Ruffled feathers at lunch

Almost nobody turned a head the other day, on the beach at Salute, when a fairly exotic looking woman walked into the restaurant with her pet cockatoo.

The table of four -- three human, one avian -- had a relatively uneventful lunch. It's a pet-friendly town, after all.

That's one thing we love about the place. Dogs go everywhere. Schooner Wharf Bar, which has music and food as well as terrific drinks, is "where the big dogs hang out" in more ways than one. Big and small, retrievers to Yorkies, pets are always welcome.

Just the other day, eating fish nuggets on the water out at Hurricane Joe's, we had fun watching two human toddlers from one table playing with a big Golden at the next.

Which was why we were surprised Friday at the Hogfish, on the stylish Isle of Stock. It's conchier even than the norm, but when a guy walked in with his little dachshund . . . he was asked to please take the dog dockside. (The lunch crowd booed in support of the dog.) Seems a health inspector got his nose out of joint last week and threatened to write the place up if dogs were allowed.

What's this world coming to?