Badminton - Entrance fee for dogs?

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Maia

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Given the amount of people who (unnecessarily imo) drag their dogs around Badminton every year and sadly those who do not clean up after them either, do you think it would be fair to insist on a charge for taking dogs to the event?

Dogs are not allowed in the tradestands or the grandstands so really the only place for them is on the xc course (where in my experience there is always some irresponsible owner who does not keep their dog on a lead and the dog ends up causing havoc) or infront of the big screen (although people seem to insist on squishing their dogs under peoples feet between the tradestands too
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The argument that most people use is that they bring their dogs to enjoy walking the course and the beautiful situation of the event, in which case I do not think it would be unreasonable to ask for a small amount (£5/dog say) for this privilege - afterall we are privileged to be inviting onto the Duke of Beauforts land to enjoy the event. I know the entrance prices may already be construed as high but people do not need to bring their dogs so I don't think its unreasonable to charge for their admission too.

Also, how do people feel about on the spot fines for not cleaning up after your dog and failing to keep your dog under control on a lead? Perhaps this may irradicate some of the irresponsible behaviour shown by some dog owners and make people really consider whether it is appropriate to bring their dog - those dog owners who stay away from the busy areas, clean up after their dogs and keep them on leads and under control would not be affected...
 
Absolutely NO!

It is already an expensive day that many families travel miles to come to, without adding extra expense. Many families would not be able to come if they could not bring their dogs - we do not leave Bumble Dog at home for more than two hours on her own.

I agree that if your dog fouls - and they will, you should be prepared and clear the mess up as there is nothing worse than treading in it. Where the areas are busy we carry BD as she is small.

If you see someones dog fouling - ask them to clear it up - it's simple.
 
OK, but if families can afford to come for an expensive day out then surely they can afford an extra £5 to bring their dog in? Most people do leave their dogs at home while they are out all day and even at weekends are often able to make arrangements for a neighbour to pop in and let the dog out, give it its dinner etc, when the family are out for a long day - I know thats what we do, as do all my friends with dogs. We seem to be able to make arrangements for our horses without any problem (ok, so not everyone who goes to Badders has horses but I bet atleast a third do) even if that incurs an extra cost.

Also, not everyone is able to just pick up their dog when it gets busy so what should those people do if their silly enough to put their dog in that situation? And not everyone will pick up their dog poop even if you do ask them - surely if their was a fineing system atleast people would think!

What about if all monies generated through people who did bring their dogs and were fined for being irresponsible with regard to them went to the annual charity? That way atleast it goes to a good cause rather than just lining some business mans pockets?
 
Hmmm i agree with SSM it is a bit unecessary me thinks...

What is the point? What do you think should be done with this extra money?

Tbh i dont really see the prob with it either if you have a nice well behaved dog. We have a litte dog too so carry her in the busy areas as she does get stepped on... She loves the day out and living almost 2 hours away means its cruel to leave her alone for such a long day.
 
Certainly not! The entrance fee is high enough as it is
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What have dog owners done to you? I wouldn't go if I couldn't take my dog - she will stay on a lead and I will pick up her mess and she won't mind walking round the tradestands or waiting in the creche so what's the problem?
 
Still NO - what about the hundreds of people who camp for the three days - what do they do with their dogs?

There are normally people with buckets collecting for diferent charities and yes we happily donate to those.

Would rather see bored tired children who are screaming their heads off or running wild banned before dogs. (they let them in for free, maybe it should be dogs and children £5 each?)
 
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Certainly not! The entrance fee is high enough as it is
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What have dog owners done to you? I wouldn't go if I couldn't take my dog - she will stay on a lead and I will pick up her mess and she won't mind walking round the tradestands or waiting in the creche so what's the problem?

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and she's had a haircut for the day!
 
Because not everyone does have well behaved dogs that are small enough to just pick up when it gets busy, not everyone keeps them on leads and not everyone picks up after them.

I'm not saying that dogs shouldn't be allowed (although that is entirely dabateable too) but I do think people don't stop and think about why they bring them and the level of responsibility that bringing them brings.

