I was extremely disappointed to see in the Weekend Section on Friday that the Chattanooga Market will no
longer allow dogs in 2007.
As the owner of two small dogs and a weekly patron to the Chattanooga Market, I enjoyed shopping and listening to the entertainment on
Sunday afternoons. Since I will no longer be allowedto bring my dogs, I will not attend the Market and
will boycott their vendors. I hope other dog lovers in the city will do the same.
If Mr. Jessen witnessed a dog urinating on a produce stand, why did he not ask security to escort the dog
and owner out of the Market? Mr. Jessen is constantly walking around the market as is a security officer.
If he sees a dog owner acting irresponsibly, then make them leave and not allow them to return. A security escort would embarrass most people into never returning to the market anyway.
If a child was bitten by a dog, then half the responsibility is that of the parent. A parent should NEVER allow a child to pet a strange dog under any circumstance. Why would a parent allow their child to come up to an animal and pet it? Parents often allow their children to run loose at the Market and disrupt
other patrons. Perhaps Mr. Jessen should also address the issue of unsupervised children.
I do understand Mr. Jessen's concerns regarding the dogs but perhaps he could have taken preventative steps rather than banning dogs altogether.
One of the biggest crowds at the Market is the "Dog Daze" event.
People enjoy the rare opportunity to enjoy a Sunday afternoon outing with their dogs in Chattanooga.
Chattanooga is a very unfriendly dog city and this goes one step further in proving that. Mr. Jessen's
quote that "we will discriminate against all other dogs" is pretty much the norm for dog owners in
Chattanooga.
April Anderson
aprilm_anderson@yahoo.com
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I for one am very pleased The Chattanooga Market will not be allowing dogs next season.
I am very much a dog lover, but I believe they do not belong in crowded shopping venues.
C.L. Cook
Chattanooga
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I, for one, am very displeased to learn of this ridiculous new rule. If they are going to do that, children should also be banned from the market.
I saw many unsupervised children running all over the market, bumping into people, knocking things off the displays. At least the dogs are on leashes.
We will no longer be attending the market. My husband, daughter and I will instead be spending our time in the dog park.
Mariah Smith
squidswife97@yahoo.com
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It is sad to me that a dog, such an innocent animal with no voice in society, would be punished by being banned from going somewhere. The Market was once a great place to take your dog on a Sunday afternoon. It was a time for owners and their beloved dogs to enjoy some time together and experience the outside world.
Why is it dogs are always punished for poor behavior of their owners? Where was the owner when the dog wet on the produce? I can not imagine how anyone would expect a dog to understand what to wet on and what not to wet on without proper instruction from their owner. Fault the owner, not the dog.
Also, let us not forget about the many children running rampant at the Market sticking their hands in dogs' faces. What would you do if someone, child or adult, stuck their hands all over you without asking? I know I would bite someone for poking at me. Let us not fault the dog for being annoyed by some rude person invading the dog's space. It seems the children (and some adults) are much less well-behaved than the dogs. So, if the dogs are banned, I think the children need to be banned as well.
Dog owners and lovers should speak up for their dogs who do not have the voice to do so. Dogs need us, so let us not disappoint them. Although Mr. Jessin has failed to speak up for our furry friends, that does not mean we, as dog lovers, can not. Dogs deserve to have the same rights, if not more, than we humans do.
A Voice for the Dogs,
Sarah Blackburn
stayclassy103@yahoo.com
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I cannot believe people would boycott such a wonderful place as the Chattanooga Market because you can’t take a dog in there. Do you boycott every restaurant in Chattanooga too because they won’t let you take your dog in there?
I am so glad to hear that the dogs are not going to be in the market. They can go to the park behind the market, but I for one am tired of having dogs walking all over me when I am trying to look at the booths.
I am as much a dog lover as you or anyone else, but I don’t feel the need to take my dog everywhere I go. You know as well as I do that any dog can be aggressive if they are spooked by someone reaching their hand out to pet them when they are territorial and want to protect their owner. A child does not know not to just automatically reach out to pet someone else’s pet.
I bet you have never taken your dog to BI-LO or Chili’s, so why boycott the market? Do you boycott those businesses too? This is so ridiculous in the grand scheme of life to take someone’s livelihood because you can’t take your dog in. And it isn’t even the vendors' fault, but you are punishing them. Has the whole world gone nuts?
Linda Weathers
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I am a responsible owner of three dogs. Living in Chattanooga all my life I can easily see why no dogs are allowed at the Chattanooga Market.
Why not? They have been banned from just about everything else. This town has had an issue with dogs from a long time back. One would think with as much importance finding lost dogs this town has that they would be allowed to at least go with us places.
I remember when the RiverPark first opened. I thought, "Oh, what a great place to go and spend the afternoon and take my dogs." (on leashes of course). That lasted a couple of months as apparently someone stepped in something and cried. Dogs would be a great asset at the RiverPark for safety. Oh dear! a dog who barks or growls if someone approaches their master - parents please teach your children common sense about dogs and their protectiveness.
I noticed our pets are still allowed at several lake areas. Just watch out for the broken glass where they can get their feet pads sliced open. I clean up after my pets. Obviously many people have still not learned to do this for themselves.
And someone asking if we take our dogs to BI-LO or Chili's in comparison to Chattanooga Market? Its not the same setting.
I think we need to start a list of where our pets are allowed in Chattanooga (that would be a short list) and a list of areas where we would love for our pets to join us in Chattanooga.
