# Banned dog breeds at Searles, Hunstanton



## Snelly

Just rung Searles at Hunstanton, apparently they have certain breeds of dog blacklisted, including my dopey dobermann. Anyone else heard of sites doing this?? ...and I was worried about them being able to accomodate my RV! :lol:


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## badger

How come if they are banned breeds............where are they banned from,.........are you in fact allowed to have them if they are banned.
Just seems a silly title BANNED BREEDS............... :? 

Not having a go Snelly, just inquisitive, I have a German Shepherd Cross.
and I wouldn't want him Banned............except from sitting on the upholstery during a muddy spell :evil:


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## LadyJ

Hi Shane

I think quite a few sites now ban certain breeds of dogs which is a pity.


Jacquie


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## 98452

Yupp I have heard of this.

Only wished the château de gandspette in France had adopted this policy with pit bull terriers as one them nearly tore the side of one of my Great Danes face off at midnight on a weekend. (try finding a french vet then :roll: we did but boy was the car me and me pooch smothered in claret) hopefully never again.

Cant believe a Doberman's on it though :roll: as they happily took my 2 GD's last year.


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## 96105

hi snelly dont know about the dog :? thing :roll: but they can get rvs in
i was parked next to one last october it was a bit wet and i was going the next day and a 32ft rv was moving in to my pitch :wink: 

ray


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## 91502

Hi
I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
A dog is what you make it.
JP


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## Snelly

JP said:


> Hi
> I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
> A dog is what you make it.
> JP


Well said, now ring up and tell them that....


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## 100626

JP said:


> Hi
> I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
> A dog is what you make it.
> JP


I fully agree. I was always of the impression that Staffordshire Bull Terriers were vicious, and quite honestly, I never liked them anyway, maybe because my step-son's one used to lift his leg all over our house.
My wife and I offered to foster one which had been badly treated, and used to run away every chance it got.
Never in my life have I been so wrong about a breed, as it is the softest, and most affectionate dog I have ever come across. I read recently that the powers that be are considering putting all Bull Terriers on the Dangerous dogs list. I think that as a direct result of the dangerous dogs act, there should be a dangerous and irresponsible owners act.

Bob


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## sallytrafic

dreamcatcher said:


> JP said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi
> I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
> A dog is what you make it.
> JP
> 
> 
> 
> I fully agree. I was always of the impression that Staffordshire Bull Terriers were vicious, and quite honestly, I never liked them anyway, maybe because my step-son's one used to lift his leg all over our house.
> My wife and I offered to foster one which had been badly treated, and used to run away every chance it got.
> Never in my life have I been so wrong about a breed, as it is the softest, and most affectionate dog I have ever come across. I read recently that the powers that be are considering putting all Bull Terriers on the Dangerous dogs list. I think that as a direct result of the dangerous dogs act, there should be a dangerous and irresponsible owners act.
> 
> Bob
Click to expand...

Well behaved and good at jigsaws 

Frank


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## annetony

JP said:


> Hi
> I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
> A dog is what you make it.
> JP


I agree also, my sons friend has a rottweiler, he brings it round to visit and its the most lovable softest dog ever, my jack russell/lancashire heeler cross plays with it, It is the owners that are to blame, we had a bloke walking his staffie past our gate, and as my dog barked (as they do) he stopped and was encouraging his dog to attack Rusty, :evil: Tony went out with a brush and told the owner how brave he was with his dog and invited him to come back later without it, needless to say he didn't, its people like him that give the breeds a bad name.
Anne


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## 96962

Well I'm neither a dog hater nor a dog lover, in fact I'm slightly ambivalent towards the beasts. We have in the past had dogs in the family and I suppose in the future we might have one again. I completely agree that a dog is what you make it and yes Staffordshire Bulls are extremely affectionate, they are also very powerful and 'can' be quite vicious to other dogs, I know I used to walk one.

What I'm wary of with dogs, especially powerful dogs is their potential to injure. When a dog approaches you or your children you don't know what the dog is like, a hailed shout from the owner of 'IT'S OK HE'S VERY FRIENDLY' as the dog is bouncing around knocking you over and nipping at you in excitement doesn't exactly do it for me and rather makes me angry that people suppose I'll like and tolerate their pets antics.