I also find it sad that people wouldn't go if they couldn't take their dogs - why is that? If taking your gog brings you that much added enjoyment to the day then why would you object to paying a token amount for that privilage? And if its because you can't leave your dog at home I'd be interested to know what you do in situations when you go out for the day and can't take your dog?
 
No I don't think there should be an entrance fee, I just think the dogs should be banned.

This is coming from a dog lover who makes alternative arangements for their own dog when they go to Badminton
 
"And if its because you can't leave your dog at home I'd be interested to know what you do in situations when you go out for the day and can't take your dog?"

I'ts very simple with BD, if my son is not around to look after her and we can't take her - we don't go - we don't leave her because we worry about her fitting. She comes on holiday with us to France, all our friends love having her over, so if we could not bring her with us we would not come - one of the main reasons we did not go to Badminton last year was that we did not think she was up to it - she is much stronger now and will cope very well.
 
Quote "Most people do leave their dogs at home while they are out all day and even at weekends are often able to make arrangements for a neighbour to pop in and let the dog out, give it its dinner etc, when the family are out for a long day - I know thats what we do, as do all my friends with dogs."

Why do you bother having a dog!!!!!!! If all it does is stay at home on its own! Our dog was part of the family and enjoyed days out as much as we did - its great for them to go to a different place with different smells and have all the excitment.
As for paying even MORE no!!!!!!!!!!!! Its horrendous the amount it costs to get in as it is and "just another" £5 is a lot to ask the average person - we havent all got masses of money!!!
I agree about irresponsible dog owners not clearing up after their dogs, they should be fined as they would in any other public place.
 
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Still NO - what about the hundreds of people who camp for the three days - what do they do with their dogs?

[/ QUOTE ] Again, would it hurt to have a charge - maybe £5 for the event regardless of how many days you stay, that way people who camp and genuinely cannot make arrangements for someone to care for their dog are not heavily penalised.

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Would rather see bored tired children who are screaming their heads off or running wild banned before dogs. (they let them in for free, maybe it should be dogs and children £5 each?)

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Children are another matter - do not get me started on those! The saying "children should be seen and not heard" springs to mind though I'm not a child friendly person anyway! But yes, I agree that it would be unfair to charge for dogs and not children and yes, perhaps it should be a flat (small) fee for both - would certainly make parents stop and consider whether it is really necessary to drag their child round! (I also quite like the idea of keeping children out of tradestands and on leads but I don't think that would go down to well with the NSPCC!
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Why do you bother having a dog!!!!!!! If all it does is stay at home on its own! Our dog was part of the family and enjoyed days out as much as we did - its great for them to go to a different place with different smells and have all the excitment.
As for paying even MORE no!!!!!!!!!!!! Its horrendous the amount it costs to get in as it is and "just another" £5 is a lot to ask the average person - we havent all got masses of money!!!
I agree about irresponsible dog owners not clearing up after their dogs, they should be fined as they would in any other public place.

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I take my dog out plenty thankyou, but I do not inflict huge crowds of people on him or him on huge crowds of people! We go walking in all sorts of places, of the fields and woods locally, we go over to friends by the sea and take him to quiet beaches (and always clear up after him). I have family that live in the brekon beacons and we take him away for the weekend their. He is our family companion but I would not dream on assuming that he would enjoy everything I do! I wouldn't take him if I went on a day out to a theme park, or to a wedding, or if I am judging somewhere etc. Whats more, he is epileptic and with the heat and the excitement of all the people would most likely have a massive fit and as he is a seriously huge dog there is no way my OH and I could carry him between us if there was a problem. I go to Badminton for me. I take it at my own pace and enjoy a bit of everything, the course, the shops, the dressage and the SJ. My dog stays at home and the neighbour pops in to let him out a couple of times throughout the day and feeds him for me if I am back late. If I am away overnight then his "aunty" (who spoils him absolutely rotten) comes to stay and looks after him and the horses.

I really doubt that because he does not come to one event in the annual calendar that he either feels like he's being left out or I am a bad owner for it!! Infact, I think that, especially with him, it is the most responsible thing to do!
 
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No I don't think there should be an entrance fee, I just think the dogs should be banned.

