The Stubborn Goat is joining the call for change after it was told dogs were not permitted on its waterfront location

Another business in the province is joining the call for changes to Nova Scotia's food safety regulations after it received an anonymous complaint about dogs on its property.

The Stubborn Goat Beer Garden posted on its Facebook page a picture of an inspection report from the Nova Scotia Environment Department which stated it received a complaint regarding four dogs on Stubborn Goat's patio on Aug. 5.

"An operator must not permit any live animal to be in a food establishment as per section 39 of the Food Safety Regulations," the inspection report said. "A food establishment, as defined by the Health Protection Act, does include areas where food is prepared, served, sold, stored, dispensed, displayed, etc. as part of a food establishment. It also includes the surroundings of the facility that are under the control of the same person. The patio/dining area is part of your food establishment."

The Stubborn Goat's post also included a link to an online petition originally started by Brightwood Brewery in Dartmouth after that business was told by the province dogs were not allowed on its premises last month. Schoolhouse Brewery also shared the petition on its Facebook page after it was also told dogs weren't allowed in its establishment.

Geir Simenson, co-owner of the Stubborn Goat, said he initially thought they weren't violating provincial regulations given food at the waterfront location is self served.

"We thought maybe this will work since there is no food service here, but that didn't work out either," he said. "We're not in the business of saying 'no' to people, we just want to create legendary hospitality experiences and when the first thing you say to people is 'no', we're not doing that."

But Simenson said he understands the complainant's concerns, adding perhaps they can agree to some kind of a middle ground with the province.

"If I'm a person who has a fear of dogs, I should be able to go out on a patio and not have a dog right beside me," said Simenson. "But maybe a certain portion can be allowed to have a dog that is well behaved, well trained and is part of the family."

The online petition currently has over 8,300 signatures but when asked by reporters whether or not the province was looking to relax the rules, Environment Minister Gord Wilson said nothing is planned at this time.

"At this point in time I'm not making any movements toward that," Wilson said on Thursday. "I have not put any focus on that issue around dogs on patios. We're staying with the current legislation that we have in place right now and the recommendations made by Dr. Strang."

Wilson said he's always open to hearing what the general public has to say but at this point he hasn't heard anything that would prompt him to make changes.