No Dogs Allowed

We have a Farmer's Market in our neighborhood. It's open every Saturday morning, and so I go just about every Saturday morning. It's amazing. Not only can you find yummy, local, CHEAP food, it's also a really fun way to spend a Saturday morning. I see neighbors and friends, meet interesting folks, drink amazing Zeke's coffee...it's blissful. And when we got Paisley, the Market got that much more fun. The 7 block walk to 32nd Street and Barclay is a great workout for her. She sniffs and smiles at passersby, we look for new blossoms in our neighbors' gardens. Once we get to the Market, we get coffee and a treat from the bakery and take on the onslaught of fellow marketers who just love our little Paise - they want to know what breed she is, how old she is, can they pet her, where did we get her. She loves the attention for sure. Sometimes she gets a cheese sample or another luxurious treat from the vendors who love spoiling the Market Doggies. And the doggies! Paisley meets at least 6 new friends every week.

But something really craptastic has happened.

We were at the Market with friends this morning, watching as Paisley and a bulldog said their hellos when the director of the Market approached us looking quite serious. He told us that last week a small child had been bitten by a dog, and so he was given the sad job of telling all the marketers with 4-legged friends that dogs were no longer allowed. Don't get me wrong, I think it is absolutely horrible that someone was bitten. Especially a child. But how sad! There are hundreds of Market goers who LOVE bringing their dogs because of the socialization and exercise they get. It's going to be hard to find another venue for Paisley that is comparable. I could tell that the director guy was pretty torn up about it, too. He said that they've been fighting the health department for years because they know how important it is for people to be able to bring their doggies. But now that this has happened, they can't really do anything about it.

So that's my sad story about our Saturday Market and how we're not going to be able to take Paisley with us anymore. Boo.