BEIJING, March 20 -- A restaurant that allows pet owners to eat at the same table as their cats and dogs has earned cheers and criticism since it opened in Minhang District earlier this year.

The owners are happy when they find a suitable partner for the peg dogs at a pet clinic in Yongchuan, Chongqing. Pictured taken on November 7, 2005. (newsphoto)

    A set menu at the restaurant, which is part of the Paradise pet club, costs about 50 yuan (US$6) and includes dog food as well as a drink and snack for the pet owner.

    Liu Xiaomei, the general manager of the club, hails from Taiwan and has been working as an accountant in Shanghai for nearly 10 years.

    She said there are a great number of pets in the city, but few public places for pet owners to take their cats and dogs.

    The local pet regulation requires pet owners to keep their animals at home except when they have to take them to the vet. The regulation is widely ignored, however.

    Liu said that she has seen clubs for pet owners to spend time with their cats and dogs and other pet lovers, so she decided to set up a similar club in Shanghai.

    The club was originally designed just for dogs, but many people have brought along cats, rabbits and other animals to play at the club over the past three months.

    All of the restaurant employees have been trained to look after pets.

    "I learned the news online when it opened three months ago, and then became one of the first group of members of the club," said Chen Shiyuan, the owner of a dog and a cat who lives nearby.

    "My pets can make friends and enjoy food particularly made for them here," Chen said of the restaurant.

    Not everyone supports the idea, however.

    The restaurant has been discussed on many Websites, with about half of the posters criticizing the idea.

    "This is so unhygienic, and disgusting. These people just have too much money," a person using the online name Zhuzhu wrote on Sina.com.

    Liu said she hasn't received any complaints about hygiene.

    "Public health is certainly a big concern for us," said Liu. "We disinfect our dishes three times everyday. And all the members are asked to provide a health certificate for their pets before entering the club."

    "There is no law forbidding pets from eating with their owners," said Gu Zhenhua, director of the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration Bureau. "But I don't think it's appropriate for pets and their owners to eat at the same table in public. Anyhow, we can do nothing about it now."

    Liu said the club is currently losing money because of the high cost of maintenance and regular disinfections.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)