# Charge for Dogs!!!!!



## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

I was looking to see when Highlands End, Eype, Dorset opened and noticed that their charge for dogs is £3.20 per night 8O We have 2 so that is another site to cross off our list. 

Shame as it is so lovely

Think this level of charging is getting silly. Maybe it is to discourage the obnoxious owners who dont bother to pick up - another very emotive topic! But really it only penalises us good'uns


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Charging for dogs is a bit absurd. Apart from a drink of water and space for a walk what else do they use.
Charging is a way of keeping dogs out.

Dave p


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## SomersetSteve (Oct 4, 2011)

Have to agree with you both, there's no reason for charges at that level other than to discourage dog owners - or a bit of profiteering.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

One campsite that is fair is Bo Peep.
They charge dogs £2 per visit.
They have dedicated mown dog walking paths and supply poo bags.
Other sites please take note, and not the pi$$


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

SomersetSteve said:


> Have to agree with you both, there's no reason for charges at that level other than to discourage dog owners - or a bit of profiteering.


I would suggest the former.


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## tulsehillboys (Jul 22, 2010)

Mindless
Simply a tax on happy dog owners.


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

Pollydoodle said:


> I was looking to see when Highlands End, Eype, Dorset opened and noticed that their charge for dogs is £3.20 per night 8O We have 2 so that is another site to cross off our list.
> 
> Shame as it is so lovely
> 
> Think this level of charging is getting silly. Maybe it is to discourage the obnoxious owners who dont bother to pick up - another very emotive topic! But really it only penalises us good'uns


Perhaps the owners of the site no longer want to have dogs on their site, the £3.50 charge is there for any person that accepts the charge, at least it goes part way to dealing with the potential mess that they may cause.

If you don't like the charge, you have a choice


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## tulsehillboys (Jul 22, 2010)

Has someone with editing rights to this entry on the MHF database added this???
I for one wouldnt go!!!
We should vote with our feet (or van  )


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## bmb1uk (Jul 8, 2009)

ask them at reception what the dogs get for the money, and see their faces :lol:


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## Darloboy (Oct 27, 2010)

I know lots of people complain about the costs of Caravan Club and Camping and Caravan club membership and site fees but - neither charge for dogs nor for other things that some private sites do e.g additiional cars.


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## SomersetSteve (Oct 4, 2011)

No charge for dogs plus age concession means we tend to stick to CCC sites where we can.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I cannot see why they just dont say no dogs if they do not want them, rather than put a stupid charge for them that only upsets people. A straight yes or no to dogs, stop messing about.

cabby


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Don't mind paying if there is decent dog walking facilities on site for the early morning, late night walking

Often though there isn't and in those cases they should refuse dogs

Don't think £3.50 is justifiable 

Aldra


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

I agree it is a rip off,our favourite site in Cornwall now charges £5 per night per dog in peak season which is why we don't go there any more. 

It wont bother the site owners as they will always be full in July/August regardless of whether dog owners boycott the site or not.

Having 2 dogs it is ridiculous to be asked for an extra £10 per night over and above the already high fees.You could get in a lot of CL's and CS's for that sort of money. :x

Another point is why do a lot of sites charge more for dogs in peak season :? If they have to provide a dog walk and poo bags etc.. surely the costs to accommodate dogs on site should be the same all year round,or is it blatant profiteering. :roll: 

rant over


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## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

It's a free market and dog loving MHers can choose where to stay.

On one level I can see some benefit - the inevitable minority of selfish, irresponsible dog owners whose dogs are allowed to run loose and urinate on other campers' pitches and equipment could be put off altogether. 

Next, how about raising the charges for feral children who run riot in shower blocks ... :lol: 

SD


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

aldra said:


> Don't think £3.50 is justifiable
> 
> Aldra


It doesn't need to be justifiable ! its the owners decision to charge, it could be £100.00 per night, if they wanted.


