Would be surprised if there is not snow at Peterborough I live in South Lincs, near Boston, and we have about 6" drifted to 18". The road is open but covered in slush but the drive is in deep snow and the wind whips up the side of the bungalow from the field so the car locks freeze and the snow sticks solid on the windows so as I expected this morning I could not get it mobile early enough to get to the venue so I am sad to say I have let people down and tomorrow looks like being worse if anything.

So glad to hear some sensible comments about the show going ahead. Sick of hearing from people who say it should not have gone ahead and exhibitors are risking their lives etc. If people want to go it's THEIR choice, and they shouldn't have to deal with nasty comments from others. The Highways Agency may say 'only tavel when necessary' but they ALWAYS say this when there is the slightest bit of snow - they have to cover themselves!

Nasty comments don't make me laugh...
It's people like you that give the anti dog people a field day..
you and people like you claim to love and have the best interests of your dogs at heart then go and travel in the worst conditions this country has seen in a long time, OK put yours and your dogs lives at risk for a CHEAP TICKET  but NOT others that have to travel
I am appalled that Boston has gone ahead and  put their own selfish needs ahead of the Exhibitors .....
there have been Open Shows that have had the sense to re schedule their shows and their pockets are far less deep then a Champ Show  in order to keep the Exhibitors and their Dogs safe  not forgetting all the Judges and stewards.

  

> Nasty comments don't make me laugh...
> It's people like you that give the anti dog people a field day..
> you and people like you claim to love and have the best interests of your dogs at heart then go and travel in the worst conditions this country has seen in a long time, OK put yours and your dogs lives at risk for a CHEAP TICKET  but NOT others that have to travel
> I am appalled that Boston has gone ahead and  put their own selfish needs ahead of the Exhibitors .....
> there have been Open Shows that have had the sense to re schedule their shows and their pockets are far less deep then a Champ Show  in order to keep the Exhibitors and their Dogs safe  not forgetting all the Judges and stewards.
>

Brilliant post.

Once someone has lost a loved one in a car accident, then they will truly know what an effect it has.

Way back in the balmy warm spring last year my 70 year old friend ( very fit and active) accepted a judging appointment at Boston this year and has spent all this week worrying herself sick.
She lives in an area which has had feet of snow and hasn't even tried to get her car off the drive.

She doesn't want to let people down and I suspect fears the judgement of people like Merlin 1984.

All for what......exhibitors to get flimsiest bit of card for beating hardly anyone.

Well Merlin1984 you have enlightened me to  something today I hadn't realised, and that is  when the  The Highways Agency advise you not to travel they don't really mean it, it  had me fooled I must say.   I'm going to ask two of my children to re-think their actions of this week, one a police officer and one a doctor, there was really no need for them to have walked into work in the next town because their cars were snowed in, and then walk home again after their shifts had ended, how silly of them, they should have not bothered.   They did it because they felt it was their duty to help people, perhaps a little bit like The Highways Agency does.

In addition Merlin1984 sorry if my comments appear "nasty", probably nowhere near as nasty as those to be heard around the rings at Boston, because, even in a vastly depleted entry, there in nothing as sour as a dog exhibitor who does not win when they think they should have.

If you read my post correctly I said it was up to the individual if they attended. If your 70 year old friend made the decision not to attend the show and fulfil her judging appointment then that is HER decision. Likewise, I would ask those who chose to stay at home to respect the decisions of those who made the decision to travel. Why should any exhibitor who went to Boston 2010 always be subjected to comments such as you make: 'All for what......exhibitors to get flimsiest bit of card for beating hardly anyone'

Tolerance all round people!

was snow in peterbrough overnight, the carpark was covered in it this morning but melted by the time we went home.
M4 , M25 AND A1 were all clear. Only bad bit was getting out of our road!!
plus one of my boys is going to crufts 2011 we well worth the trip for us.

We went to Boston show today and had a lovely time .
No travel problems A1 all clear not a lot of snow in the peterbrough area.
I appricate tht the judge had made the effot to turn up .
I would not risk my dogs at all but the only problem with the roads were around here but if you take it slowly they ar ok.

> The Highways Agency may say 'only tavel when necessary' but they ALWAYS say this when there is the slightest bit of snow - they have to cover themselves!

Up here it was the police who were giving out this advice and we don't get that advice when there is the 'slightest bit of snow as we're well used to it up here!! It doesn't bother me if folk risk their own lives, that's up to them but if anything happens they will want rescued therefore putting more lives at risk.

agree
i think boston should have been cancelled
i only live hour away and no way would i go if i had entered
no classes for my breed
this will affect their entries next year, i,m sure.
its ok saying the showground is ok
what about the rest of country.
my dogs are more important to me than a cheap ticket
absenties were over half on gundog day

But you already live in Lincolnshire dont you?
No I live in Doncaster South Yorks, the journey to Boston champ today took 2 hours.
Initially I wasn't going to enter when they shifted it from Newark, but then I missed an open show in November due to bad traffic and I had promised my 14 yo daughter to get to handle, so entered Boston for that reason alone.

Not too many Boston brags this year !

There won't be, will it, after you lot have totally devalued the show so anyone who bragged would be seen as having a cheap one.......

The Highways Agency may say 'only tavel when necessary' but they ALWAYS say this when there is the slightest bit of snow - they have to cover themselves!

Exactly. Same reason as for why schools are closed -they are just scared of being sued.

