Dogs at Faire?

[KeeperoftheBar]

(Preparing for the slings and arrows)  I agree with Blakduke that dogs do not belong at Faire.  I have never seen an incident but it only takes once.  My personal experience, some dogs don't like me.  It may be that I walk differently than normal (well, it is normal for me).  I even had a police dog threaten to lunge at me for no reason before his handler got good control.  So for the pleasure and well being of everyone, leave the pets at home unless you really want to feed the dragon in the back.  Or maybe the falcon with really small pets.

[Merlin the Elder]

You are absolutely right, Keeper...and BlakDuke. In the excitement of the faire, the noise, the cannons, a small child—not knowing any better—running up to a dog and startles it, then gets his/her face half ripped off. Little kids just don't know any better, and a lot of adults don't either. But despite in inherent risk involved, some people are terrified of dogs.  If nothing else, respect for other humans should dissuade people from bringing dogs to faire.

[morganne]

Speaking of dogs, mine just stole a bag of beeswax candles off the shelf...  (she wanted the bag)...   She is restless tonight because one of the cats beat up on her.

Anyway, all that aside, as much as I hate leaving her when I go to Faire, I don't think she'd do well in that environment.   She likes people, but is not crazy about loud noises.  (Rescue dog - God knows what happened to her before I got her.)  She is a foxhound, and as much fun as I have with her, hounds are inclined to follow their noses no matter how much training work I do with her!  So I think it would make my enjoyment of Faire less because I would have difficulty managing my food, my glass of ale (or cider), my garb, and my dog! 

I'm glad to know that some Faires are dog-friendly though. 

Morganne 

[kcdcchef]

well i am a FORMER dog owner who took their dog to faire, and think it's about being responsible. as much as some people let their dogs act up, more people let their children act up. so to say we shouldnt have dogs at faire because a kid could get bit is sad. i mean, at faire, there is open flames, swords, horses, iron works, bows and arrows, are we going to outlaw everything that children could get hurt with?

[Merlin the Elder]

I, for one, have never seen a sword lunge at anyone when startled. You are missing the point we are making, kc.

[Alexandra Johanna]

I'm going to step out of this discussion, although I've found it informative and thank everyone for their replies. It always helps to be able to plan accordingly when we are well informed and consider all the possibilities. 

Talking about taking a vacation next year with only two dogs has been a needed distraction for me lately, because our third dog, who was our oldest and our first Siberian Husky has been living on borrowed time for the last few months. It brought some comfort trying to looking towards the future.  Only a month left until she would have been 14 years old and we had to have her euthanized yesterday morning when she could hardly walk more than a few steps and refused to eat after what we think was a mild stroke last weekend. The loss has hit our household hard, even though we have been trying to prepare ourselves for it all year.

[BLAKDUKE]

Soulstice:

I feel your pain.  At least you had the dog for 14 years.   I know what you are going thru, having gone thru that a year ago.

The BLAKDUKE

[Merlin the Elder]

My Husky has a place of honour in my backyard. I would visit her daily for a long time after we had her put down several years ago. I held her in my arms as she went to sleep for the last time.  I, too, feel your pain. It hurts like hell.

[Mairte]

I completely understand as well, having lost my Westie of many years this past winter.

[Adriana Rose]

Im sorry  I lost one of my dogs this summer , even though she annoyed the hell out of me I still miss her.

[Alexandra Johanna]

Thank you all.

[Lady Nicolette]

So sorry to hear this Soulstice.  I'm sure your dog had a wonderful life with you!
You can have some solace knowing this, even though you will miss her.

[BubbleWright]

I'm not very comfortable around dogs, especially large ones. Once as a kid, we had just finished a softball game and were running across the field to the picnic area. I was out in front of the herd of kids and felt a terrible pain in my side. A large black lab blind sided me taking a chunk outta my side and sent me tumbling to the ground. As it continued to attack, I pedaled my feet as fast as I could to keep him off of me. By this time, the owners had come up and said "He won't hurt you.......... he's a good dog". Right! I spent the rest of the afternoon in the emergency room getting my wound tended to and shots. Some people forget dogs are animals that can and do act on instinct..."Oh look, a herd of yummy children". Animals, leashed or not, do not belong in the boisterous, crowded lanes of a Renfaire for the sake of all involved, including the animals.

N.B. ...I would not ban service dogs as they are trained to a much higher standard then family pooches.

[dreamwalker]

There's usaually too much going on, too much noise that most dogs can handle. Service dogs are of course desenitized and trained for such things: they are invaluable to those that depend on them. TRF has a pooch paddock service I hear is good. Requires reservations and proof of shots.

[BLAKDUKE]

There is(or was) a service available once called houndstooth inn.  They would setup outside the gates of a rennfaire and you could board your dog for the day.  Rates were more than reasonable.  They had a big covered tent and portable cages for you furball.  They provided water, and would even walk the dogs.  I hope they are still in business and hopefully did well enough to expand and/or do many other faires.

The BLAKDUKE