Not counting New York’s several million rats, which it is better not to think about, there is no more ubiquitous mammal in this city of concrete and steel than our pet dogs. They fertilize the sidewalks. They ride the subways in Louis Vuitton totes. They fill the air with their barks.

Now they may be joining the brunch crowds.

New York State health law has long banned dogs from restaurants, leaving dog owners to patronize permissive sidewalk cafes or leave their companions at home. But a new bill before the Legislature would loosen those restrictions, giving restaurants the option of allowing dogs into back gardens and sidewalk patios when accompanied by a human diner.

Though common practice in Europe, where dogs are allowed nearly everywhere, and even in Los Angeles, it is a right New York dog owners have long clamored for. And Sunday, with its idyllic weather and holiday spirit, seemed a fitting time to ask the city’s brunchgoers where they stood on the dining question of the moment.

“We don’t want to go to restaurants that are antidog, as amazing as they might be,” explained David Needleman, 36, speaking for the dog lobby, as Irving, his 5-year-old cockapoo, sniffed patiently around his feet at the farmer’s market in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.