Dogs at Faire?

[Lady Nicolette]

I worked for years for one of the richest men in America and he was profiled as a potential
shoplifter in a prominent grocery store in the extremely upscale town he lived in.  They conspicuously carried his family's household name products in the store ever after their error in judgement.  You can't judge a book by it's cover.  Long hair doesn't make a hippie, nor does being a Southerner make a redneck.  
Again back to topic...Some dogs thrive in a Faire setting, but most really don't.  If you have one that does, great!  I love dogs!  But I also love them enough to know which ones need to be kept at home and which ones are happy in the big wide world of Faire.

*edited today for typo*

[kcdcchef]

i lived in the south for 10 years, i know.

[Merlin the Elder]

I am a dog lover. I have a Malamute (Denali) and an Akita (Abbe). Denali would love the attention at faire, but I wouldn't be so sure of Abbe. Nevertheless, I would never even consider taking either to faire. Their size would scare some people. As for me, I have no fear of larger animals, but do not like small dogs...at ALL!  Unless they are part of an act, are service animals, or are there to be adopted as at CoRF, I don't think dogs have a place at faire.

...as for the comments about hippies, my wife and I both are, have been since the 60s, and proud of it. We also live in the South, and trust me: hippies and rednecks (which is actually a misnomer, but as is intended by the previous posts) are polar opposites... peace!

[Lady Nicolette]

Thanks for the agreement, Merlin...For those of us who were there it's more clear how the twain really don't meet, despite the fact of the popular misnomer.  I so wish we had a "like" button here!

The dogs at Faire subject has come up before and usually does create a bit of disagreement.  Luckily
it's always resulted in a pretty good discussion on both sides of the issue...Dog people are usually pretty darned diplomatic! 

[kcdcchef]

I am a dog lover. I have a Malamute (Denali) and an Akita (Abbe). Denali would love the attention at faire, but I wouldn't be so sure of Abbe. Nevertheless, I would never even consider taking either to faire. Their size would scare some people. As for me, I have no fear of larger animals, but do not like small dogs...at ALL!  Unless they are part of an act, are service animals, or are there to be adopted as at CoRF, I don't think dogs have a place at faire.

...as for the comments about hippies, my wife and I both are, have been since the 60s, and proud of it. We also live in the South, and trust me: hippies and rednecks (which is actually a misnomer, but as is intended by the previous posts) are polar opposites... peace!

merlin you're more of a hybrid of hippie and scotch afficianado.

[Lady Nicolette]

I am a dog lover. I have a Malamute (Denali) and an Akita (Abbe). Denali would love the attention at faire, but I wouldn't be so sure of Abbe. Nevertheless, I would never even consider taking either to faire. Their size would scare some people. As for me, I have no fear of larger animals, but do not like small dogs...at ALL!  Unless they are part of an act, are service animals, or are there to be adopted as at CoRF, I don't think dogs have a place at faire.

...as for the comments about hippies, my wife and I both are, have been since the 60s, and proud of it. We also live in the South, and trust me: hippies and rednecks (which is actually a misnomer, but as is intended by the previous posts) are polar opposites... peace!

merlin you're more of a hybrid of hippie and scotch afficianado.

*like button!*

[Merlin the Elder]

Jack Daniel's is Tennessean rather than Scotch  , and down in Lynchburg, blue-tick hounds are what you might see at a fair[e].

Just to be fair, I asked my dogs what they would think about going to faire with us. They both said, "Woof!" so I'll have to leave the controversy to someone else. 

[kcdcchef]

allright so back to the dogs..................do you guys not get the group i am talking about with the dogs? they generally come to festival just cause they are so happy to have some place to take their dogs in public, then let them run around and act stupid while everyone else watches their dog. perhaps hippy was the wrong word to throw in there, i am down with being a hippy and all. but these hicks generally arent even at faire to be at faire, dont even give a damn about faire. just treating it like an $18 dog park. and they generally come in the nascar looking winnebago with the stars and bars in the window!!!!

merlin -- your liver must be the size of texas by now!

[Dinobabe]

Liking NASCAR doesn't make you an idiot.  They come in all shapes, sizes, forms, and whereabouts!
I personally know the biggest idiot in the world.... and he has 3 bachelors degrees and 2 masters.   Go figure!

[Alexandra Johanna]

I admit I don't know this group of people, LOL.

Our local faire does not allow dogs at all. But as an owner of a breed that IS listed as #4 by the CDC on the dangerous breeds list (which is hooey by the way), it is a HUGE issue to me if people are treating faire as an open run dog park. In fact, I don't even take my dogs to the dog park because of other people's dogs and attitudes that MINE are dangerous and their little ankle biter with the aggressive attitude is an angel. I run into that all the time at the dog shows even... "You can't trust those huskies!" - said by a women who wasn't watching her wiener dog on its retractable leash when it lunged at the neck of my dog in its 4 foot leash as we walked by to get to our ring. Unbelievable!

