For the health and safety of our shoppers, the Village of Pleasantville and its Market operator, Foodchester, Inc., decided in 2015 to make the Pleasantville Farmers Market for humans only. We love dogs and love the idea of dogs in the Market. But despite 17 years of dog-friendly policy and attempts to reduce the number of dog-related issues, the reality is that they actually increased, compromising our commitment to create a healthy, safe and worry-free environment for our shoppers.
Among the challenges we faced:
- Shoppers being tripped by retractable leashes
- Dogs and their owners threatening each other
- Risks to small children from dogs unaccustomed to crowds
- A lack of running water to clean dog waste Increased strain on staff to address dog issues
Other considerations:
- Cornell Cooperative Extension, the leading regional authority on farm, food and farmers market-related issues, recommends a dog-free market
- Both the Village’s and the Market’s insurance providers recommended against dogs in a crowded food market.
- 5 years of customer surveys cited dogs as the top safety complaint
For these reasons, the Pleasantville Farmers Market remains a dog-free zone. We thank you for your cooperation.