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SCMP Reporter

A veteran SCMP reporter, Kevin examines the good, bad and ugly  sides of life in the city.

When I go out for a leisurely lunch, I like to break bread and enjoy a glass of wine with a woman merchant banker or a venerable history professor or some other interesting companion.

Not Peter de Krassel. He wants a restaurant where he can order a spicey aubergine dish for himself and a juicy sirloin steak for a beagle.

When I first heard that the animal-loving movement Pets Central Asia had applied for a licence for a restaurant where dogs could go with their owners, my immediate assumption was that it was either a joke or someone was insane.

Nope, it was merely Mr de Krassel, chairman of Pets Central Asia, expounding on one of his favourite topics.

The mutt-fanciers tried to open an eatery in North Point where dogs and their owners could dine together. Sensibly, the restaurant licensing authority refused to permit this idiocy.

As with most countries, we've got laws that forbid this hygienic nightmare. The Food Business Regulation bans live birds and animals from places where food is served, including approved outdoor seating areas. It could cost offenders up to HK$10,000 or jail for three months. There were no prosecutions for this offence last year.

'Dogs are banned from food premises because a number of diseases are transmissible from dogs to humans,' a spokesman said.

Quite right, too. I can't think of anything more likely to put me off my noodles than some slobbering Dalmatian  or panting bulldog.

But that's not how Peter de Krassel sees things.

'I've got a dog which is a pure Hong Kong mongrel street dog,' he says. 'I take it to restaurants and bars. It is not fed anything in public. It sits at my feet and observes and digests human behaviour.

'Dogs to many pet owners are their children, especially to many young couples that have decided not to bring children into this crazy world.

'To many older couples whose children have left home, their dog is the only living being they live for every day.

'More significantly, there have been studies conducted in America, Britain and China that prove children that grow up with pets, dogs and cats in particular, have fewer sick days because they have better immune systems. They also do better in school because when they can't talk to parents or siblings about homework, they do so with their pets.

'And they have much lower suicide rates because when they get depressed about life, they talk to their pets instead of killing themselves; this is a significant factor in Hong Kong with its high teenage suicide rate.' Businessman Mr de Krassel contends (and with this I agree!) that some dog owners raise their animals to be better behaved in restaurants than many children.

'I'd much prefer to be in a restaurant where well-behaved dogs are quietly sitting on the floor rather than a restaurant with screaming brats that parents can't control,' he says. 'I'm not aware of anybody who brings out a dog to a restaurant that barks repeatedly, unlike the case of babies or small children who can totally ruin a nice dining experience with their screams.'

I'm relieved to add that Peter de Krassel doesn't believe dogs should sit at a table and be fed.

But he argues that a small lap dog should be able to sit on a chair, otherwise some nasty person (like me) might accidently or deliberately kick the mutt.

'Dogs are better behaved than some of the bitches I have met in bars,' he adds.

He contends that 'civilised' people in 'civilised' cities like London, Sydney, New York and Paris are enlightened and believe dogs deserve to be with their owners in a bar or restaurant. And he warns that our claim to be 'Asia's world city' is threatened if we ban dogs from restaurants.

This claim is ridiculous. I've never seen a dog in The Savoy Grill in London and if I did I'd call for my bill and walk out. If the sign of civilisation is dining with a poodle, then, thank you, count me as a caveman.

I've got nothing against dogs. I like dogs. I'd love to have one myself, but to take proper care of a dog calls for hard work and dedication, a commitment I'm not prepared to make.

But I don't want a  German shepherd  or one of those horrible squawking long-haired lap dogs, no matter how well behaved, sitting at the next table when I'm cutting up my lamb chops.



Kevin Sinclair's Hong Kong