Did anyone attend Southern Counties today as a spectator? £10 to park your car - outrageous !

Any entrance fee for spectators?

No, everything else was free.

Thanks for the warning crinklecut. I was going to go along tomorrow just for a day out without dogs. Looked at the schedule -

SPECTATORS - Car Park Fee for non-exhibitors: £10.00
FREE ADMISSION - exhibitors enter on dog's pass, all others no charge.

So will be spending the day at home in the garden instead!

That must be how they're getting round the 'docked dogs' rule. The public haven't paid admission ...

You 'could' park in Hermitage (village or garden centre) and wander up to the showground, it's not too far at all.  Alternatively I wonder if anyone else would be willing to pick you up from somewhere nearby and drive in with them?  We were there today and could easily have collected someone and driven them in.

Interestingly this year they had no one on the show gates checking entries or exits - all the staff were manning the car park gates instead.  I had moved our car park pass as it had caught the air and was about to float off and was told very firmly to put it back on the dashboard!!

Thanks for the suggestions dogs a babe. I could have entered a dog NFC and taken a car load of people in for £12.50. Obviously the show Management is not very keen on encouraging dogless spectators!

The fee Bath was going to charge(before they decided not to!) was adults £6, OAP/Children £4, car park free ~ so a family of 4 would have paid £20 to get in, so my way of thinking is £10 is cheap in comparison..even if 2 adults go then it is still cheaper to pay the CP fee.

Unfortunately though Lexy, I was not going for a day out with the family, I was handling dogs for two other people. In future I will make sure I get a schedule for the shows I am not actually entering myself so I know of these charges beforehand.Or of course the other alternative would be to never attend the show again with or without a dog.

>Or of course the other alternative would be to never attend the show again with or without a dog.

Isn't the alternative to travel with the person whose dogs you are handling, or ask them to cover the CP cost for you?

I do think it's a shame that spectators can't be allowed in for free at all the shows.  We visited several shows before getting our dog and thought it was a great introduction to showing - I wonder if I'd have felt differently had I been charged a whopping £10 for the privilege of parking my car in a field!

> I do think it's a shame that spectators can't be allowed in for free at all the shows.  We visited several shows before getting our dog and thought it was a great introduction to showing - I wonder if I'd have felt differently had I been charged a whopping £10 for the privilege of parking my car in a field!

I do agree in one extent but would you think about not paying the equivilent to £5 each per adult if charged to spectate?

Funnily enough I very nearly didn't enter Southern Counties & was going to go, just to watch but decided for an extra £12 I would be able to park & exhibit.

that the way round it so poss docked dog can enter ,so no entery fee for spectators. only to hock up the car park fee,
to cash in that way.

I know this is going to sound silly, but should I decide to attend a ch show just to watch then I know i'd pay £10 to enter the show, but when they say its for car parking, i'd be put off attending. I know that its the same amount of money being paid, but its the idea of what i'm paying for.
I do understand that it allows docked dogs to be shown if charging for car parking and no entry fee to the actual show.

May be this will end in about 7 to 10 years although there will still be working dogs that are docked so perhaps not, it does seem to have become a bit of a farce - not sure why it was arranged this way one would have thought that if the dog is legally dock then why does it matter if the viewing audience has paid or not it can't effect their eyesight surely and if they are morally offended what is the difference if they pay on the gate or in the car park - very odd to me but I suppose those who wrote the rule knew what they were doing or at least thought they did.

its the same at Blackpool so beware!

If you are a member of the Pet Plan breeder insurance..
Then they sent a flyer out - all you have to do is pop your breeder insurance club membership
number on it and you park for £5

> Obviously the show Management is not very keen on encouraging dogless spectators!

No its' all to do with the stupid law that legally docked dogs docked after April 2007 can't be shown if the public pay an entrance fee, so they are levying parking instead.

Blame the law that took away peoples freedom of choice to dock, but allowed those that work their terriers and certain gundogs to do so but punished them by reducing their showing chances, further making a work/show divide.

Makes you mad as bona fide dog folk abide by the Law, even though many don't like it.  A childhood Friend of my Hubby was telling us that he will shortly be docking a friends Rottie litter, which he did last year. 

I told him it was illegal, so what she can get more money for them docked, no-one wanted them undocked. 

People happily bought unregistered not health tested pups illegally docked for £600. 

You can imagine my reaction, and I hope one of the pups owners vets asks who the breeder was and she gets prosecuted, but I doubt it.

what about the breeds that have natural bob tails that can be at differents lengths.
we dont know if they have been docked and the breeder are saying it a bob tail.?

there alway ways to get around rule and regs

I went on Friday and Saturday...having already paid them £25 to enter I begrudged them an additional £10 for the car park - so on the day I hadn't entered we parked in Chieveley and walked in instead!

At the age that you have to take your bobtails to the vets (3 days) the vet can definitely tell whether it's been docked or not, so not that easy.

yes but to they?

I have a vet letter for my bobtail Boxer to certify that her tail is naturally short.

good well done you.there is can be a loophole in this as well,

not i would do it as my swd have tails.

They should do as you have to get a vets letter to be able to show.  Whether everyone does well????