Went with Annie to Starbucks Ikano this morning and the manager clarified the situation for me...
The whole of IKANO mall is pet-friendly, i.e. we can bring dogs to common areas. However, each store has the right to refuse pets. Apparently, a "halal" certificate covers both food and environment so Starbucks can get into trouble if JAIS decides to check on them.
The manager was a Malay guy called Kus who was very nice and apologetic about the whole situation and in fact, allowed us to stay on outside to finish our meal. He said that they've actually had complaints from a few "Datins" regarding the presence of dogs so they finally had to get clarification from HQ. In fact, they will eventually put up a sign stating clearly no pets allowed
Maybe the next step is to persuade IKANO to set up an area of tables & chairs so that we can take-away from Dome & Starbucks and eat properly instead of on the steps or benches!
oh dear ! its sooo sad to hear that we can't bring our doggies to starbucks ! I hope that Ikano will help out doggie owners here n set-up an area like u have suggested
Hmmm.... Thanks for the info... Sad turn of events then. What's the point of declaring that IKANO mall is pet-friendly when in fact that the stores can refuse the presence of pets??? *sigh*... It is so hypocritical of them to declare so. It is like putting up a no-smoking sign in the mall but then, people are still smoking in the toilets of a mall... *sigh*....
Not that I intend to start a religious debate here, but isn't the halal sign suppose to indicate that the food prepared is done in the proper Islamic way and nothing to do with dogs?? Hmmm... I must consult my lawyer friends on this...
I find it a rather weak excuse that because of the halal sign, a no dogs allowed sign must be imposed. What has the dog got to do with the food? The dog is not going to go into the kitchen to disturb the food??
"isn't the halal sign suppose to indicate that the food prepared is done in the proper Islamic way and nothing to do with dogs??"
That's what I first said to the Starbucks manager but he said no, it's not just food itself. My husband agreed with him because in Jewish culture, "kosher" technically also covers utensils, crockery, etc so "halal" must be similar.
Basically, the fault lies with the Ikano management for not having thought through the whole pet-friendly concept. There's no area for me to tie up my dog outside, no dining area for those accompanying pets (there's a little terrace area between Ikea & Ikano but no shade), no signage to even address the issue (for the sake of both Muslims & dog-owners). In the end, everyone gets confused, frustrated and unhappy.
Yea... Kosher and Halal have the same meaning... Had an ex-colleague who was pretty fastidious about taking drinks in a Chinese household because some of the utensils may not have been halal.
I'd guess as a dog owner, and learning about the pet-friendly concept excites me but when we hear of such news, we feel cheated and ostrasized by the management.
I believe that once a lot more cases such as what you've described occurs in Ikano, the signages will soon be up. I am very sure that some bigshot have made a big "hoo-hah" with the management and soon, the concept of being pet-friendly will only be limited to the petstore at the top floor of Ikano...
This is such a sad state of affairs for us dog owners. We are running out of places to bring our dogs to... *sigh*
I intended to bring my first dog nash to SB@Ikano on thursday after getting confirmation from JolinG saying that her friend who works at SB says dogs are allowed but after reading this i felt sad for my dog being unable to spend a nice afternoon with his master at her fave cafe. I'm outraged too as Ikano says that their premises are pet friendly. Pet friendly means all areas that includes shops restaurants and cold storage are dog friendly. I dont blame SB for not allowing dogs and all eventhough having those so called datins complaining as it'stheir own management policy on whether they want their cafe to be dog friendly. but i do blame ikano though. If they want to have their place to be clarified as dog friendly place they should've gotten confirmation from shops and others stating that they don't mind having dogs at their premises. What if we owners just want to bringour dogs out to Ikano for fun and not to go there straight into pet safari so that they have the ultimate freedom without getting awful glances from dog haters? Some of us goes to ikano because it's a pet friendly place to just hang out and let our dogs have fun shopping.
Someone should write a complaint letter to the management of ikano for not clarifying their dog friendly place policy.
I had an interesting experienced too at a big hardware stores in Ikano. I carried my nephew's tiny-tiny little miniture pinscher, hardly noticeable into the store to get some stuff. One of the staff came and told me that their manager wants me to leave because pets are not allowed in the store - I went and look for the manager and ask where is the signboard that says dogs are not allowed and why is my dog not allowed as he is hand carried, quiet and harmless. I did ask the manager what is the issue here? Was my dog causing any problems??? He came out with the statement that it is the company policies and he is afraid his other customers might not be comfortable (Muslims) - I said this is a hardware store, and my dog is the same size as a barbie doll and I don't see anyone complaining. I explain that rules can be changed and it does not matter if it is a cat, dog, snakes etc.... as long as their pet companions are well behaved and in control.
Vey sad indeed...I think I should open a doggie kopitiam Cheers Everyone
"Love Your Dog and You'll Be Loved Unconditionally"
I understand how you feel coz I have the same experience...