Well, dog lovers of Chattanooga, let's all go to the pet store. At least our dogs are still welcomed there. Just watch out for the kids (and their parents).
Linda Henley
Chattanooga-The Anti Dog City
barksout@yahoo.com
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As a cat and dog lover since childhood, I realize there are just some venues where pets are not appropriate. A market where fruits, vegetables and other food products are sold is certainly one of them.
A no-brainer.
John Reed
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In response to Ms. Weathers and Mr. Reed, lets use some common sense. The Market is not in any way close to resembling or acting as a restaurant. It is an outdoor, open-air gathering place for local merchants and vendors to sell their wares. Some of these merchants and vendors sell food, but most do not.
I am not a regular attendee of the Market. I have only been a few times over the last couple of years. On all of my visits, I have not seen any problems created by the dogs. I have seen a lot created by children, but it seems that a lack of parental control is the culprit there.
Yes, dogs can be aggressive if provoked. Any parent that would allow their child to walk or run up to a strange dog and stick their hand in the dog’s face is an idiot. They should teach their child to how to act around dogs and not to provoke them. If dogs are approached in the proper manner, the child should be fine. Children should also be taught to ask for permission to pet a dog before attempting to do so. If a child does not know to do this, it is up to the parent to watch over and to protect their child and to teach them. Just like dog owners, parents also need to be responsible.
If you go back and look at the original post, the author was disappointed that another place has been removed from the already few options dog owners have of taking their pets. She was just encouraging dog owners to let their feelings be made known to the Market's sponsors.
The assertion that livelihoods will be taken away is completely ridiculous. If the vendors lose money, it is their fault for not standing up for dog owners. The vendors made sure they could still bring their dogs. It's their loss and I do not feel sorry for them.
This new rule is ridiculous. Hopefully, Mr. Jessen will see the error of his ways.
Ethan Anderson
ethan_anderson20@yahoo.com
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There's an easy solution to all of the complaints about Mr. Nick Jessen's decision not to allow dogs at the Chattanooga Market in the future; all disagreements with his management decisions, for that matter. Pool your money, rent some space, pick a name, arrange for entertainment, pay for entertainment, attract vendors, design a set of operating procedures, arrange for utilities as necessary, purchase insurance as necessary, get a business license, get what ever other licenses may be necessary, hang out a shingle and then market the concept to the public while picking up the tab for everything out of your own pocket.
Mr. Jessen did. That means the Chattanooga Market is his gig. He's "The Boss." He's where the buck stops.
It hasn't been until the very recent few years that dogs and other critters have been allowed to go even to the pet store, anywhere, much less to places where fresh produce and other foodstuffs are sold for human consumption. Some states even now do not allow family pets to stay in a motel room due to health regulations. That "unfriendly dog city" complaint has no merit what so ever.
Hang out that shingle. Then you can have all the critters you want come in to whiz on the produce and other items your vendors might bring in to sell. You can also, with proper notice being posted of course, capture all unattended children and sell them as elves...my own grandchildren included if you find them unattended.
Royce E. Burrage, Jr.
Ownee of Suzzi and Luci, Mutts Extrordinaire
RBurrage@bellsouth.net
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As a dog owner and frequent patron of the Chattanooga Market, I not only understand Mr. Jessen's decision but applaud it.
When we first started attending the Market, there was an occasional dog. In the last two years, the number of dogs at the Market has grown exponentially.
If all the dogs were well behaved and comfortable in large crowds of people, there would be no problem. This is not the case. The owners of the dogs who are uncomfortable and even scared of everyone and everything at the Market, should be not be bringing their pets. Most of these owners are oblivious to their pet's discomfort.
On two occasions this past season when there were very large crowds, I was growled at, snarled at, and one small dog in the owner's arms tried to nip me. The owner of this dog acted as if this was my fault for standing still at a booth when she bumped into me.
Mr. Jessen developed the business plan for the Market and put it into action and therefore he can change the rules concerning dogs if he sees a problem.
Jennifer McDaniel
jennifer@kbtech.com
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I am from Shelbyville, Tn., but I visit friends in Chattanooga regularly. One of the things we enjoy is our Sunday afternoons at the market.
We enjoy seeing the different kinds of dogs there. The owners are very friendly and the dogs are well behaved. I've never seen one be unruly, as I have seen children be.
One of the biggest events was the Dog Daze. Will they not allow children at all, if one misbehaves?
I say let the patrons bring the dogs. If one misbehaves, tell them to leave.
Patsy Stovall
pstovall22@charter.net
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Ok, if dogs will be banned then so should children whose parents or parent has neglected to teach any social skills to them.
I can imagine there are plenty of illegal aliens (felons who are here with our government's blessings) there at any given time. The dogs are more American than them and I am sure much cleaner as well.
Roy Glenn
Ooltewah
rlg196@bellsouth.net
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Please do not assume that every time a child is bitten by a dog that the child provoked the attack. I witnessed such an incident at the Market last year and it was in no way caused by the child.
The dog had strained, yipping and growling, at everyone who walked by, while the owner completely ignored its behavior as she chatted with friends. When the child attempted to walk by the dog the behavior continued. The boy stopped to look at his mother before proceeding. The mother nodded, assuming the irresponsible owner had the dog under control. The dog lunged and bit the terrified child.
The owner's behavior was worse than the dog's. She laughed with complete disregard of the mother's concern for the crying child...until a police escorted her from the premises, crying and protesting.
I completely understand Mr. Jessen's decision and my dogs will remain at home when I visit the Market.
Donna Gibson
drworl@netzero.net