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## eddievanbitz (May 1, 2005)

As a campsite owner, I see it from a different point of view.

If a site charges £3 for a dog but there overall basic cost is reasonable who cares? Surely it is the total that you pay that is the point.

Fine so we don't charge for dogs then we get the argument " Why do I have to pay the same as my mate? because he brought two dogs, or he tows a car, or he put up a big awning"

I think a reasonable base charge and add a little on to tailor the fee to the customers, so long as the end fee is still reasonable.

As for not providing anything, it is the poor dog owners that cause the problem for everyone else.

Dogs running around causing havoc, owners needing to to tracked down and told that there dog(s) have escaped :roll: Bollards and lights that have to be washed regularly as dogs cock their legs, holes dug in pitches that need to be repaired, so out of action for other guests for a time therefore costing us money.

The you have the people that think that because it is early no one will notice if they don't pick up the crap that their dogs have done, then the ensuing argument when you confront them and offer to show them the CCTV when they deny it :twisted: 

We don't actually run the site we have a great couple of wardens that do, and they're not paid to put up with aggression from inconsiderate owners. Last year one of the rallies here had a high number of dog owners, no problem there. Lyn (my wife) and I were working that weekend so we decided that we should wander over to the campsite and say hello to the organisers.

As we wandered around there was a van surrounded by dog crap, it was a hot sunny day and it stunk. Just then, One of the three dogs came out from the awning and did a big pile of number two in front of us. There was a gormless youth sat in a chair watching this, and us.

Lyn said "You need to pick that up and all this other mess" This was met with a vacant gaze and the reply "I don't know how to"!

Lyn supplied the lad with a handful of poo bags, and he simply refused to clear the mess. 

By a process of elimination, we tracked down his parents and told them that they had to clear up the mess straight away! This resulted into a right old argument as they didn't like being told what to do! 

In the the rally organiser was told that if the mess wasn't cleaned up the rally was cancelled and they could leave, so under peer pressure the couple picked up their dogs mess, and continued to do so throughout the weekend.

So it is not always plain sailing

Eddie


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## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

One answer is to cross the Channel to France - in our experience charges for dogs are easily avoided or just not taken even though they may be in the tariff.
But that raises another issue - the cost of dogs on the ferries. How can they charge extra £15 per dog when they're not even allowed out of the vehicle? And the Chunnel seems even worse - I was just looking at booking that and the site says they charge £30 PER DOG, one way - outrageous!
At least when you pay for a dog on a site the creature is allowed to walk around on a lead :roll: 

Alan


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## eddievanbitz (May 1, 2005)

alhod said:


> One answer is to cross the Channel to France - in our experience charges for dogs are easily avoided or just not taken even though they may be in the tariff.
> But that raises another issue - the cost of dogs on the ferries. How can they charge extra £15 per dog when they're not even allowed out of the vehicle? And the Chunnel seems even worse - I was just looking at booking that and the site says they charge £30 PER DOG, one way - outrageous!
> At least when you pay for a dog on a site the creature is allowed to walk around on a lead :roll:
> 
> Alan


Who does all the paperwork? Why should they do it for nothing?

Eddie


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Eddie,

I think that given a senerio of dogs fouling the site (or the dog area )and owners not clearing up after them the owners should be required to vacate the site immediately as surely that is an infringement of site rules

Obviously I have a dog but I do not want him or us walking through dog poo that other lazy owners have not bothered to clean up and this applies to dog walking areas too.

If sites accept dogs there should be an easily accessed area that owners can use with prominent dog bins and signs requesting owners to clean up.

For this I am happy to pay a reasonable charge

We take Shadow on long walks throughout the day , but last thing at night no one wants to make a long walk off site for a two minute night stop,some owners don't hence the fouling of sites under cover of darkness--thoughtless and irresponsible

Right that's my thoughts on the subject

Aldra


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## eddievanbitz (May 1, 2005)

aldra said:


> Eddie,
> 
> I think that given a senerio of dogs fouling the site (or the dog area )and owners not clearing up after them the owners should be required to vacate the site immediately as surely that is an infringement of site rules
> 
> ...


