Dachshund Racing

[Kirislin]

I'm glad they have something dog related there. They dropped their dog section from the show.

Yes, I was surprised about that. There are several events for pet dogs and a high jump competition, both of which always draw big entries and are popular with the general public. It does seem however, that the gap in interest between purebred dogs and novelty events for pets is forever widening

Maybe the public just find traditional showing boring. Purebred dogs can do novelty events, or very physical sporting events which will show off their athletic abilities and are much better spectator sports for the person on the street.

I don't see why it would be any more boring than poultry, cattle or rabbit showing? *shrugs*

My understanding was that the decision had nothing to do with the public and everything to do with Show Committee politics. Most notably the politics of giving the horse exhibitors more room. How quickly some show committees forget how they made dogs centre stage during the equine influenza outbreak and how dog exhibitors kept them afloat.

The impact on income will be significant. Time to wait and see what happens next.

It would have been nice for people to see and meet Dachsie breeders if they were interested in the dogs as opposed to walking the mine field of finding a dog on Gumtree.

What I meant was that I dont see alot of non show people spectating at dog shows, I dont know if they find it boring or not, it was just a thought. When I think about it our big aggie show's changed so much, they've even sold off alot of the grounds that once had beautiful historic stables and put shops there, pulled down the main arena and put lots of food stalls there. I was shocked when I went last September, I saw very few animals. My impression was it's mostly noisy rides and gourment food tents now. They had a stand set up for spectators to watch the dogs but it was only about 1/3 full if that.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Kirislin

[Scottsmum]

I'm glad they have something dog related there. They dropped their dog section from the show.

Yes, I was surprised about that. There are several events for pet dogs and a high jump competition, both of which always draw big entries and are popular with the general public. It does seem however, that the gap in interest between purebred dogs and novelty events for pets is forever widening

Maybe the public just find traditional showing boring. Purebred dogs can do novelty events, or very physical sporting events which will show off their athletic abilities and are much better spectator sports for the person on the street.

I don't see why it would be any more boring than poultry, cattle or rabbit showing? *shrugs*

My understanding was that the decision had nothing to do with the public and everything to do with Show Committee politics. Most notably the politics of giving the horse exhibitors more room. How quickly some show committees forget how they made dogs centre stage during the equine influenza outbreak and how dog exhibitors kept them afloat.

The impact on income will be significant. Time to wait and see what happens next.

It would have been nice for people to see and meet Dachsie breeders if they were interested in the dogs as opposed to walking the mine field of finding a dog on Gumtree.

What I meant was that I dont see alot of non show people spectating at dog shows, I dont know if they find it boring or not, it was just a thought. When I think about it our big aggie show's changed so much, they've even sold off alot of the grounds that once had beautiful historic stables and put shops there, pulled down the main arena and put lots of food stalls there. I was shocked when I went last September, I saw very few animals. My impression was it's mostly noisy rides and gourment food tents now.

Maybe it's a bit like watching cricket? Gotta be interested to want to watch. I could watch the horses or dogs all day - I could even watch the cattle having shown them in highschool but cricket is just dudes standing in a field doing things I don't understand. Seems very boring to me...

[Kirislin]

I agree Scottsmum.

[trifecta]

Well we had an attendance of over 7360 at the Bungendore show according to the local rag. Horse numbers are huge here and neighbouring ACT has more horses per capita than any other state, so it is no wonder horse numbers are increasing. We always have a good turn out of cattle and sheep, and Sunday was no exception. Alpacas were included for the first time this year, but I don't know the numbers. (I was at the races and didn't go to the show this year). By all accounts there were a lot of Dachsunds on the grounds although not all competed; all the dog novelty events were popular with the crowd and had large entries; the sheep herding demonstration was as popular as ever as we have some very accomplished sheep dogs and handlers here.

Sorry this is a bit off topic, but I wanted to point out that in our area at least, although on the periphery to a Capital city, interest in animal events is growing. Such a shame, then, that the Show Committee being short on space ditched the dogs in favour of more horses - it is an ideal opportunity to put the spotlight on the purebred dog. Incidentally a two day dog show was held two weekends prior to the show and attracted as many entries as they used to get on show day with over 500 entries each day! So in our case, we just need more room and bigger grounds to accommodate everyone!

[RuralPug]

.....

My understanding was that the decision had nothing to do with the public and everything to do with Show Committee politics. Most notably the politics of giving the horse exhibitors more room. How quickly some show committees forget how they made dogs centre stage during the equine influenza outbreak and how dog exhibitors kept them afloat.

The impact on income will be significant. Time to wait and see what happens next.

...... When I think about it our big aggie show's changed so much, they've even sold off alot of the grounds that once had beautiful historic stables and put shops there, pulled down the main arena and put lots of food stalls there. I was shocked when I went last September, I saw very few animals. My impression was it's mostly noisy rides and gourment food tents now. They had a stand set up for spectators to watch the dogs but it was only about 1/3 full if that.

I agree with your comments about the changes to country ag shows due to Show Commitee politics...Unfortunately animal exhibits means higher insurance/public liability premiums than non-animal exhibits, thus certain judging competitions that don't attract a huge audience become too costly while others such as show jumping horses or sheep trialling dogs are considered big audience getters and the gate fee percentage would cover the extra insurance overhead, in the opinion of the Show Committee anyway.

In Victoria, older Dogs Vic members will remember when a whole heap of agricultural societies discontinued their dog show sections.. Dog exhibitors had been upset for years that people entering a pony, a sheep or even a jar of jam were commonly issued with an entry ticket and a free parking voucher while exhibitors in the dog section were expected to pay hefty gate and parking fees on top of their substantial entry fees! Dogs Vic finally made a rule that no affiliate could charge more for gate and/or parking fees, than they did themselves at their main ground, which at the time was the Showgrounds in Flemington (which Dogs Vic and its affiliates used all year round outside of the 10 - 14 days of the Royal Melbourne Show).

Since their gate fees were zero and their parking fee a peppercorn $1, to match those fees for their dog exhibitors stripped a lot of revenue from agricultural shows and quite a few stomped off never to hold a dog section again. In fact, after a few years of poor attendance etc., some of them stopped their ag shows altogether. They had forgotten that the dog exhibitors not only paid considerable entry fees, but they also constituted a large body of people who spent a lot of money at the shows, on food, rides, products etc. and while there may not have been a huge audience for the actual judging, wandering through the dog area to look at all the breeds and talk to breeders was an immense drawcard for many members of the public.

[_PL_]

I've nothing to contribute but you wouldn't believe... my husband made me watch this the other night So for fans of speedy dachshunds;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYO7SZWnGVs

[Kirislin]

I've nothing to contribute but you wouldn't believe... my husband made me watch this the other night So for fans of speedy dachshunds;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYO7SZWnGVs

:laugh: I love the very end where the sausage dog supposedly leaps into the ketchup's arms. Great throw more likely.

[raz]

I love the superbowl ads!