Restaurant was empty but we were turned away

We had always liked the Dog, so decided to go for my partner's birthday. It was a Saturday but at 5.15 pm, we expected the bar to be empty. It wasn't but the only tables available were occupied by a man with a rather lively springer spaniel straining at the leash, jumping up all across three tables. No-one wants to eat with a dog jumping around them so we asked if we could sit in the restaurant area, which was virtually empty. We were told that it was fully booked but having a sneaky look at the booking form, most tables were not booked until 7.30pm. We would have been finished by then. We left, disappointed. When we wrote to the manageress, she was very unhelpful. We had a lovely meal at the Peacock, Oakerthorpe, instead and will only partake in drinks at the Dog in future. Pity.