It used to happen a lot that I'd be worried by a dog when I was out running on the beach or moorland and there I used to tolerate it and stop until the owner had the dog under control, after all that kind of environment is where a lot of people let dogs off the lead which is fair enough. The only time I'd get a bit upset is when the owner was a bit lacksadasical in getting their pooch under control as it was yanking on various bits of my clothing and nipping at my arms and ankles.

On that basis of never knowing what a dog or owner is like I can quite understand why this campsite would ban certain breeds of dog just on the potential of what they could do, especially these days in light of people's willingness to sue, who knows it might even be a requirement of their insurance policy - We are all responsible by our behavior and actions for rules such as this


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## baldlygo

Must say I am a little apprehensive with regard to Dobermans. 

Our first black lab was too friendly with everyone. As a puppy he trotted out to greet a Doberman that was on a lead and being walked up our driveway which was also a right-of-way to a playing ground. The Doberman bit him across the head and left him with scars that lasted the rest of his 14 years. We later had problems with Paddy regards other dogs - he had very poor eyesight and did not seem to understand body language of other dogs - I often wondered whether this was due to his early encounter. 

Another Doberman I knew was very unpredictable - one minute he was lovely but then in an instant he could change to being fierce. He was very protective of the owners car and if he thought you were walking toward it he would turn nasty. I still find it hard to believe that the very the same dog (Barnes) went on to become "Best of Breed" at Crufts a few years later. 

Paul


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## Invicta

We have had dogs in the family for over 45 years. These have been Labradors and one Cocker Spaniel.

The current one, a chocolate Labrador named Coco, is the softest dog with children I have ever met. He lets my 4 year old grand daughter do absolutely anything to him including taking away his food though I certainly don't encourage her to do this.

He does look very threatening to those who don't know him being a very l-a-r-g-e dog, current weight 51.90 (he is permanently on a diet!). He particularly doesn't like men wearing hats however once they have taken them off (well they should shouldn't they?!) he will stop barking and let them in. 

Saying this I wouldn't trust him not to attack if anyone were to attack any members of the family, particularly my grand daughter.


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## annetony

In reply to baldlygo, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Dobermans, but its true that they are not all like that. My cousin split up with her husband and we looked after her Doberman alongside out King Charles for 7 weeks while she rehomed her, and we didn't have even a hint of anything untoward, and we had 3 children 1 of whom just over 2 years old, if I hadn't trusted the dog I wouldn't have looked after her, I still say its the owners, sorry to keep going on, getting carried away a bit there, :lol: 
Anne


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## 98452

I agree with most dogs are what you make of them and my 2 still run after deer's but have not got a clue why they are doing it cos if the deer stops they are amazed (we don't however want our dogs doing this but it does happen in Forrest)

I love kids coming up and stoking my Great Danes especially if they or their parent ask first, however a lot don't and if my dogs were to lean on them like most Danes do they would scream blue murder.

Plus if my dog are settled and we are enjoying our break away relaxing get sick of parent who send their kids over to stroke the dogs and hope they will stay over with us so they can get some peace and quiet.

I do however love well behaved kids and feel proud when they do show amazement at the sheer size of our hounds.


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## 101368

dreamcatcher said:


> JP said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi
> I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
> A dog is what you make it.
> JP
> 
> 
> 
> I fully agree. I was always of the impression that Staffordshire Bull Terriers were vicious, and quite honestly, I never liked them anyway, maybe because my step-son's one used to lift his leg all over our house.
> My wife and I offered to foster one which had been badly treated, and used to run away every chance it got.
> Never in my life have I been so wrong about a breed, as it is the softest, and most affectionate dog I have ever come across. I read recently that the powers that be are considering putting all Bull Terriers on the Dangerous dogs list. I think that as a direct result of the dangerous dogs act, there should be a dangerous and irresponsible owners act.
> 
> Bob
Click to expand...

