Whippet Showing

[anniewhippet]

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Around the rings there are, now, many comments on the rising price of fuel :rant: and entry fees so what do you think the future holds for our lovely hobby?

Are we going to end up with a North/South divide unless things change? an elite hobby? falling entries? more Premier Open shows?

How are you served in your part of the country & what do you feel is your future in this lovely hobby if things do not change?

 

[saraquele]

i hear where you are coming from and im sure a lot of others do too .

im in the north west and our "local" ground where the champs are held is Stafford , this is around an hour and half away from me and 46 miles so a 92 miles round trip , no its not too far but far enough considering fuel prices etc .

i dont usually go much past the couple of hour mark due to family commitments etc , i must admit im not a hardend shower more of if i can get there i will go

 

[louiejoe]

What about us lot across the Irish Sea :unsure: , we have the added price of a ferry :b and often 1 or 2 nights accomodation to pay for :- " when we want to go to most of the EKC Championship shows......that's on top of entry fees and rising fuel costs :angry: . there's not too many shows close to the ferry ports for us!!!! :- " , and certainly not within an hours drive of home !!! (If only :- " )The ferry companies have even increased thier prices by putting their fuel surcharges up :blink:

.........I dread to think how much it will have cost us for our trip to Blackpool Show next weekend :wacko:

 

[saraquele]

What about us lot across the Irish Sea  :unsure: , we have the added price of a ferry :b   and often 1 or 2 nights accomodation to pay for  :- " when we want to go to most of the EKC Championship shows......that's on top of entry fees and rising fuel costs :angry: . there's not too many shows close to the ferry ports for us!!!! :- " , and certainly not within an hours drive of home !!! (If only  :- " )The ferry companies have even increased thier prices by putting their fuel surcharges up :blink: .........I dread to think how much it will have cost us for our trip to Blackpool Show next weekend :wacko:

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i really do feel for you across the sea, must be a nightmare and soo expensive , i know how much its costing me going to scotland this weekend

 

[T Hoare]

Good topic Annie

Champ Shows

I for one have started to reconsider the shows I enter. I am more harsh on the shows that I used to enter as they are 'Local'(within 2 hours). If I don't enter 2 or 3 closer ones then I put those entry fees towards extra fuel costs of ones further away under a 'more likely' judge. When I say harsh I have been!

Open shows

Last year I can recall saying I was going to less Champ Shows and more open shows. I don't think this has happened yet. The Open shows I have attended recently have been so long drawn out. The breeds in before have taken so long to judge I found myself getting to the 'lost the will to live' stage. I am interested in some other breeds but there is only so much a person can take.

I do say to myself when entering shows(paticularly champ) that I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't go on holiday - this is my hobby, why shouldn't I spend it on entries!? :- "

I do hope Dog Showing is not going to be just for the rich. :thumbsup:

 

[neave]

We live along the moray coast and the nearest champ show for us is SKC which is around a 3 1/2 hour drive i would love to show at some of the champ shows down in England but with long drives and high fuel coast it is expensive We have tried therefore to support more of our local Open shows but of late the Judging has been so poor i.e at one show we had a terrier person who had no experiance of hounds whats so ever i know everyone deserves their chance but the Judge wasnt great and with the cost of entries fees going up we are now being more fussy who we go under and are therefore doing less shows as a result

We dont show just for the winning but you pay alot of money to got to shows and put petrol in your cars you at least expet a good Judge who has had somesort of experience of the breed the he or she is Judging :rant: :rant:

Sorry for the ranting :thumbsup:

 

[ROSIE MEADOWS]

Why not start a topic for those who wish to share the driving and expenses?

You could post the shows you are interested in gouing to and the area you are leaving from. Surely there must be some people strarting from the same area and going to the same show. I realise that this is not practical if you are both taking several dogs. )

 

[alfyn]

Why not start a topic for those who wish to share the driving and expenses?You could post the shows you are interested in gouing to and the area you are leaving from.  Surely there must be some people strarting from the same area and going to the same show.  I realise that this is not practical if you are both taking several dogs. )

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Good idea :thumbsup:

Linda & i travel together to shows,otherwise we wouldn't be able to afford to go,though we are haing to cut back this year

Maybe it's about time the general ch shows cut back on the benching,that would considerably cut the cost of entries???

