Tagaytay restaurant Balay Dako is accused of being prejudiced against local dog breeds after allegedly refusing a customer’s aspin (native Filipino dog) from entering the premises. Lara L. Antonio, the dog’s owner went viral on social media after she recounted the incident.
In her post, Antonio said Balay Dako didn’t allow them inside the restaurant because one of her pets, Yoda, who weighs 18 kilograms, is heavier than the establishment’s allowable weight for dogs. The staff told her the restaurant only allows pets that are 10-15kg.
However, according to Antonio, they have previously dined at Balay Dako with Yoda and have not encountered any issues.
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Aside from Yoda’s weight, the staff also questioned the dog’s breed.
“I have a weird gut feeling immediately, so instead of Aspin, I [said] ‘mixed breed’,” Lara Antonio said.
“I’ve dealt with this before. I know this, and as annoying as it is, ‘mixed breed’ is more palatable to elitist establishments like Balay Dako,” she added.
As a result, Antonio didn’t push through with dining at the restaurant but continued to research Balay Dako’s pet guidelines. When she found no pet guidelines online, Anotnio decided to ask the staff to show her their rules which stated that allowable pets should only be up to 15kg.
“The manager came, took me to the side, and I asked her, ‘Can you show me exactly where it says online or on social media na up to 15kg only? She says, ‘Sa FB lang po,’” she recalled.
“So, I said, ‘Okay, show me.’”
“And guess what? She [couldn’t],” she added. “She scrolled back to 2023, and all she can show me are photos of dogs that are allowed and GUESS WHAT A GOLDEN RETRIEVER BIGGER THAN YODA IS IN THE PHOTO.”
The manager then explained that some pet guidelines are not on their website or social media.
“So what’s clear to me is that THEY DECIDE. They’ll decide based on what your dog looks like. And then they’ll let you know just like that. Kasi kung 15kg talaga bakit pwede LABRADOR.
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She then ended her post with, “Okay lang naman kung online – there has to be CLEAR guidelines. But don’t look at my dog, ask what her breed is and then tell me there’s a 15kg rule AND THEN SAY “the only dogs we allow are shit tzus and LABRADORS ?????” LABRADORS are literally 20kgs and above. (I’m sure they said more breeds pero wala na akong nadinig lol).”
On Monday, September 9, Balay Dako issued a statement apologizing for the misunderstanding. They added that they are reviewing their pet guidelines to ensure clarity and fairness.
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