My experience with Staffs is that they're wonderfully loyal and affectionate (if not too bright) towards humans it's other dogs that are the problem. Personally I like to see dogs about but I can under stand why site owners might get heartily sick of the extra hassle. It's not just dealing with the dogs it's the squabbling humans.


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## 88919

ive noticed there does seem to be more sites restricting the breeds of dogs that they will allow. 

We have kept a Dobermann in the past and he was the softest dog you could wish for however when we took him out amongst other dogs and people (i.e parks) we kept a muzzle on him. This was mainly to satisfy other people. I do believe that any dog can turn given the right conditions.


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## TinaGlenn

I fully agree that dogs are what the owners make them. Over the years our families have had many kinds of dogs including a doberman and a long haired german shepherd, all soft as butter.

We are currently owned by 4 dogs all rescues, a greyhound, a rottie x border collie, a border collie x spaniel and a wire haired JR, ages range from almost 17 years to 19 months  

We have friends that come to visit bringing their own dogs and even with "strange" dogs in our house they are well behaved and friendly. Yes they bark a lot when there is someone at the back gate or the front door but then that is one of the reasons we have them. But then with mad friends and the kids and their mates our house is a kind of open house for lots of people :roll: They get lots of practise at friendly  

We have been refused camping on some sites because of having 4 dogs :evil: but that is the camp sites loss not ours as we tend to camp all over the place and wild camp a fair bit too. Most sites charge for dogs even those without any facilities for them. Would hate to be refused due to a specific breed though. But would hate it even more if an unreliable dog were to hurt a child or another dog. 

I think it is an over reaction to the "dangerous" breeds list and the move to try to make some breeds wear muzzles in public places. But then camp sites do have kids running about and shouting, screaming and playing just the sort of noises and actions that can make dogs nervous and could make then jump or snap even if usually out of character  

Sorry for your dogs though Shane... by the way just a couple of miles out of Hunstanton on the road to Wells there is a very nice large layby with a little barrier of trees screening it from the road excellent for wild camping even in your new RV :wink: We have used it a couple of times when up there in the past even has a phone box!!!

Will be going up there Friday till Monday but might use a campsite this time, if we can find one 8O 

Tina


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## 106765

badger said:


> How come if they are banned breeds............where are they banned from,.........are you in fact allowed to have them if they are banned.
> Just seems a silly title BANNED BREEDS............... :?
> 
> Not having a go Snelly, just inquisitive, I have a German Shepherd Cross.
> and I wouldn't want him Banned............except from sitting on the upholstery during a muddy spell :evil:


my german shepherd cross was banned from searles hunstanton.later when i saw where the site was situated i thanked god he had been banned.


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## patp

A dog's character is formed in the very early weeks of its life. so a lot is down to the breeder (though try telling them that) and the rest is down to the new owner taking the trouble to socialise and habituate the puppy to the, very scary, world that dogs now inhabit.

I always say if I was Prime Minister I would insist that all breeders had to take their puppies back if, for any reason, they needed to be re-homed. That would stop most of them in their tracks!! It would also ensure that they were much more careful about the homes they let their puppies go to in the first place.

Whew! Feel better now.

Pat


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## GypsyRose

One cannot possibly generalise and say that a certain breed is/can be viscious which really makes me question the banning of certain breeds!
All dogs have a temperament that varies!! Come to that, so do owners!! 
A Yorkie can bite and snarl (not our sweet young ladies!!) :roll: whereas a Dobbie/Rottie whatever can smother you with kisses!


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## 101776

Yes a lot of sites now ban certain breeds, including GSD and dobies, which annoys the life out of me, as if kept under control they are no more liable to cause bother than my dopey dane.....

I can understand why these places like Searles are banning certain dogs, it seems to me to be more to do with the owners of the dogs...!! I live not too far from there and lets just say you get 'all types' on there, and the nicer people are usually to be found in the caravan/m/home section!

We often pop on there for the night, as it makes a good base when we want to walk the dog along the beaches etc;


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## andyangyh

Just a few comments from the other side of the "campsites banning dogs" discussion from a dog lover who also manages a campsite.