 

[ROSIE MEADOWS]

As an extension to that there may be people able to offere B & B for showsters and their dogs in return for the same favour the other way around. Would greatly help where the Irish/British costs are concerned :cheers:

 

[T Hoare]

Why not start a topic for those who wish to share the driving and expenses?You could post the shows you are interested in gouing to and the area you are leaving from.  Surely there must be some people strarting from the same area and going to the same show.  I realise that this is not practical if you are both taking several dogs. )

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I had forgoten to put in my post that I am now trying to double up with others going to shows.

 

[Debbie Reed]

This year, with the new puppy, Fleur being 10 years old and probably in her last year of showing and really wanting a stud book number for Cobweb, I have decided to really "push the boat out" and do as many shows as I realistically can.

There is no way I can afford to show 3 dogs (and enter Amie NFC as I cant leave her home alone) pay for the fuel (especially now with diesel prices as they are) and a hotel when I go to Blackpool!

SO to finance this I have had to sell a number of lovely saddles I have accumalated over my years in horses, some of them had a sentimental value and I swore at one time NEVER to sell them.

This has brought me in enough funds to finance this year. Luckily I freelance, so can adjust my working week to allow me to attend the shows, although this often means I work 7 days a week when not showing.

Next year will be another story as I have nothing left to sell and will have to be very selective in the shows, whose judging at them and distances I travel.

So I am going to enjoy this year with the dogs and b****r the costs! :- "

Debbie.

 

[seaspot_run]

This has been a hot topic on some of the US message boards, too. While our gas is still lower than yours (we don't have anything as massive as the VAT on top of it, although there is some tax), the distances typically required to be an active exhibitor in most parts of the USA combined with the fact our govt. and our citizens have been very short-sighted in demanding or even mandating more fuel-efficiency, has resulted in this hobby having become extremely expensive for many of us to participate in.

I am heartbroken I can't buy anything over here that is comparable to the van I saw Alayna Moreland driving in spring of 2007. That kind of van simply does not exist here. I am hanging on to my old beat-up gas-guzzling Chevy van in the hopes that the market here responds and there is either a hybrid van or something far more fuel efficient with that good boxy cargo space that comes on the market in the next year or two.

The opinion favors the notion that the big shows and events will always be supported, and that our cluster or circuit shows (3 or more shows in the same location so that rv and caravan campers can just drive there once and set up and stay for a number days showing at multiple show) will be favored, but the smaller, independent shows and events will suffer as people will not want to spend the gas to show for smaller entry wins (here, how many points you get is determined by how many dogs you defeat).

Eight hundred miles to a dog event used to be nothing over here, now only people who make their living doing it or people who are traveling to a specialty show will be inclined to spend that money.

We just had the lowest entry in history, I believe, for our Eastern Whippet specialty. While the judging panel which had no Whippet breeder/judge on it this year probably hurt entry somewhat, high gas prices were cited as the reason many of the people from 400+ miles away gave for not entering this year.

It was still a good show, as we have some of the best Whippets in the US in this region and so local quality is always very strong, but I was said to see a show that used to pull over 200 Whippets without a problem pulling only 75-80.

Karen Lee

 

[maggie217]

The 3 nearest Champ shows to me involve round trips of 140, 160 and 190 miles. Others are much further and many Open shows also involve quite a lot of mileage plus shows to the south of me often involve the added cost of the Humber Bridge. :angry: For example Newark. Many of the shows now held at Newark may have been nearer when they were held in the original locality of their own Canine society. Of course I understand why Newark is used as it is accessible from major routes. I will certainly have to be very choosy from now on.

 

Pauline

 

[anniewhippet]

Of course the people 'over the water' will have a difficult time balancing the books so to speak as will the people in the due South & North.

The South suffers with a lack of 'local' Champ shows, and although it does not affect Whippets, Paignton is so lacking in CC's now so surely this will get worse?

Surely the KC will have to consider their position with regards to Open shows and appointing Premier status to more but unless the venues & general restrictions ease I cannot see this happening.

We now have the introduction of Breeders classes at all Champ shows for 2009......nice one but I think I would prefer lower entry fees myself, it would help more. And I note the cost of hiring the new KC show centre is approx. £1000 per hall (there is 2) but space is limited due to the number of dogs allowed.....will this help?

We have so enjoyed showing our youngsters this past 12 months and I would hate it to become so expensive that we have to drastically cut back, what is left? footie on the telly :x

:teehee: apologies to footie fans

 

[saraquele]

This year, with the new puppy, Fleur being 10 years old and probably in her last year of showing and really wanting a stud book number for Cobweb, I have decided to really "push the boat out" and do as many shows as I realistically can.There is no way I can afford to show 3 dogs (and enter Amie NFC as I cant leave her home alone) pay for the fuel (especially now with diesel prices as they are) and a hotel when I go to Blackpool!

