Was very surprised to see how many docked dogs there were at Crufts today. Think I must have misunderstood the rules as I thought if the public is charged to enter NO docked dogs can be shown but it would seem that if they are docked before the ban they can. Confused from Lincolnshire.

Dogs docked before the ban are allowed :)

Yes, that much is obvious but it makes the rules of where and when you can show a docked dog an even more nonsensical piece of drafting.

not really, it says on the schedule of each show whether you can show docked dogs, also says dogs docked after (whatever the cut off date is, cant be bothered to look it up) can / cant be shown at this show.

I think it rather odd, at shows where the public pay for a car park but not to enter then any legally docked dog can be shown, but it seems that if the public pay to enter then only dogs docked before April 2007 can be shown - what puzzles me is why, do the public really know the difference between a dog docked in April and one docked in May. Still think it is an odd piece of thinking. Is it not good enough that all dogs shown docked are legally thus.

what puzzles me is why, do the public really know the difference between a dog docked in April and one docked in May.

No but presumably the idea is eventually there will be no docked dogs as certain shows as they will all have died of old age.

eventually there will be no docked dogs as certain shows as they will all have died of old age.
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That will happen but there will still be some shows that docked dogs can be shown and some where they can't all depending on whether you pay to park the car or pay to enter - still find the minds that came up with that bit of rule drafting a little odd, when to say only legally docked dogs can be shown would have made far more sense.

Oh I agree Nova.

That's government for you. 

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the government never considered paying to park as a viable alternative to an entry fee, rather that they just assumed any show with a large public attendance would charge an entry fee and that is how they would prevent the docked dogs (legally or otherwise) being shown there, perhaps as a backup to ensure unscrupulous breeders didn't start (or continue) docking dogs illegally.  The societies that run the shows then found this loophole and moved the charge to the carpark rather than entrance (and lets be honest at a lot of shows thats the same thing because car is the only way to get there).

Don't forget, many of us were there yesterday with natural bobtails too!