks, where a Millennial couple brought a dog in with them (on leash), and the dog was freely sniffing and wandering around the food products in the store. It caused a bit of a ruckus with other customers, one of whom asked a barista to request that the owners remove the dog from the premises. The remaining Millennial stood in the queue silently fuming and giving the stink-eye to the customer who made the request until she finally got her customized beverage and went to join her beloved other two thirds.
Fo
r the record, I’m a dog lover, but I strongly believe animals do not belong in food (and most non-food) establishments.
Then along comes this clever East Village establishment: Boris & Horton. It’s a canine & coffee outfit that opened up a couple of years ago near Tompkins Square Park, a heavily dogged area of downtown Manhattan, in a neighborhood historically populated by people whose love for canines (quite likely) surpasses their love for fellow humans.
Naturally, there’s strict “no cats allowed” policy, along with limits placed on other common dog behaviors, but humans meeting “must love dogs” humans are welcome to make their own connections.
