I was raised to have a similar viewpoint to Kari's, and that is to respect the home you are visiting and their rules. My grandma didn't allow dogs in the house either and when we visited her the collies could come but had to stay outside. They were pretty laid back about it and would simply curl up and go to sleep while I was in, but most the time I was out with them. I didn't like it but my grandma is an absolute clean freak and to her, especially with not ever being around dogs, they had a strong doggy odor and left hair where ever they went. I also feel a situation in which an elder relative sets rules for their house is different than inviting friends over.

I believe guests should be made to feel welcome, but there are limits to the "my home is your home" mentality for me. We do not allow smoking in our home because it reeks, makes us feel sick, is bad for the dogs and bird. I certainly would want guests to feel at home but there is a limit, it is still my home and I would hope they would be respectful about how we feel about cigarette smoke. It is not an odor that easily is gotten rid of after the guests leave either, and is actually detrimental to our health. David actually gets a bit of an allergy/hay fever reaction when he's around cigarette smoke and coughs and has a raw sore throat for a few days after being around it in close quarters for long.

Anyway, back to topic, I probably would have wanted to go out and eat with the dogs too, but again I was raised differently and the family all sat at the dinner table together and ate the meal together. I was brought up to show unquestioning respect and acceptance of adult decisions, but I know that that is becoming more and more "the old way." Either way, I agree that he could have asked more gently that Zeke stay outside rather than just shouting it out that way, that had to make it more hurtful. It definitely would be difficult to visit somewhere if the dogs had to stay out for any length of time. At least at my grandma's they were allowed to stay out in the screened in porch so they were semi-inside and I spent most of my time on the couch that was out there sitting with them.