But there is the rub! Most people that don't pick up their dogs poo on site are narrow minded selfish pigs.

Arguing with them that they should, if only morally clean up their dogs mess is like banging you head against a brick wall. And sometimes leaves a bad taste in the mouth: theirs, when you run their noses in it :wink:

The point that I am making is that having dogs on a site, can cause trouble and additional work so I see charging people that want to bring dogs as fair. The same as people that want to being trailers or put up awings

I still maintain that the overall price is the important thing, not what is charged for individually

Eddie


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## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

eddievanbitz said:


> alhod said:
> 
> 
> > One answer is to cross the Channel to France - in our experience charges for dogs are easily avoided or just not taken even though they may be in the tariff.
> ...


Yes Eddie, I understand that and a reasonable charge is not resented. But the "paperwork" is already built into the booking system - the only additional work at the port is a simple scan of the identi chip and entering that number onto the existing record as one is checking in. My point is, how can it be £15 on one line and double that on another?

The wonders of a capitalist system which encourages exploitation of minorities by monopolies :wink:

Alan


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## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

aldra said:


> Eddie,
> 
> I think that given a senerio of dogs fouling the site (or the dog area )and owners not clearing up after them the owners should be required to vacate the site immediately as surely that is an infringement of site rules
> 
> ...


Any dog owner who does not take responsibility for clearing the mess left by their dog should, of course, be penalised for that. Likewise, as said elsehwhere earlier, owners of feral children should also be brought to account for the impact of their actions on others. For that matter, so should folk whose actions or activities might be having an undue impact on neighbouring pitches (loud noise, raucous laughter after, say 10.00pm, etc.)
It all comes down to showing some respect and consideration for our neighbours and minimising our impact on others. "Do as you would be done by" 

Alan


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## eddievanbitz (May 1, 2005)

alhod said:


> eddievanbitz said:
> 
> 
> > alhod said:
> ...


 :roll: Nothing to do with capitalism it takes longer! It is your choice to own a dog, it is your choice to take the dog.

It takes longer to book a vehicle in with a dog so they charge more for this, and the charges are clearly made up front before you book.

No doubt they have staff that don't like dogs, no doubt they have staff that are scared of dogs and no doubt they will have staff that are allergic to dogs these thing also have to be taken into consideration in the grand scheme of things

In the Summer we are going to a site on the river in the Ardeche and we are happy to be paying €5 for each of my two German Shepherds and and £30 per dog on the ferry.

The alternative is that we wouldn't be able to take them with us, which would spoil our holiday, cost us a lot more than that in kennel fee's and stress the dogs.

Whenever you start to question any cost you start to wonder how it is justified, whether the cost of Wine in a restaurant, the price of Lamb in the butcher or the charges of a plumber. Knowing the price of everything isn't to understand the value of a product or a service!

£45,000,000.00 for a Titian painting "saved for the Nation? How can they justify that !

Eddie


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## wug (May 19, 2011)

Aside from the charge, which if modest may be acceptable, there are 2 other issues coming out here. The behaviour of some campers and the response of site owners. Personally, I would rather see owners adopt a zero-tolerance attitude where people refuse to behave according to the rules. They should be asked to leave. Where issues are not tackled then the anti-social minority will continue to behave in that way.

For that reason, I would never, ever go to a large site in the high season. We camp wild or go to 5-van sites in remote parts of the country. I just don't want the hassle.

Finally, have you noticed how some people are scooping up their dog poo and then leaving the bag. Who do they think is going to clear it up? Before long we're all going to be submerged by a rising tide of litter.


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## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

eddievanbitz said:


> alhod said:
> 
> 
> > eddievanbitz said:
> ...


