A Dog-Friendly Market
Rescue Village has been attending the Geauga Fresh Farmers’ Market regularly since 2020 to help spread the word about its mission and the programs and services that are provided to the community.
The Geauga Fresh Farmers’ Market is excellent, especially because it allows dogs to attend. It’s the perfect place for Rescue Village volunteers to take our adoptable dogs for a fun field trip to get time out the shelter and an opportunity to meet their potential new family!
Malcolm was one of the lucky dogs that found his family at the market! The adopter met Malcolm and while shopping, kept an eye on him, then finally went over to meet him. He didn’t go to the market expecting to fall in love with a dog, but after meeting Malcolm at the market, he hurried home to bring his dog to Rescue Village for a meet and greet. After a successful introduction to his new canine companion, Malcolm went home with his new family that day thanks to Rescue Village’s commitment to providing barrier-free, same-day adoptions.
Rescue Village volunteer, Abbie, said they were meant for each other. “They bonded right away…as soon as the man bent down to pet Malcolm, it was love at first sight.”
Malcolm and his new dad returned to the market for a surprise visit!
Taking dogs to the market is important because it not only helps reduce their stress levels by getting out of the shelter for a couple of hours, but it gives them a chance to just be a dog — sniffing all the good smells at the market, getting love and attention from shoppers, or simply taking a short nap next to the table.
We learn a great deal about the dogs because of a field trip too. Sometimes they are overwhelmed by the Farmers’ Market crowd, so we quickly switch gears and return them to the shelter and take another dog. The volunteers watch the dogs closely, ensuring they are interacting with the crowd appropriately, especially when there are kids and other dogs around.
Rescue Village strives to give all the dogs as much time out of their kennels as possible. All the dogs at the shelter get walked three times a day on our upgraded trails in the woods behind the shelter (weather permitting). They go on field trips to a park, or to get a pup-cup at a drive-thru. For dogs that are more stressed, they can go on a one or two-day sleep-over in a foster home, and if they are dog-friendly, they get to join in weekly dog playgroups at the shelter. For dogs that are extremely fearful, we give them extended time away from the shelter in a foster home.