Well we went and roads were perfectly clear hardly any snow bar the car park and that was fine in a non 4x4, i've travelled in worse and not had the AA telling me i shouldn't travel on them.

Was so warm in the halls i had wished i hadn't worn a jumper

I`m wondering how is it possible to "sue" the Highways Agency who have advised people NOT to travel unless it is necessary if you then travel and are involved in an accident ?....
how can it be their fault when they have advised you NOT to travel?

Dog shows despite what some people seem to think are NOT necessary they are a hobby and i`ll say again people who put others lives at risk for a piece of card need to get a reality check .

I still maintain that Boston should have rescheduled the show and not put people in the  potentially dangerous situation of getting to AND from the show.

As for "bragging rights" how many cheap tickets were given out?.....and how many dogs have qualified for Crufts that would have normally struggled ?

A good dog will always win through no matter what the competition, fortunately for some a lot of the good dogs stayed safe at home.  

>how many dogs have qualified for Crufts that would have normally struggled ?

The proof will come on the day.

was there today, but only drove from Sleaford. Even so we slid once getting on to the A1, but the A1 was ok.
The ground was pretty empty, which was good as our girl is excitable and was only going for experience (entered ) but so few were there I ended up showing her and got a 3rd...
She behaved well!!!!
The venue is excellent, warm inside, really good.
But really bad snow forecast for peterborough and here overnight, tomorrow might well be much worse and it was blizzard like on our way back today
Take care on the roads

I went - no problems getting there and we even had a Terv exhibitor who had  travelled all the way from Scotland with no problems ! - the approach roads were a touch slushy on arriivng but by the time we left for home they were all clear - this morning all the 'heavy snow ' forecast has turned to rain !

an ecellent venue and an enjoyable show

Yvonne

I agree we enjoyed it alot, my horses are my hobby but i had to travel to them down non gritted lanes in far worse conditions to feed them twice a day took me longer to do 6 miles one day few weeks back than it did to travel 30 yesterday.

I think alot are being unfair on here as not all of us had bad snow and i for one didn't get a cheap piece of paper as good dogs turned up ( yes we did win ) as did all the judges for our breed and stewards

my dogs are more important to me than a cheap ticket

I wonder how many people who feel  its just a "cheap ticket"  will hold the same view, when and if they win one??

This is taken from Fosse Data so some dogs may have doubled up in classes so would be marked absent from all classes they were entered in, however this is one group alone and look at the high absentee level.    It would seem to have been a glorified open show on Friday.

162 Golden Retrievers absent.
122 Irish Setters absent.
105 Labradors absent.
19 English Setters absent.
2 Brittanies absent.
46 GSP's absent.
10 Gordon Setters absent.
6 Hungarian Vizsla's absent.
6 Irish Red & White Setters absent.
3 Pointers absent.
48 Flatcoated Retrievers absent.
3 NSTDR absent.
10 Cockers absent.
20 ESS absent.
2 WSS absent.
50 Weimaraners absent.
24 AVNSC Gundog absent.
1 Imp Reg Gundog Absent.

On gundog day absentee rate was 32% if calculated from total entries or 44% if calculated from no dogs entered = either way a significant number of people did not feel in a position to travel. That said I would hope that if quality wasn't to be found in the rings the judges would have witheld .. there is no reason for any ticket to be cheap. The CC and RCC winners in GSP were very much worthy of their wins.

IMO I believe the show would have been better to be postponed, as an exhibitor I have a choice and I decided not to travel based on the local conditions, route and weather forecast and I do not for one minute regret my decision. However I do feel the decision to go ahead placed judges and steward in an unenviable position... personally if I were judging I would have made the same choice and not travelled however the pressure to make the decision to go would have been great.

As  hospital worker we have seen some dreadful accidents as a result of the road conditions and whilst I have to travel a few miles to work (and very hair raising they have been at times) I have minimised risk by not making any unnecassary journeys. It is bad enough that injury/accidents happen when travel cannot be avioded but to risk life for a dog show is IMHO foolish.
 
Karen

To be quiet honest, I think a lot of people in this thread need to stop bickering with each other and concentrate on the important things. I've been on this forum for a long time now, and although I don't post that often, I do read most of threads. I think bickering and sniping with each other creates a horrible atmosphere, and I know of a fair few people who have been put off champdogs for this reason alone. I'm not interested in judging people who decided to travel or judging people (such as judges) who should have turned up for their appointment. So I would like to say congratulations to all the winners at Boston, and sorry to all the people who entered but were unable to make it. I also hope that anybody who decided to travel arrived safely, after all that is what we should really be worrying about.

Thats a really good post NDQ and i totally agree x

Well said

> Well said

I had friends who travelled from as far as Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow to attend Boston show today.  All arrived safely with no problems on the roads caused by weather.

My OH travelled this morning from Ayrshire to Manchester.  I packed him off with shovel, flask, sandwiches, loads of chocolate, extra jackets and a quilt.  LOL bit over the top he said but I wasn't taking any chances of him being stranded. As it was he got there in the normal traveling time of four and a half hours again with no problems on the roads.

Authorities can only advise but people are still responsible for making there own decisions. 

I've been travelling across Suffolk and back without any major problems - 2 days I wasn't able to get into work, but otherwise the roads have been fine. I'm lucky that my routes haven't taken in many hills or sharp bends, but really you just have to be careful and respect the conditions. Should be fine to get to work tomorrow - alas! :-p