SALEM (AP) - A Salem Democrat has sponsored a bill that would make Oregon the first state in the nation to allow dogs into restaurants.

“My dog goes to work with me. He sleeps next to me. He eats dinner near me,” Rep. Brian Clem testified Thursday before the Business and Labor Committee. He was accompanied by a picture of his dog, Ooji.

Under Clem's proposal, a pooch patron must be well-behaved and on a leash. Restaurants would also be allowed to discriminate within breeds, so pit bulls would likely be a rare sight at some of the state's finer establishments.

Those safeguards, however, are not safe enough for state health officials, who oppose House Bill 3521.

“I love dogs. Love them. But not around food,” said Gail Shibley, environmental public health administrator for the Oregon Public Health Division. “They are quite naturally a vector for a variety of pathogens, including salmonella and campylobacter, also possible exposures to diseases like ringworm.”

No state has gone as far as allowing pets inside restaurants. But a few are beginning to consider allowing dogs on restaurant patios and in outdoor bars.

The Washington Legislature this year briefly considered a bill for a three-year pilot program. But opponents complained that dogs might transmit diseases and affect people with allergies.

Clem acknowledges that the bill is unlikely to pass this session, especially since it doesn't have the support of Rep. Mike Schaufler, D-Happy Valley, who heads the Business and Labor Committee.

Though he spoke fondly of his own dog, Schaufler said he doesn't support the bill as written.

Clem and his dog did have at least one committee member supporting them - Rep. Diane Rosenbaum, D-Portland, who brought a framed photograph of Tristan, her 15-year-old cairn terrier.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com