This is coming from a dog lover who makes alternative arangements for their own dog when they go to Badminton

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Well I did wonder that but I think, given the choice, people would rather pay a fee then have a blanket ban so I cannot see the event organisers banning dogs - I agree though, I think it would be a sensible improvement!
 
well personally if I had a dog I would not take it on the Saturday as i dont think it is any fun for them - same goes for small children. But I love meeting everyone else's lovely dogs on the Thursday and Friday, when they can have a nice walk without being trampled underfoot.
 
I dont think there should be an entrance fee for dogs, but I do believe there is a case for not allowing them on site full stop. I know I will probably get shot down in flames, but hear me out first! There is nothing for a dog at Badminton; XC is always packed, and there is always someone with a snappy terrier who cannot resist having a go. We took our dogs - a GSD and two Labs - on XC day a couple of years back, and vowed never to do so again. The GSD was very stressed by the crowds, and because of her size, we were restricted to where we could view from. The Labs were very well behaved, but not happy - you cannot let them off the lead, and they couldnt even go in the Lake! And as for people who take dogs on SJ day...I'm sorry, but I do think it is rather cruel. I've been to Badders many, many times, and every year it upsets me to see bewildered, panicked doggies trying to follow their owners around without being stepped on, or being bitten by another dog. Why take a dog? You have to either get someone to hold it, or else tie it up whilst you go into the stalls (I saw a very sad greyhound tied up on its own to one of the chairs in the midst of the tradestands last year).

During foot and mouth, dogs were not allowed at many country and equine events. People moaned, but life went on - and I for one thought it far more pleasant not to have to dodge the dog mess!

Of course the flip side of not allowing dogs is that some eejits will then leave them in the car - which in my eyes is FAR more unnacceptable
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Bumble Dog is not phased by large groups of people or other dogs - BD is a very clingy dog and is very upset and more likley to fit when seperated from us - we went away for a weekend recently, left her with some wonderful friends and she fitted twice even though she seemed happy enough.
 
Personally with the entrance fee as high as it it is for Badders no i wouldnt want to pay an extra fee for my dogs.

I always take 2 of my dogs to Badminton they love it. There Huskys & they always have one collar & lead on & an extra harness with a lead for added security.

I take water, food & poop scoops around the whole course with me & my dogs love it. They are not dogs i can pick up through the crowds but they have never been worried there well trained & walk through because they have been used to crowds from puppies.

I have to say though many dog owners ive seen around Badminton don't even have a bottle of water for there dogs on them let alone a bag for picking up poop. Im not even going to go down the loose dog road as that really gets me annoyed.

So i can see why others get annoyed. But personally i love seeing all the dogs at Badminton & i no my dogs love going. I would not go if dogs where banned.
 
I would rather have on-site 'wardens' (for want of a better word) issuing on-the-spot fines for owners that don't clear up after their dogs or have them properly under control.
I do think that dogs should be banned from the tradestand area though - the crowds there scare me so I can't imagine what it must be like for a small dog, it's also very frustrating when you can't get to the bargain you have spotted as a large dog is parked in the way.
 
But in which case, if bringing your dog makes the day for you or is essential for the health of your dog (SSM) why would you object to a small fee? Especially if it means that the irresponsible dog owners stop and think twice about bringing their dogs? Ok, so they still may bring them but as it is already expensive to get into the event, if it wasn't that important to the owners to bring their dog(s) they wouldn't as it would cost them more.

MizElz - Going on my observations from recent years if dogs are left in a car they are removed by the RSPCA and its entirely your fault if your car is damaged in the first place. I think their should be a blanket ban from dogs in cars, the grandstand or within 20ft of the tradestands at the very least but I can't see that happening either! I just think that charging for their entry means owners will take a bit more thought about whether or not they should bring their dogs - those that turn up with their dogs without realising there is a charge won't have to turn around and go home (if there was a total ban) but would maybe think twice in future years.
 
Where there are horse people there are dog people - and adding a charge to an event which is already overpriced is ridiculous.

Yes there are irresponsible dog owners around but there are also irresponsible parents who allow their children to run wild and irresponsible people in general who think it acceptible to be rude, shove people and drop litter.
 