SO to finance this I have had to sell a number of lovely saddles I have accumalated over my years in horses, some of them had a sentimental value and I swore at one time NEVER to sell them.

This has brought me in enough funds to finance this year. Luckily I freelance, so can adjust my working week to allow me to attend the shows, although this often means I work 7 days a week when not showing.

Next year will be another story as I have nothing left to sell and will have to be very selective in the shows, whose judging at them and distances I travel.

So I am going to enjoy this year with the dogs and b****r the costs!  :- "

Debbie.

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well im around an hour or so from blackpool so next year drive up and stay with me that will save BNB :thumbsup:

i have space for people to stay with me for a night if ever needed , im just south of manchester :thumbsup: i dont drive on motorways so cant offer too may lifts , i usually go with lynn and eva if its motorway but happy to put people up if needed :cheers:

 

[maggie217]

Many years ago it was quite common to travel to Champ shows by train. I don't know what the trains are like for dog travel now, certainly not as comfortable as when we could grab a compartment on a corridor train, and have some privacy. (How old am I? I certainly don't think I am old enough to remember such train travel, AM I?)

Also Canine Societies would hire coaches for members and their dogs to travel to Champ shows. Do you think this might happen again? Long days, and often travelling through the night, too. I don't know if I've got the stamina now, but such trips were fun.

Pauline

 

[oakmoorehill]

Living in Staffordshire I'm luckier than most as we are only 25 minutes away from staffordshire show ground. So really have quite a few champ shows on our doorstep. we also have a lot of open shows local to us.

I do find that I am having to decide which dogs to take more carefully especially now William is back at the shows for example the hound show coming up in August do I take the whippets do I take the greyhounds I knw they have a racing class so do I put Button in that but she can go to crufts anyway the whippets have not been to any champ shows this year aaaarrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhh decisions decisions

 

[quintessence]

Living where I do near Portsmouth it's going to be easier and cheaper soon to get on the ferry and show in France 8)

I have a good friend who lives close by who shows gundogs, the only two shows which have gundogs and hounds on the same day are Blackpool and Leeds, this is a shame as we would travel together more often if we were on the same day.

I honestly do not see the level of entries being sustained, if we, as a small sample,

are expresssing such thoughts then overall there must be an impact. Being in business I suppose I see first hand everyday how people's spending pattens are altering, I just do not see dog show entries being exempt from this.

Jenny

 

[rls22]

In our case I know that we are being much more picky about the shows that we will enter. We have 3 dogs that we actively campaign at the moment and with our new puppy this will go up to 4. Obviously, it means that we will not be able to afford to take all of them to the shows we enter and we will be thinking very carefully about where we will travel to and which of the dogs we will enter etc.

I really do enjoy Open shows and we are lucky in that living in the Midlands we are 90 mins travelling time from a lot of shows; if we weren't I'm sure that we wouldn't go to many. Jo and I have just entered lots of the lovely Summer outdoor and agricultural shows with the 2 youngsters and are really looking forward to them - most of all these shows are a lovely day out with our family and I would hate to miss out on them.

I was just speaking to someone today saying how much better I feel having been to a show at the weekend, as I feel I have done something positive with my weekend that I really enjoy doing; it is my main hobby and I do miss it if we go for a month without any shows to go to.

Although I can't claim to pay for a lot of the entry fees, I do pay for some of them, so Jo and I are lucky in that the entry fees are split some what. But it is the cost of fuel that will really hit people. Our most economical car is obviously not the most practical for travelling with a few dogs in the back. My BMW Estate is the most dog friendly, but it guzzles fuel like you wouldn't believe and would cost a days wages to get to a champ show and back

It seems that every single one of us is in the same predicament. None of us have endless pots of money to spend on our hobby so I can only see that this will result in dropping entry numbers until the cost of fuel is significantly reduced

 

[kierpark]

We take my Dad with us, that helps with the fuel prices, as we go half half ,

But its still cost a few quid as we enter 3 dogs, Most Championship shows cost us About £100 each show , as the dogs have all qualified for Crufts 2009 We have decided to cut back on the champ shows and maybe do one a month depending on the Judge :- "

Poor people who come over on the Ferry must have to pay a bomb to show their dogs over here