We've owned all sorts of dogs in the past - including a German Shepherd - and all have been nice natured. Several have been rescue dogs and we currently have a soppy spaniel. We welcome dogs on our site....HOWEVER......early this season we had a dog-owner with a Dobermann which decided to attack the tractor I was driving at the time. It ran the length of a field to do it and seeing it flying across the field snarling almost cured my constipation until I realised that it was aiming at the tyres. I also had a Yorkie on site that tried to take a lump out of my leg and a sheltie that wasn't too well disposed towards me either. The point being that any breed of dog can be vicious given the wrong upbringing but we can't screen each owner in advance. Being attacked by a vicious Yorkie is a nuisance - being attacked by a Rottwieler, Doberman or German Shepherd could result in serious damage.

There have been times this season when even I, a confirmed dog-lover, would cheerfully have banned all dogs from the site after having picked up yet another steaming heap left behind by a thoughtless owner (actually, the dogs leave the heaps but you know what I mean!)

Maybe the site in question has had one too many kids bitten and had been told by their insurance company that if they didn't take some steps to address the problem their Public Liability insurance would rise dramatically. You can't screen out the bad owners but you can avoid dogs with the greatest potential for causing damage.

It's an emotive issue but when you see, as I did this season, an owner watching happily as her dog deposited a large heap at the base of the slide in the children's play area (and we have no less that 3 official dog walks that she could have taken the dog to) you tend to become a little annoyed.

You get a little cross too when someone uses a shower cubicle to wash their mutt and leaves the shower clogged with mud and dog hair - not to mention the muddy paw-prints across the floor which they left on the way in.

99 percent of dogs (and their owners) are lovely. The other 1 percent are the ones that get the rest a bad name and drive people who run sites to ban certain breeds or, God forbid, all dogs.


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## spooky

andyangyh said:


> Just a few comments from the other side of the "campsites banning dogs" discussion from a dog lover who also manages a campsite.
> 
> There have been times this season when even I, a confirmed dog-lover, would cheerfully have banned all dogs from the site after having picked up yet another steaming heap left behind by a thoughtless owner (actually, the dogs leave the heaps but you know what I mean!)
> 
> It's an emotive issue but when you see, as I did this season, an owner watching happily as her dog deposited a large heap at the base of the slide in the children's play area (and we have no less that 3 official dog walks that she could have taken the dog to) you tend to become a little annoyed.


If these people were somehow named and shamed or even banned from sites maybe that could help, i know in Nowich where we stayed if they caught anybody not clearing up after their dog they were asked to leave, it gets my vote.
Malc


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## andyangyh

Oh we'd ban them without a second thought but all we usually see is the evidence left after them. The guy with the "tractor attacker" was told that if we found his dog off a lead again he would be leaving the site. The sheltie that tried to ventilate my trousers spent the rest of his time on site wearing a muzzle. A good example of responsible dog ownership - the dog was unsettled by its first trip away in the van and just guarding its property from an intruder. There was no need for anything heavy-handed.


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## 104705

It was reported that Billing Aquadrome in Northampton also has a dog ban policy. Not sure what breeds though!


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## littlenell

We got a motorhome due to difficulties in general trying to go away with dogs...now they are banning breeds?!!

We are pretty stuffed then having three dobermann's.


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## StAubyns

In Normandy some towns ban certain breeds.

We were in Courseulles sur Mer last year and there were signs on lamp posts listing breeds of dogs that were banned. I have regretted not taking a photo of the sign ever since we left.

But certainly staffies were on the list, along with rotties and dobermans


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## Spacerunner

Trouble is, dogs are unpredictable, no matter what the upbringing is. Given the right circumstances any dog can revert back to its prinitive instincts. My dog is the perfect example. He looks cute, pretty and friendly, and is usually, then something clicks in his animal brain and he changes to a barking snarling brute. (sorry again Lesley :roll: ).
Also given the fact that some breeds of dog are only in existance because someone wanted a hunter, killer, fighting dog etc its no wonder that some breeds put out a certain image.
So you choose the breed or type of dog that you want and then have to live with the consequences.