Not been to Badminton (yet - am going this year) but was at Burghley on Saturday with OH and his 3 month old lab puppy. Pup really enjoyed himself, loved the attention he got - he's a very laid back, sociable dog, and really enjoyed the toy squeaky pheasant we bought him. Appropriate bags, water, water bowl, lunchtime feed etc were in a rucksack. Wouldn't hesitate to bring him again, shopping was done on dressage day when dog (and OH!) weren't there to get bored (OH hates watchign dressage). On SJ day (we don't live near Burghley and were at OH's parents' house, so couldn't leave him) we took turns to sit in front of the big screen with the dog while the other people watched the SJ from the free access part of the stands. We decided he was too young for the creche, otherwise he'd've visited that.

I don't see why a £5 charge would change much, responsible owners think carefully before bringing their dogs anyway, irresponsible ones would probably pay the charge without thinking - it's not much in the scheme of things. Too much of the country bans dogs already, and too many people have no idea how to act around them - random kids on boat in lake district were trying to play with Webley's ears and mouth, without even asking if it was OK to stroke him! Luckily he's laid back enough to have his tear ducts flushed conscious, but they (and their parents) didn't know that!
 
I was unfortunate enough to witness an incident at Blenheim last year where dogs were left in car, car got hot, dogs in distress and then RSPCA having to break into the car to realease them, it was not nice
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While i don't think people should pay extra for dogs to go in i think there should be more obvious rules for them as in on the spot fines for failure to pick up pooh and a ban on any dogs being left in cars.
I have dogs and children but do not take either to Badminton, not because they annoy people but bcause they wouldn't enjoy it.
 
Quite frankly I wouldn't take my dogs. Not because I don't think they should be there (because I do) but because I cannot imagine anything more fun-wrecking than having my dogs twirling round like idiots when Im trying to watch.

I do find the people who leave dog poo everywhere very rude BUT I dont think dogs should be banned - I am not a halfwit I have the ability to walk round poo (and not in it) and I also have the ability to pick it up if Im THAT passionate about it.

I wonder if all these people who are complaining have ever picked it up themselves?.....
 
NO there shouldn't be a charge (unless it is to pay for poo pickers, then the owners wouldn't need to do it
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), but I would have no problem with on the spot fines, for people not picking up any mess, people littering should also be fined along with unattended children and old people who are walking too slow amongst the trade stands.
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Just to let you all know you are STRICLTY NOT allowed to keep your dogs in cars at Badminton any day of it,if a dog is seen in a car they get the RSPCA to break in and take the animal(s) straight away and a fine is occurred.

My OH works at the event,now this is just my oppinion and i've seen it both when i have taken my dogs and when i havn't.
Now when i did take one of my dogs (other stayed with a friend for the day) it was a bit of a nightmare,you soon realise you can't leave them in the car,not that i would but you could tell many didn't know that until they had arrived,it was fine until you got to the tradestands and then you had people barging and stepping on you let alone your dog!!! poor things!! I have a little terrier so luckily i carried her round most of it as she was petrified on the ground trying to keep up with me without getting trodden on! It was also a very hot day and her being black i was a tad worried but their were some people there with Huskies that looked like they were boiling in the bag! trying to eat was a nightmare as although my dog was fine others were very aggressive as food was around,god never again!

Now it is much easier if you go without your dogs believe me,which is what i'll be doing this year,my friend who has a large house in the country is having them for the day and they will def enjoy that more than going to Badminton!

I don't agree with charging £5 per dog,when you have children the cost of going out to something like that is a lot,don't forget that a lot of people save up hard to treat their children to something like that,it's not just full of toffs you know,their are some very hard working people that go and so saying that it's ok to charge that because..... well everyone who goes can afford to pay the charge really isn't true.

Oh and dogs are allowed around the tradestands hence dog fights,dogs getting stepped on,dogs breaking loose etc
 
Ive never been to Badminton (too far away!), but I think dog owners should pay a small fee. I personally dont think dogs have a place at horse events. A couple of times my horse has spooked galloping round a corner on the XC to find a yappy dog and if I see one more b*oody dog off its lead!!

I think it was Badminton last year that that dog was off its lead and ran after one of the horses on the XC. That is just ridiculous IMO.
 
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