Question of the Week

Last weekend the dog shows to be held in Galloway, New Jersey, were cancelled midweek because the already saturated grounds and predicted rain made the venue untenable. Their decision saved travel and expenses for judges and exhibitors alike.

Pam Mandeville

Somerset, New Jersey

Thoughts? Do I have thoughts!

First, clubs need to be in front of these situations and get out on social media IMMEDIATELY with an announcement before rumors fly ... especially in cases like this, where the township cancelled the event. (This is our seventh straight weekend of rain.)

Second, exhibitors need to learn the financial aspects of having a dog show. Sure, one sees lots of money and opportunities for points and placements go down the drain ... and seeing a club taking in $15,000 or more can be maddening. Understanding the costs that the club is out, whether or not the show is held, would go a long way toward making it less painful ... and make it clear that a "refund" outside of those costs is hardly worth the cost of writing and mailing the check. Exhibitors should join a club or at minimum talk to someone who has been a show chair to understand what has to go on to make it happen. And they need to understand what a cancellation means, not just to them and the club, but to judges, superintendents and vendors.

A way to spread around the pain would be helpful. Clubs, judges, superintendents and AKC should also be prepared to take a bit of a loss. AKC and superintendents could look into issuing a credit to exhibitors for future shows; yes, an upfront programming cost (AKC could help out here), but once that's done, sending out an email to exhibitors with even a $5 credit on their next entry is low cost and a good gesture.

Bigger picture: Shows held at certain times of the year need to be indoors, whether it's the risk of storms in the fall or heat in the summer. Maybe we all get grumpy about so many shows in West Springfield, but they sure don't get cancelled. Indoor venues are difficult and, again, this is where AKC can step in to analyze their event data, understand the costs, engage with superintendents and clubs on potential venues, and provide an opportunity for clubs to have indoor shows. As a member of a club whose 25th-anniversary show was cancelled twice due to COVID, I can assure you, no club WANTS to cancel a show.

Finally, those exhibitors who called or emailed Rau abusing their staff over this cancellation are despicable. If you want to be part of this sport ...YOU have the obligation to learn something about it. Most important, learn YOU aren't the center of it. Superintendents and/or clubs should have the ability to "reward" these folks by refusing to accept their entries in the future.

Carol Mccaffrey 

Millville, New Jersey

This week’s cancellation three days before the dog show was very disappointing and obviously a drainage problem with the township, so they should not be charging for the grounds and returning any deposits.

There was very little rain this morning, so the weather is not really the reason for the cancellation.

Since it was cancelled so early, there should not have been tent or judge fees incurred.  

Under these circumstances I think the majority of the entry fees should be refunded. Dog showing has become so expensive that the numbers are dropping and majors can’t be found.  

If entry fees are not refunded it will probably have a very detrimental effect on the clubs putting on these shows, as they probably will not get future entries. It’s understandable when there is a hurricane or a snowstorm, but that is not the case here, and the majority of the funds should be left in this situation.

George Milutinovich

Fresno, California

During Covid, our Sun Maid Kennel Club of Fresno was forced to cancel our shows due to the County of Fresno rescinding our approval! When we received the news, our board of directors and membership notified our superintendent, MBF, to stop accepting entries immediately. Judges were notified as well.

We followed with social media posts, which read, "For all of you that have entered our shows and ‘rolled the dice’ with us, our sincerest thanks. You trusted our promise to be fair should this cancellation occur. MBF will be issuing FULL refund checks (minus their $4 administrative fee) shortly!" Overnight parking checks were shredded as well.  

This decision by our club to refund fees was, in our opinion, the right thing to do! It was costly, but from a public-relations standpoint it has certainly paid great dividends ever since: The positive response and continued support of our exhibitors is proof positive!  

Each club must make their own decisions based on many factors. I am simply sharing our club's perspective.

Diane Kepley

Aiken, South Carolina

Ten years ago, an AKC delegate subcommittee issued a report on show cancellations that includes procedures and protocols. It addresses how to contact the AKC, judges, exhibitors, vendors, etc., if there is a cancellation, and potential language to include in various contracts. It was my experience during the pandemic that refunds for a portion of conformation entry fees required negotiation with superintendents that have already undertaken work prior to the show, which was done regardless of the reason for the cancellation and for which they expect payment (accepting entries, preparing premium lists, judging programs and catalogs, etc.).

