Exhibitors revolt after new Bath fee ‘bans’ legally-docked dogs

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EXHIBITORS of legally-docked dogs are livid that Bath CS has decided to charge a £4 admission fee, effectively banning them from the championship show.
Secretary Ben Ford said this week it had been a ‘pretty unanimous’ committee decision to do so.
Mr Ford, who has Old English Sheepdogs, whose first show as secretary this will be after taking over from Keith Nathan, said he had replied to everyone who had contacted him on the matter.
“I am definitely going to speak to the Kennel Club – I am the new boy and I am being bombarded with emails over this,” he said. “One person said they were going to take me to the European Court of Human Rights.”
For the last two years, he said, the committee had put in the schedule that there would be an admittance charge but that it had been rescinded at the last moment.
“I can’t tell you why because committee business is confidential,” he said. “But from a personal point of view I would say there are two sides to the coin. Some of the people who own traditionally-docked breeds and who no longer dock are being discriminated against. In a line-up of docked and undocked dogs the judge always seems to choose the undocked one. I would say that certainly is true in my breed, with inferior specimens sometimes being put up.”
But according to one source, the consensus of the Bath committee is that the practice of docking is cruel because the Government has deemed it so, even though ministers thought it less cruel than working dogs injuring their tails in the field.
Mr Ford said the committee would be monitoring entry figures and finances at the show.
“We will be tracking every single aspect of this to glean information on how many people are not at the show,” he said. “So far, 23 people have said they are not coming and we will equate this with revenue losses.
“I do feel sympathy for those who have legally-docked dogs, because if it goes on this way they won’t be able to go to any championship shows. I wish I could resolve it in some way but it was a committee decision and that’s it. Certainly since the Government banned docking it has become an unholy mess.
“All we can do is run this show, analyse everything and see what we can do about it. We can only do our best. If I’m not standing in the European Court of Human Rights at the time I will run the show the best I can.”

Tail damage

Among the many who have made their views known are Sharon Pinkerton, Maxine McCullough, Sue Harris, Christine Guest and Penny Simpson.
“For ‘welfare’ reasons we still dock our breed due to tail damage when working,” Miss Pinkerton said. “Nearly two years ago we had an undocked litter of which three have already had their tails amputated as adults due to recurring tail damage. Three others have experienced continuing tail damage which still may result in amputation. So we have tried to leave tails and our dogs have suffered badly because of it.
“The whole issue of docking is considered to be a welfare issue so why allow adult dogs to go through a major ‘amputation’ due to an injury which could have been preventable?”
This is all legal, she said, so why was she being ‘victimised’?
“The KC statement on schedules reads ‘open to all’ but some shows clearly are not, and openly discriminate towards the exhibitors of legally docked breeds,” Miss Pinkerton said. “Bath owns its own showground and expensive venue costs are not an issue, so why does it need to charge admission? Get societies to publish their balance sheets so we can see how much money they make on shows and where ‘our’ money is spent!
“Does Bath have representatives on its committee from all groups, ie do we have a gundog representative on that committee?
“Without exhibitors/dogs there would be no dog show and nothing for the public to see. Committees are put in place to hold a dog show; it is not a circus, spectacle or fair. All credit to Darlington, Blackpool and Paignton for changing their admission charge; at least they are putting together dogs shows for everyone.”
If it was a question of finance, she concluded, there were other methods of raising funds such as car park or catalogue charges. To allow legally-docked dogs to take part there could be free entrance on gundog day only.
Maxine McCullough said she was ‘shocked and disappointed’ that the committee had reversed its decision to allow legally-docked dogs to enter the show.
“Last year many working HPR owners/breeders supported this show as Bath dropped its policy of charging admittance, hence allowing legally docked working HPRs to attend,” she said. “It seems this year they do not want ‘fit for function’ HPRs who can prove their ability in the show ring as well as being very capable working dogs gaining field trial/working test awards.
“This to me seems a somewhat bizarre decision given the current claims of the general media suggesting that ‘show dogs are unfit, unhealthy and not fit for function’. In my breed alone there are at least 20 legally-docked dogs unable to enter Bath under the current policy. I would have thought that Bath would want to support the working HPR and our campaign to be allowed to continue to show and work our dogs. Sadly it seems not.”

Numerous pleas

Sue Harris said charging a public entrance fee was a retrograde step.
“Where other forward-thinking societies are looking for ways in which they can continue as an ‘inclusive’ society, Bath CS has decided that the ever-growing number of legally-docked dogs are simply not worth supporting, despite the numerous pleas from individual exhibitors and judges alike.
“I am in the process of accepting notifications from fellow exhibitors who would have entered this show, and would likely have bought a catalogue and refreshments while there had they have been made welcome by this society. Currently the list of lost entries is growing at an alarming rate...
“I am inviting all exhibitors to advise me of the number of dogs that would have been entered should they have been allowed to, in an effort to ascertain the number of actual entries lost as a result of this short sighted decision.”
Christine Guest said: “At the time of writing I have three dogs I can show who are docked because they are truly dual-purpose and ‘fit for function’. In the past I have supported Bath with entries from one or the other and occasionally both of the breeds I own, Spinoni and Wirehaired Vizslas. How sad that I am unable to support this year’s show and possibly future shows because I might ‘offend’ a member of the paying public with my working, fit for function docked gundogs.
“As a point of interest, my younger Vizsla had her tail ‘amputated’ at 17 weeks under full anaesthetic due to tail trauma, not because I wished to work her.
“I am very proud of the fact that I own and occasionally breed a good looking dog that I can work and show. The HPR owners have striven to keep their breeds dual-purpose without the split that we have seen in other gundog breeds; what a shame this split is now being forced upon us and we have to choose work or show.”
Penny Simpson said: “Last year I sent a letter to DOG WORLD thanking Bath for not imposing a ban on docked dogs, so I am very disappointed to hear that despite a number of dogs entering who otherwise would not have done they have gone ahead this year and put a charge on the public entering.
“I was always led to believe that competitions were put on for the competitor not for the spectator, particularly when the competitor pays such a lot of money just to compete.
“I trust that Bath will see the error of its ways and do what is right by its competitors; after all no competitors means nothing for the spectator to watch.”