Doggone it! Pooches precluded from this year’s Prairie Village Jazz Festival

Pets have been banned from this year's Jazz Festival on the Prairie Village municipal grounds.

It’s been kind of a rough week for proponents of public puppy participation.

First came news that the Prairie Village public pool was shutting down early for the season on account of the Crypto outbreak across the county, a move that necessitated the cancelation of the city’s planned first “Paws in the Pool” event.

Then came the realization among some local residents that pooches and other pets had been placed on the “do not admit” list at this year’s Jazz Festival, to be held this Saturday on the Prairie Village municipal grounds. Dogs had been allowed at last year’s inaugural event.

Steve Noll, the City Council’s Jazz Fest liaison, said the decision to ban pets was a precautionary move.

“People bring their pets with the best of intentions, but there’s really no way to ensure they’re going to be well mannered,” he said. “We’re expecting a packed house, and it just gets too tight to safely have pets.”

Additionally, Noll said, the fact that this year’s festival will have expanded food service served as a doggy deterrent.

“We don’t want pets going after people’s food,” he said. “And you can’t really ask them to make sure they’ve gone to the bathroom before they come.”