Pets at the Farmers Market: Yes or No?

There are two sides to this debate. What’s yours?

Well behaved animals on leads are fine because, by definition, they are well behaved. It’s outdoors, and there’s usually enough room for those that don’t like animals to give them a wide berth.

Uncontrolled or uncontrollable animals are NOT ok, at farmers markets or anywhere else the public is present. Exceptions made, of course, for specific places (dog park, dog-permissible beaches etc) where it’s specifically allowed.

What I REALLY dislike is non-service animals INSIDE markets, like grocery stores. Things are closer in, spaces are tighter,and the odds of something unpleasant occurring go way up, whether that’s a sanitary incident or a dangerous one.

Inevitably, the people most insistent about their animals accompanying them EVERYWHERE, rules be damned, are often owners of ‘purse dogs’, who seem to think that 1) their pets are fashion accessories and 2) that rules don’t apply to them.

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I don’t know about others markets but this is pretty strictly enforced at the Wed SM FM

When we lived at Lake 'Tahoe, animals were not allowed and IIRC is was a state regulation. Here in Seattle there are tons of them, all well behaved.

Yes strictly enforced at the Venice farmers market as well.

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No debate, no two sides. No.

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How do they work that magic?

Wow!

I’ll have to take a photo next time.

I’m sure getting a photo of well-behaved pets would be easy. The hard part would be running a market for four or five hours a week without incident.

I’ve not counted but this one is probably 20 vendors on each side of a medium block. And we’re there for a pretty decent amount of time because we have a fave place for a biscuit and a latte right there. People line up there also with three and four dogs in just THAT line. So we’re likely there an hour and it’s totally pleasant. And that also includes little kids who approach the dogs.

I hadn’t really thought of it before but it is one of the dog friendliest cities so maybe just more people are socializing their dogs. Whatever, it’s really nice. I happen to like babies and dogs a whole lot :slight_smile:

Isn’t it based on the same reasoning as why dogs (except service dogs) are not allowed inside restaurants or supermarkets?

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It’s clearly a state by state - or county by county? - thing. There are restaurants here in Seattle that allow dogs.

There’s no federal law. It’s illegal in California.

Not at all enforced at Brentwood FM (although, thankfully, the dogs there are generally very well behaved).

What about owner behavior: letting the leash lengthen to trip-hazard while they chat with friends.

Just got back from ours and none of that either. But I’m finding Seattle folks to be rather nice.

Ugh, that is the worst.