Susan Shephard

Deltona, Florida

I believe the protocol depends on when the show is cancelled. If it's cancelled before the club has spent a fortune getting ready and judges can still cancel flights, sure, refund it. But that is rarely the case. There is not one club on the planet that wants this to happen. Cancelling after closing generally means the club has already spend many thousands of dollars on a superintendent, the facility, grounds equipment, catering, judges and more. Many of those expenses are non-refundable. If you don't refund in full to the exhibitors, AKC still takes their cut. Then the superintendent charges $3 to write each refund check. So there's nearly $7 gone before you even start looking at expenses. A refund after expenses are paid would generally be less than $10. And refunding in full would bankrupt many clubs, which means no more shows. 

I was a show chair during COVID, and the state took our site about 10 days before the show. There was nothing we could do; we even appealed to the governor, with no success. We had a plan B we were working on, but per AKC we had to notify our exhibitors that the show was cancelled, and until plan B was approved, we couldn't talk about it. Exhibitors accused the club of knowing this and it was a scheme to steal their money, we were threatened with a class action suit, and one bright spark called me at 3 a.m. and said she'd like to "stick a knife in my throat." I can't even tell you how horrible it was.    

Then ... Plan B came to fruition. We moved the venue and date, entries were moved, some judges were changed, people could cancel and get a full refund, and entries were opened up so you could still enter. Suddenly, we went from scum of the earth to the heroes of the dog-show world. 

So my personal opinion on refunds is no. You enter and pray that there are no acts of God or pandemic to throw a wrench in your best-laid plans. And if the club has to cancel, be a decent human being about it. At the end of the day, it's one weekend that nobody, especially the host club, wanted to cancel.

Karen Drumm

Gasport, New York

Yes, I do think we should be reimbursed. I know things have been paid for or need to be, but the dog community is not rich. Much of the show community are baby boomers either living off Social Security, or retirement. The dog fancy is what keeps us alive, and as our small budgets get smaller and smaller, it makes it harder for us to continue. Although I know shows are rarely cancelled, it would be fair to reimburse exhibitors.

Joyce DeBraganca

Lake City, Florida

I do not think there can be a one-size-fits-all protocol for show cancellations since each show/situation is different: What is tolerated in one part of the country would result in a cancelled show, while in another part of the country the show would go on. Sometimes it's the show committee/club that cancels, and sometimes the owner of the venue or the town/county cancels. Just too many variables to put out a protocol for all.

And as far as refunds, I feel the clubs have incurred way more expenses than an individual that they cannot get refunded, so I think it's a risk all exhibitors take. Entries are down, and we need to support our clubs. And if you cannot afford a weekend worth of entry fees ... maybe you should put your funds to things more important. I think the crackdown should be on the persons making actual threats to show chairs and show committees for a refund if a show needs to be cancelled.

Margie Wilson

Racine, Wisconsin

I don’t think there should be any refund of an entry fee if a show is cancelled.  When an exhibitor enters, they agree that there will be no entry fees refunded if the show is cancelled due to acts beyond the control of the management.  This is the way it has always been.

Also, what many exhibitors don’t know, is that when a show is cancelled, the host club still has many expenses. The AKC still takes their recording fee and the superintendent keeps their fee because they have already done much of the work, so the club is left with only a small amount of money. If there are nonrefundable plane tickets for judges, or contracts with facilities or hotels, the club may have to pay that also.

Paul Clas

Hanover, Pennsylvania

There shouldn’t be any protocol for a refund. This is up to the clubs to decide. Our club attempted to do a refund when our shows were cancelled due to snow. After all the fees and refund costs, it would have been $5 an entry. There are so many fees a club has to pay even if the show is cancelled. The superintendent still needs to be paid for their time for processing entries. Some venues will still want to retain the deposit or entire rental amount. These are just two examples. The cost to refund the entry fees is expensive if using the superintendent. The best a club can do is offer a reduced entry fee at their next show. 

