Meals to woof down at Italy's first dog restaurant

ROME - Pepe's meal is so good he licks the plate clean. In any other Rome establishment, slobbering on one's chicken and mashed potato would be frowned upon -- but this is "Fiuto", Italy's first dogs' restaurant.

Thirsty pups can opt for a green apple and watermelon juice, or go wild and have a pear, strawberry or banana one instead.

"We drew up the menu with a veterinary nutritionist with whom I determined the ingredients, taking allergies into account, because dogs have many more allergies than humans," said head chef Luca Grammatico, who previously worked as a dog trainer.

Pets "are part of our family, so why not treat them like family?" says Sara Nicosanti, as she takes a selfie with Mango, her five-year-old Jack Russell, in the mirror-lined area designed especially for this purpose.

There is not a bark to be heard: guests focus on their designer bowls, sitting on fleece blankets next to their owners' tables.

Portions are tailored to the dogs' size -- S (for those weighing two to 10 kilograms), M (11-20 kg), L (21-30 kg) and even XL (over 30 kg). 

"Fish is very popular because it is a different flavour to their usual food," Grammatico said.

Since it opened, the restaurant has welcomed an average of six to 10 dogs every evening during the week and 10 to 15 at weekends, for a price per head of between eight and 20 euros (around $22), depending on the size of the dog.