I once brought my Ladee to a restaureant which I saw other ppl bringing doggies before, but was told that they do not allow dogs anymore because other customers complained ... I mean no offence but I should think in this age ppl should be more understanding ... we live in a multi-racial country... if we are to live in harmony ppl should practice give and take... I wonder if they like it if we were to put a sign saying "DATINS not allowed!" ... how would they feel?... I can understand if they were complaining about big dogs, but I feel that small dogs are okay to bring into sgopping malls and restaurants provided the owners can control them... afterall they are called toy dogs for a reason... ppl all around the world do it every day... 'don't say pet friendly if you do not mean it'... I guess the Ikanos' management should think twice before promoting their concept coz they are clearly letting many ppl down!
Perhaps the idea of approaching Ikano management will be a good one - and your suggestions to have space for dog lovers and their companions. I guess we can suggest to put up a sign for "strictly for dogs only - owners are welcome". Ha, ha, ha..........!!!!!!
Okay, on the serious side, does anyone knows who is the manager for Ikano, and the contact number too???? Cheers Everyone
"Love Your Dog and You'll Be Loved Unconditionally"
Haha.. i was surprized to c owner bring their dogs to Ikano. Me like worhhhh can bring dog wan meh>>MUST Bring Buffy here but then c alot of malays in Ikano.... they must creaming high and low. ****Arrrrghhhhh******* is there direct lift to ikano pet safari???? if no ....then i dont think itz so called pet freindly. have to walk all the way in...sure u c malays screaming high and low. ***dont know for what*** My MSBuffy
Yes, there's a lift which takes you Popular Bookstore, which is next door to Pet Safari.
Ikano is owned by the same management as Ikea so suspect that they'll have a few ang-moh on their board - maybe can appeal to them! First must do research to find out their names and titles...
I heard once before that there is supposed to be a pet cafe and hotel in pet safari... how true is this ? didn't see anything there that says pet cafe la when i went there few weeks ago.... but i wasn't really paying attetion
hello, i was thre jst last weekend but didn't see any such thing/place. the place also didn't look tht 'big' to me as mentioned in the papers, unless it's the wrong pet safari i went to
all - yes, it seems a poor turn of events afterall, at Ikano. Not very pleased to have to read this, sigh. They really should clarify their position or like someone said, set aside an area whre we can take away food/drinks n hve it wth our babies. hmmm, on second thots, how we gonna get the food/drinks if we can't bring our babies into the complex esp if we alone - catch 22?
Looks like we just have to wait for our first Doggy Café.
well ur rite...its definitely not as BIG as it was told in the papers. a bit dissapointed too la but what to do. I do hope they have a pet cafe there la at least we can bring our furkiddo there instead of drinking in starbucks.
I saw construction for an animal hospital so assume that it will include kennel services, too. Not sure if the shop's ambience is suitable for a cafe, though A little too dark & confined... Starbucks is actually the perfect place with its outdoor seating and extensive covered drive-through area.
joanne- to hell with those fake datins! Maybe we should ask Azman to bring his dogs then maybe it'll shut their mouths up! These people all are so darn shallow-minded.
Anyone who has the interest on opening a cafe doggy-style-o business? I'll promise to come by 24/7 lol!
In all honesty, I think a "doggy cafe" is a bit of a luxury - I'm quite happy just to have the establishment allow me to bring my pet to sit on the floor beside me!
The Chinese coffeeshop near my condo is a case in point... the owner & his staff don't chase us away and in fact, are very friendly towards Annie. We don't ask them to feed her (we wouldn't accept, anyway) and we ensure that Annie behaves in a civilised manner while she's there. That's enough for us Of course, if I want to drink fancy stuff like cafe mocha, cannot-lah!
So it appears that there ARE establishments which will allow pets, it's just that they're not the "trendy cafes"!
There will be an animal hospital opening soon at Ikano, and I believe it includes pet boarding, from what I was told by a reliable source.
I hope to get in touch with the management and clarity a couple of things.. anyway a pet cafe may not necessarily be in a shopping mall right - if there is some other places I am sure all the doggie kaki lang will hang out there 24 hours!!! Kah..kah... Cheers Everyone
"Love Your Dog and You'll Be Loved Unconditionally"
wat if u just had your drinks outside their cafe??? Since the drinks are like takeaways.. wats the problem lerrr????
somehow i am beginnin to feel its like a racial thing. Yesterday i was at the pets wonderland and they were keeping the dogs. One dog was passing a malay lady...and she looked disgusted...i felt pierching anger when i saw her face... eeekkkk..how could anyone feel disgusted with a cute puppy????
Hmmm.... These people are so shallow-minded. They don't know that dogs are doing so much for our country esp used by our police force and such. Can you imagine having a human sniff out all the drugs, illegal stuff, and bombs??
No point in getting worked up over these people. I will just *sigh* and shake my head in sadness, because they did not open up their hearts and minds to a very small and loving animal who has opened up its heart and mind to them...
it doesnt make sense when they say they cannot touch the dog, yet they use them in the police force...so does that make these policemen 'sinners/unholy' in their religion??? I suppose personal preference is alright..but i still cant forget the look on that lady's face when a puppy walked pass her...
one of my fellow classmate in MKA is a Malay with a GR. He has stopped inviting his frens n relatives to his house because he wants to have a dog.