Hopefully, we'll be ok at faire. I've got a pretty accurate "kick reflex" when it comes to unleashed dogs coming to challenge my babies. Note, I said challenge, not visit and its only used when a sternly shouted, "No! Out!" doesn't deter them long enough for their owners to get a clue. LOL. We have short show leads that keep our dogs close and they don't eat things off the ground. We've had to train hard for that one because you would be surprised how many forgotten and dropped treats can litter a show ring at the end of the day and ruin a perfect go-round for the judge when the dog drops its head and sprouts roots because of a piece of liver treat in your path. LOL.

[Sitara]

As long as the owner is responsible and observant, I don't mind dogs at faire. There are many people who bring their dogs that shouldn't though. The small, aggressive dog that barks at everything larger than it should stay at home. The large dog who is scared of loud noises and crowds should stay at home. The owners who don't clean up after their dogs should as well.

Also, I serve beer, please for the love of faire, don't set your small dog on my  counter when you are ordering. Also, don't let your giant, drooley dog put their paws and slobbery face on my counter. It's gross and violates health code. At my pub, if your dog is well behaved, we will give them a biscuit...if they are not, no cookie for them! (we always ask permission from the owner before handing out treats)

[balletboot]

I'm thinking about making a trip to a dog-friendly faire with my dog sometime soon. He loves everyone and is pretty small (15 pounds), so I think he'd have a good time. Not to mention the boyfriend and I want to do a road trip to an out of state faire soon and I would hate to leave him (the dog) behind.

I know MRF is almost over, but do they allow dogs every weekend or is it just their pet weekend? That seems to be the closest one and our best bet.

[LadyFae]

MNRF is very dog friendly and I've never encountered issues, as a playtron, of having to watch out for doggie bombs or misbehaving pups. (I'm sure they're out there but I, personally, haven't noticed it at Faire.) As far as I have seen the only dogs off leash are part of the sheep herding show. Though I would love to show off my dog (German Shorthair Pointer) I would never bring him to Fest just because I don't know how he would react. Better safe than sorry for us and I'll continue to leave him at home. I love seeing all of the different breeds out there- big and small, cute and ugly. The dogs are a great distraction for my girls at any given time. Most shop keepers at MNRF are dog friendly with water dishes available, I've noticed. Dogs are always welcome, not just during Pet Fest.

[BLAKDUKE]

TO ALL DOG LOVERS:

I would like to repeat a story from way back..  When my wife and I were performing in TNRF many years ago, I think around 1992 or so.  The faire allowed dogs then.  We were greeting people at the front gate and a man came in and looked around and saw all of the people with dogs and announced that he would come back on Sunday with his Rotwieller(this is not a bashing the breed thread, it could have been any dog).  I asked, then pleaded, then begged him not to bring the dog.  His response "Oh he is gentle as a lamb and would never hurt an yone.  BTW my wife and I love dogs, but will never bring one to faire.  Any way on Sunday he brings the dog.  It did appear mild mannered.  At some point within the next couple of hours(I don't know the exact circumstances as I was not on the spot) the dog bit a little girl on the cheek.  The dogs fault, the little girls fault, nobodys fault no one knows.  It was not a huge gouge, but it broke the skin and the dog warden had to be called.  End result the dog had to be quarenteened for 30 days at owners expense.  As the man left for the dayI hated to to be snide, but I could not resist, I said "now do you understand why I asked you not to bring the dog?".  The most well behaved dog in the world can have a bad fur day, and sometimes it just does not take much.  So I will again ask, plead, and beg, leave your animals at home.  The know from nothing about rennfaires.  All they see is either humans or other animals in their space and in some cases they will protect that space and you from what they perceive as danger.  And if you are from way out of town it would be most unpleasent if you had to leave a member of your family in a strange place for 30 days and then had to go back to get it, or worse yet had to be told your dog has to be put down because it is a vicous animal.

[kcdcchef]

well to play devils advocate, i will say in all the years i have been to dog allowing faires, i have yet to see an incident of any kind and further see more large horse sized dogs at the faires then any place else i ever go. it amazes me to see these beasts, i mean, what does it cost to feed a dog like that WOW!!! but i digress. i think dogs make the faire that much more enjoyable, and i dont have a dog. what i do notice is they almost become a side show, people dress their dogs in robin hood costumes, people are always stopping to look at/pet the dogs. its funny, actually.