Sue Bauman 

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

I’m not only an exhibitor, but I also steward at several dog shows. Using safety first as a means to determine whether or not to cancel a dog show is prudent. I also feel that some kind of refund is appropriate, as it costs $30 to $40 per entry per dog, and in these trying times it’s a lot of money to lose. Exhibitors need to understand that the club has limits on finding another venue on such short notice. The entry fees also pay for the printing of the judging program and catalogs and AKC fees, but perhaps a percentage of what’s left can be refunded to the exhibitors. We all take a risk entering outdoor events, and Mother Nature is unpredictable. Even indoor events can be cancelled if roads aren’t safe to travel. The need to look at the big picture must happen instead of thinking of yourself.

Patti More

Ft. Myers, Florida

NO … Clubs are forced to cancel shows for a variety of reasons, including weather! Unless you are on a show committee or actively involved with a club, then you have no idea that even though the show was cancelled, the funds for superintendent fees, AKC fees, judges’ airline travel, ribbons and placement gifts are already spent. So a small amount of money remains. If that is refunded, then there is a service fee paid to the superintendent again, and an exhibitor may only see 20 percent or less back per entry. I truly believe it is more economical to reduce the following year fees for all exhibitors. 

Diana Smiley

Santa Rosa, California

I agree there should definitely be refunds for exhibitors’ entry fees. Why should the supers and clubs keep those thousands of dollars when they don't have to go there either?

I cannot verify it, but I have heard of one club saying there was going to be a show and accepted all the entries when they knew there was going to be no show and they kept the entries.

Patrick C. Byrne

Kansas City, Kansas

In a word, yes. There should be some sort of entry refund.

Mark Jaeger

Mason, Michigan

While having a protocol for cancellation would be great, I'm not sure what it would include. 

I recall having Tuxedo Park cancelled after a tornado hit Westchester County on a Thursday night. Westchester WAS held two days later at the same show site, so I have always questioned why there was a difference.

When COVID hit, the final two days of the Kentuckiana Cluster were cancelled because the governor closed all state facilities.

As president of an all-breed member club, I understand why refunds are not available. Our costs are virtually all incurred before the show starts. Issuing refunds (apart from how complex the mechanism for doing it might be) could put the club into financial peril. A club in financial peril may not be in a position to hold their show(s) the following year.

Kathleen Salvucci

Mohnton, Pennsylvania

Yes. There needs to be a protocol AND a refund.

Turns out the weekend was lovely. Saturday there was drizzle from 7:20 to 8:12 a.m. No rain Sunday.

Extended weather forecasts are often not reliable. The exhibitor has the option of attending or not.  

Karen Mull

Lititz, Pennsylvania

I think there should be some sort of refund to participants. If the club still has to pay for the rental space, then we should get maybe 50 percent back, but if they don’t we should get 85 percent back. I know it’s not the club’s fault for the cancellation, but why should the participants be the only ones absorbing all the cost? Also, I think the show superintendents should e-mail the participants that the show has been cancelled.

Barbara Robinson

Mobile, Alabama

I am president of the Mobile Kennel Club and show chair for the Gulf Coast Classic Dog Show held in Mobile, Alabama. 

We decided to cancel our shows in 2020 due to Covid-19. We did so to save money before the premium lists were printed. However, we are in a volatile and uncertain weather area. Case in point, 2021 Hurricane Ida. We were not physically involved, but Louisiana residents had no water, no gas and no electricity. Exhibitors entered, but could not attend. 

I think that different regions should have appropriate plans for their specific situations, especially where weather is an unexpected issue. 

There should be standard operating procedures in place and in the bylaws of the clubs to handle these unexpected situations regarding their shows and other events. 

Laura Libner

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Yes —there should be a set protocol for a show that is cancelled. 

And of course the entry fees should be refunded, the same way other things are refunded when there are acts of nature, etc., that cause events to be postponed or cancelled altogether.

Sylvia Arrowwood

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Nothing is for sure except death and taxes. No one can blame weather or other unforeseen conditions on any entity. Since the super does not have to travel and do the on-site entry work, that portion could be returned.  

Much would depend on if the entries had closed before or after cancellation.  The super deserves to be paid for functions performed prior to cancellation.

Reminder: Even indoor shows can and do cancel.

Nancy Edmunds

Bowman, Georgia

Yes, there should be a full refund of entry fees when a show is cancelled! Even concert tickets are refunded when cancelled. What makes dog shows not able to do the same? It is ridiculous for supers and clubs to hang on to entry fees.