Dog show pet peeve...

I went to a dog show recently and arrived early because I knew that parking was going to be at a premium and I had two dogs to show in obedience that were going to show close together so I wanted to park close to the ring. I considered myself lucky to get a great parking spot and slid in. A woman (obviously a professional handler) comes out from behind her huge motor home and "asks" me to move, saying "I have a client coming and she'll want to park there." Uh...say what? I pointed out that this was public parking and I wanted to park there, too and I was there first. She then immediately says "Do you want me to go to the Committee?" I tried a few more times to point out tha parking is first come/first served but all she did was threaten "to go to the Committee." I finally told her to go ahead. She started to march off to tattle on me to "the Committee" and I took pity on the Committee and decided it wasn't worth bothering them about, so I moved my car.

Later, I saw some friends who were with the show giving club and discovered that this same woman had demanded that one of the Club members who was only working, not even showing, move her car so she could save space for her "client." (This woman was much nicer than I was and didn't make the handler threaten to "go to the Committee"). These folks confirmed that all parking was first come/first served and nobody should be saving parking places and said if she had come to "the Committee" they would have told her that. When I last saw the handler, she was dragging every available inanimate object out to the road (chairs, ex-pens, etc.) to save as many spaces as possible.

And what is with cones that sprout up in the parking areas of conformation shows when parking is tight? People stick out cones with their kennel name on them to reserve their parking spot for the following day during multi-day shows. (I sometimes move the cones, but I never park in the space after I do, because I figure they'll key my car or something). I have to say it seems to be mostly conformation, not performance, people who seem to think that their right to good parking is Manifest Destiny. I have even seen dog show people put cones in MOTEL parking lots to save their prime parking spot for after they come back from going out to dinner. What's with that?

What is so hard about the concept of first come/first served?

Cygnet, sorry I had to laugh when you said you move the cones but won't park there in case they key your car. So then some poor unsuspecting soul comes and parks in the now "coneless" spot and they get keyed and don't even know why??? I've not ever done dog shows so I can't relate to the parking issue other than just at the malls and such and even there it's a nightmare (I have been to a couple of shows though as a spectator). Good luck with your dogs and their showings.

Well, I have to admit that one of the reasons for posting this (after all, in the realm of world problems, saving parking spaces doesn't really cut it as a major one) is to let the cone putters know that the person in their parking space is probably innocent, and therefore doesn't, um, deserve retribution. Cone Movers work under cover of darkness and by stealth and maintain anonymity to avoid, uh, having to deal with rude people.

We are robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. Like Robin Hood.

Wow ~ I had heard dog shows were competetive but who knew it extended to parking :D ?

That woman sounds kind of snitty to me - oh heavens not the commitee :eek: - I think she was just trying trying to sound Hoity Toity - "look at me I am going to the commitee" the very important commitee - you better watch out, because once the commitee finds out what you did, there is no saying what will happen!:eek:

I like dog shows though hubby and I went to the one at the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford BC one year - I loved watching all the dogs - prance around the ring - not sure if thats the right word - but its neat to watch. :D