Pet Policy

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Farmers Market Pet Policy - Summer Electric Works

Any domesticated, licensed, vaccinated companion animals are welcome to accompany you to your visit to the Ft. Wayne's Farmers Market. All visiting pets are required to be appropriately restrained (leash, carrier, travel habitat). Please note that any pet/animals found to pose a danger to other animals, customers, or vendors will be asked to leave to preserve the safety of all pets and people at the farmers' market. Pets/animals need to be kept on a 2’ leash and at the owners side; recommended to be kept 3’ away from vendors tents, produce and plants. Any product damaged by a pet, the owners/handlers will be held responsible for the damages and loss of product.

Please be respectful of service animals by not approaching or distracting them, and not allowing children or pets to approach them.

All pets/animals brought to the market need to courteous and sociable with the FWFM patrons and other family pets/animals. We like to see pets being brought to the summer market. Owners should follow the city’s and/or Electric Works guidelines while at the market. We like it when pets are just as excited to be there as their owners, but Please be respectful, clean up any waste left by them.

The following pets are permitted at the Ft. Farmers Market provided the pets are appropriately secured (leashed or safely confined), vaccinated (as appropriate for the particular type of pet) and friendly towards all animals:

  • Domestic dogs and cats

  • Birds

  • Small animals and reptiles (including; guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas, gerbils, mice, rats, bearded dragons)

  • Non-venomous reptiles

  • Ferrets

  • Rabbits

  • Sugar Gliders

  • Pot-bellied pigs

All other pets are considered nontraditional and are not permitted at our events without prior written notice. 

For the safety of all pets, pet parents, and other patrons, non-traditional pets are not permitted unless the pet is a service animal under the federal guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar state or local laws.

The Ft. Wayne's Farmers Market has the right to prohibit any pet from being brought to the farmers market location for any reason, and the FWFM may modify this policy, or any portion thereof, at any time, without notice.

Indoor Market - Inside Union Street Market - Electric Works

Personal pets are not allowed inside Union Street Market. We hope that everyone understands that in addition to being the farmers market it is also a food establishment and retail space.

All service animals under the federal guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar state or local laws are allowed.

Emotional Support pets vs. Service Animals

ESAs provide support through companionship and can help ease anxiety, depression, and certain phobias. However, they are not service animals, and ESA users do not receive the same accommodations as service animal users.

A service dog, such as a guide dog or psychiatric service dog, is generally allowed anywhere the public is allowed; ESAs are not. For example, ESAs generally cannot accompany their owners into restaurants or shopping malls.

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) defines service animals as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” The act clearly states that animals that simply provide emotional comfort do not qualify as service animals.

The key difference between a service dog and an emotional support dog is whether the animal has been trained to perform a specific task or job directly related to the person’s disability. For example, service dogs are trained to alert a hearing-impaired person to an alarm or guide a visually impaired person around an obstacle or provide pressure on someone with PTSD who is suffering from a panic attack.

Behaviors such as cuddling on cue, although comforting, do not qualify. The tasks need to be specifically trained to mitigate a particular disability, not something instinctive the dog would do anyway.