Every patio that goes “no dogs” used to be dog-friendly. Ask the manager why, and it’s never a policy person in an office — it’s one afternoon, one dog, one incident that tipped it. Which means the difference between a city full of yes and a city full of no is us, collectively, being easy to say yes to.

The rules nobody writes down: keep the leash short enough that your dog can’t reach the next table. Ask before your dog greets — half the dogs on any patio are working on something. Sit at the perimeter if your dog is new to patios; the corner table is the training-wheels table. And bring your own water bowl even when they provide one — the shared trough is lovely, but not every dog agrees.

The one that matters most: know your dog’s time limit. Most patio incidents happen in hour two, when the novelty’s gone and the dog is done but the humans have ordered another round. Leaving twenty minutes before your dog needs you to is the most advanced move in dog parenting.