But he did give a special discount of £5 million, because he felt patriotic I suppose
:lol: :lol:

Alan


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## mearsy (Mar 7, 2011)

I like dogs but am amazed at all the "it is a minority of owners who allow dogs to foul"

Whenever we go for a walk we are forced to look at the path in view of the piles of poo which are invariably scattered at regular intervals.

Must be a big minority.......dog owners need to realise the damage this is doing across the board.....


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

"Dog walking" always amuses me!

I live semi rural in the UK. All houses have gardens, many very large yet every day all the dog keepers take their dogs out for "a walk" but in actual fact, all they're doing is taking their dogs off of their own property so they can defecate somewhere else - somewhere shared by the public.

"Somewhere else" comprises footpaths, farmland and recreation grounds.
I watch them go out and watch them return - so very few are carrying poo bags.

I once challenged a dog walker as to how they could justify "walking" their dog on a recreation field where children come to play sport and frequently end up on the ground - their response was that they only "walk" their dogs around the edge!!

What I've found puzzling, and now see as extreme arrogance, is why can't they get their dogs to defecate in their own gardens (or campsite pitches) - then it's up to them if they pick up or not? I wonder how they would feel if I came and defecated on their front lawn every morning!


I know it's not all dog keepers that are so inconsiderate but from where I sit, it's the majority who are guilty, not the minority.

I'm quiet happy to see dogs on campsites as long as I don't hear them, have them sniffing around my feet or have to step around piles of poo.

The charges made by site owners are indicative of the "inconvenience" they are to that site owner.

........ and please don't label me a dog hater, but rather a hater of arrogant dog keeprs.


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## redkite93 (Dec 29, 2010)

we have an assistance dog. they are trained to only go in the back garden and not on the lead as obviously the disabled owner may not be able to pick up. so when away he gets most confused. ends up in some very long walks.........


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## selstrom (May 23, 2005)

I agree it is not the dogs but the owners who create these problems.

Sites usually charge extra for kids.

Maybe the CC & C&CC should charging for dogs to cover the costs they incur in providing facilities for them.


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

tonyt said:


> "Dog walking" always amuses me!
> 
> I live semi rural in the UK. All houses have gardens, many very large yet every day all the dog keepers take their dogs out for "a walk" but in actual fact, all they're doing is taking their dogs off of their own property so they can defecate somewhere else - somewhere shared by the public.
> 
> ...


Tony - thats is a spot on observation mate. Exactly how I see things on my own patch, some down right disgusting I can tell you. :evil:

Steve


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## olley (May 1, 2005)

Campsites are business's, and the owners if the have any business acumen will always be looking for ways to maximise their profit. You have a choice, if you don't like the price don't go there.

Ian


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Of course by charging for dogs they could well be opening themselves up to the "I paid £5 for the dog so I am going to leave that pile of poo there for the site owner to clear up" type of owner!

I have surveyed the dog walkers around my home and while none of them object to picking up after their dog, most of them do not like to carry it around with them. More dog bins is the answer methinks. In Geneva they have bins everywhere and alongside them they have bag dispensers giving out free bags. Not a dog poop in sight.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I think that anyone who does not clear up should leave the site- immediately

I have a dog I also have grandchildren, maybe the signs should point out the potential danger to children of not clearing up

I have a drain direct to the sewer to clear dog waste in the garden and I get fed up of people walking their dogs on the grass verges next to the pavement- just where you step out of the car

Aldra


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

all this fuss about picking up!! I walk my dog daily and the number of little bundles of polythene wrapped phoo that we see discarded in the undergrowth or hanging from hedges etc is dissappointing.
Lets make sure that those who pickup also take home or put in a BIN.

Phoo left on the pavement etc while a nuisance will eventually breakdown and dissappear that wrapped in polythene will be there for a very long time!


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I've noticed that too lately

Most peculiar, but does seem to be a growing trend

Aldra


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