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## RichardnGill

We got a motorhome due to difficulties in general trying to go away with dogs...now they are banning breeds?!!

We are pretty stuffed then having three dobermann's.


> You should be ok on 99% of Caravan Club and Caravan & Camping Club sites with 3 dogs. No charge either.
> 
> Some private sites charge you up to £2 a dog, some only allow 1 well behaved dog etc.
> 
> Richard...


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## littlenell

Hopefully we will be down to one dog again soon, but no doubt with many tears on parting...

I am wondering what the decisions are based on. Just looking at the stats...they do not seem to add any weight.
http://www.dogbiteclaims.co.uk/compensation/dangerous-breeds.html


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## Penquin

As I see it, the dogs are generally well behaved when under the direct control of their owners, irrespective of size (dog not owner!), that owner KNOWS how that dog behaves in some, or many situations.

Dogs can be extremely placid and well behaved at all times, many of them are, even if provoked by children or other dogs.

BUT and it's a very big but, SOME dogs are not well trained or well behaved and can be very aggressive.

If you are being approached by a dog, you may have no clues about how that dog behaves and make a snap judgement based on your previous experience or knowledge of "look alike" dogs, whether real or seen on TV News or programmes.

That dog may cause considerable or even fatal injuries, we have all seen and heard of such instances. It probably won't but as it approaches you do not know.

Sites frequently attract children - whose attitude and response to dogs also varies; some are brilliant, others like to terrorise the dog until it responds in some way. Some may just be plain terrified of dogs of all types.

I can understand sites saying "No XYZ" types if their previous experience has shown these may cause troubles - the sites are primarily for the benefit of the people there, many of whom do not have dogs. Such a decision may well be difficult to justify but since they own or operate the site it is their decision.

I am OK with many dogs - we had border collies when I was a child and I love them, but my wife does not - partly due to our youngest child being bitten by a small dog when she was 8 for no reason that we could discern. Such an unprovoked attack does make one wary (it was a Jack Russell - a dog originally bred for hunting rabbits, I believe).

The Dangerous Dogs Act bans from ownership certain breeds with a poor track record, however it was produced in hurry and does have numerous anomalies associated with it's interpretation.

Sadly the people that make banning decisions in many areas do not always take notice even of reasoned explanations - pre-existing prejudice is difficult to overcome!


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## Caggsie

I have an ageing English Bull terrier, used to have two but lost one to cancer last year, and a collie cross. We have been asked, when booking, in the past what breed of dogs we have and as yet have not been refused.

My strategy, since they were little was to free run and socialise them and always always, keep A lookout for anyone in the vicinity. I'm hawk like! I put my dogs on a lead. Not because they are or have been nasty in their lives but because of peoples perception of the breed. If any loose dog approaches ours, we know that we are then covered legally. As it will always be the bully that is at fault. I am totally aware of the power of this breed. I will also purposely walk in a different direction if I see anyone in front or behind acting like a mad woman jumping, waving, playing etc to ensure they only have eyes for me and nothing else.


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## duxdeluxe

andyangyh said:


> I also had a Yorkie on site that tried to take a lump out of my leg


That's about as bad as a Yorkie trying to add something to your leg " ooooh sorry about that but he's very friendly......" :wink:

The only problem we had was when the Oafhound puppy (Husky/GSD/Rottie cross. 35 kilos of lovable clumsiness) beat me to the door and charged out across the site. Soon came back, thank goodness.

OK Dobermans are banned (shame - nice dogs, like rottweilers, better disciplined than most of the leg loving rats-on-string) but what about a doberman cross or a dog that looks a bit like one? Where do they draw the line?

They should look a the dog owners first, not the dogs - most big dog owners are highly responsible.

It'll never happen - it's just too easy to be arbitary


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## patp

Does it worry anyone that this and other bans (like beaches) are becoming more common?

The trouble is that most dog owners are nice people and will just take it lying down. Before we know where we are all our pets will be muzzled and on leads in public and we won't be able to gain access to camp sites, pubs, parks etc.

