Emily Bordenski (left) and Betsy Meharg sat with Oswin during a “yappy hour” at Dorchester Brewing Co.

They’re called “Yappy Hours,” a chance for you and your dog to share drinks and treats together this summer on an outside restaurant patio in Boston.

Problem is, restaurants don’t seem seem to know they need permission to open their patios to pets.

State law bars pets, except for service animals, from food establishments altogether.

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“The truth of the matter is the law says no,” William “Buddy” Christopher, Inspectional Services commissioner, said of allowing dogs on restaurant premises. “The question then becomes: What is the premises?”

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The city is willing to make exceptions for special events, provided animals are not near any food preparation areas, but will not grant blanket permission for a season unless a restaurant can prove it is a special case.

Still, it only takes a short walk on a sunny day to find dogs lounging at their owners’ feet at local outdoor venues. Restaurants and dog owners seem unaware of the rules, or at least willing to look the other way.

Businesses that have hosted dog-themed events said they assumed that as long as dogs were not in the restaurant or near food prep, they were OK. Christopher, after being contacted by the Globe, said earlier this month his office reached out to establishments that host “yappy hours” to ask them to apply for waivers.

Two city health officials met with several business owners last Monday.

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“We thought we were fine because we don’t let dogs inside the facility except for service dogs, of course,” said Dorchester Brewing Co. cofounder and CEO Matt Malloy, who attended the meeting. “It was just a general misunderstanding.”

Ben Johnson, owner of the Blarney Stone in Dorchester, said he looked into the regulations before hosting “Yappy Hours” at his restaurant.

After meeting with Boston health officials, Johnson said he hopes the city can find a way to be more transparent, since “there’s so many rules and regulations, it’s difficult to be on top of all of them.”

Christopher said the application to host dogs on a patio asks for information on how the animals would enter and exit and whether any food prep would occur in the “dog friendly zone.”

He granted a waiver for a “Pups N Pints” event earlier this month at Battery Park Bar & Patio but would not say how many events have been approved this year.

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Malloy said he would prefer not to have to fill out a form every time he wishes to host an event, but believes the city is doing its best to work with businesses to host dogs in a safe way.

‘We thought we were fine because we don’t let dogs inside the facility except for service dogs. It was just a general misunderstanding.’ Matt Malloy, cofounder and CEO of Dorchester Brewing Company

Other cities have welcomed canines to bars and restaurants. Last year, the New York City Health Department announced that dogs would be allowed in outdoor seating areas at restaurants.

The personal finance technology company SmartAsset published a report in May of the most dog-friendly cities in America, factoring in the number of restaurants that allow dogs. Boston was listed 24 out of 25 — a step up from the prior year, when it didn’t make the list at all.

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe Matt Tickerson (left) and David Rodriguez enjoyed a beer together in the company of their dog Severa, during “yappy hour.”

Jeffrey Gates of the Aquitaine restaurant group, said he stopped allowing dogs on his restaurants’ patios after he received multiple warnings from Inspectional Services. The department did not have records of any warnings.

“The frustration is that many restaurants that haven’t yet been notified by the city for one reason or the other have dogs on the patio, and those same guests come to our restaurant to ask why we don’t,” Gates said. He worries that guests will think his restaurants “lack compassion for our guests or compassion for their pets, which is the furthest from the truth.”

Dog owners say the uncertainty makes them hesitant to bring their pets along.

“I don’t think it’s an easy thing to take your dog around places,” said Charles Maneikis, who owns the dog-walking company Modern Dog Boston and hosts “Yappy Hours” at the Blarney Stone once or twice a year. “It definitely limits people. That’s why I think events are so popular because people know it’s something they can do.”

Julie Canniff, sitting at a South End dog park, said she finds Boston to be fairly dog-friendly, but sees her activity options narrow when she brings her 11½-year-old Golden Doodle Lucy along.

“We’d bring her out more if we knew she could come in,” Canniff said.

Chris Dupay took a gamble when he took his 3-year-old Golden Retreiver to brunch one summer morning. Even when restaurants are dog-friendly, he said, “if the patios are full you’re . . . out of luck.”

Christopher said he’s concerned that Boston may get a reputation for being unwelcoming to dogs.

“We are very much a pet-friendly city, and I don’t want to appear contrary to that at all,” he said. He noted that his office approved a cat café in Brighton where food will be prepared in a separate facility from where patrons are allowed to play with cats.

“In that way, we are meeting the letter and the spirit of the law, but still allowing these progressive ideas to flourish,” he said.

Some locations, such as Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, have the perfect setup to both cater to dogs and stay within the law.

Since there are two skinny sections of the patio surrounded by gates, “if you tie your dog up [outside] at the end of the gate, every table is dog-friendly,” said Sara Flight, director of public relations for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

They encourage dog owners to take pictures with props like mustaches printed with their restaurant name and berets, perfect for posting on social media. With their own “Canine Café Menu,” dogs can truly feel welcomed at the dinner table — even when they have to sit on the other side of the gate.

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe Tyler Hickman and his sister Katie brought Myles to the brewery.

Lauren Feiner can be reached at lauren.feiner@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @lauren_feiner