If you read Dogs Today they are campaigning hard to get the health problems of pedigree dogs sorted. They also have been campaigning for good breeders via their "Hairy Dogmother" directory. Here all the health problems of various breeds are published along with a character sketch of each breed. They will only take adverts from breeders who do not dock and who health test their dogs before breeding from them.

We the general dog owning public need to get active and encourage breeders to bring up their puppies properly and only sell to owners who will teach the puppy "bite inhibition" and carry on socialising. It would take a while but it could be done.

All puppies are blank sheets when they are born and it is up to the new owner to ensure that they learn bite inhibition while they still have their puppy teeth. This task alone will, if done properly, stop many dogs from actually biting when they feel fearful or threatened.

The next step is to socialise, socialise, socialise so that every dog gets on with others and loves all kinds of people.

I heard of a breeder of whippets who refused to sell her puppies until she had taught each one bite inhibition and socialised them with lots of different kinds of dogs ( they say about a hundred should do it while the puppy is under 14 weeks 8O ) and people of all ages, sizes, colours, abilities. I saw one of her puppies in its new home alongside a black labrador from a gundog breeder. The whippet was outgoing, calm and friendly whereas the black labrador had all sorts of issues with other dogs and some people. It turned out that the labrador was reared in a kennel environment devoid of human contact and only ever saw black labradors during its "critical" socialisation period! 

When I was growing up :roll: dogs roamed the streets as soon as they could walk and got themselves socialised. Now things have changed, and we isolote them during the "critical" socialisation period. We have to address the problem before some vote winning politition decides to bring in some draconian law that spoils dog owning for everyone.


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## peedee

Snelly said:


> Anyone else heard of sites doing this?? ...and I was worried about them being able to accomodate my RV! :lol:


Yes, >this one< doesn't take some breeds including Rotties.

peedee


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## littlenell

peedee said:


> Snelly said:
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone else heard of sites doing this?? ...and I was worried about them being able to accomodate my RV! :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, >this one< doesn't take some breeds including Rotties.
> 
> peedee
Click to expand...

According to the tariff page...
No Alsatians, Rotweillers, Dobermans, Bull Terriers or Ridge Backs.


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## patp

Will a German Shepherd Dog be ok then? :wink:


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## roamingsue

I was on a campsite a few weeks back and was told by some owners that there dog was a nervous individual that basically was a softie, so they kept it muzzled as a precaution. This thing was not nervous it was defending the territory and they had ZERO control. Very lovely people but completely had the 'rose tinted' with regards to their dog. Such is I am afriad the case with many dog owners.

By the way before you say I do not understand I grew up on a farm surrounded by dogs. My father loved dogs and took in quite a few strays. A couple with real problems and turned them around into really lovely dogs. He taught me to love dogs but not be sentimental. To pamper them ridiculously is to show them no respect.


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## PlanetGen

JP said:


> Hi
> I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
> A dog is what you make it.
> JP


I completely agree, grown up with big nasty killing German Sheperd's all my life and not one has been viscious!


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## TwoplusOne

I cannot understand why dogs are banned. It should be the owners. To those persons camping at Ferry Meadows this past week who allowed their white and tan long haired thing to bark incessantly throughout the day without lifting a finger to shut the pest up I hope we never have the misfortune of seeing you or your dogs on the same campsite ever again! 

But being tuggers I suppose they will never read this and will continue with their nuisance pollution until some "interfering" neighbour has the audacity to comlain to a warden!


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## 106559

JP said:


> Hi
> I think they have got it wrong, they shouldn't ban certain breeds just certain types of dog owner.
> A dog is what you make it.
> JP


 I know where you're coming from but can't agree 100%.
Had first Staff, lovely dog.No problems at all.
Then got English Bull, fine when I was there, very dangerous when I wasn't.
Then got 2nd Staff. Lovely dog, no problems at all.
All were brought up and treated the same way,(one dog at a time by the way) but one was potentially very dangerous.
Like children they have there own traits and personalities.


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