asianflava wrote:emiller wrote: Owners always think there dogs are the best dogs in the world.
Doesn't this apply to parents and their kids also?
yep.
It also applies to people and their choice of music, and people and their choice of transportation...among other things.
I just spent six days in a gigantic state campground--no idea how many acres, but there are 250 electric sites, and 250+ non-electric sites. There were, at any given moment from Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon, over 4000 dogs, all of their people, all of those people's kids/spouses, the general public (from 8 a.m. to around 10 p.m.) and...well, you get the idea. It's like a small city that just happens to take up residence in this state park for six days every fall.
Didn't have a single kid issue--although dog show kids tend to be used to being treated as part of an enormous family, where any adult has parental authority. I am not shy about reminding kids that I'm a grownup and they're not, and if their parents aren't present to be the voice of reason, I will not hesitate to provide that voice.
Did have one 'music' issue...our neighbors, an otherwise wonderful couple, apparently only owned one CD--Reba McIntyre's Greatest Hits. Nice collection of songs, but one night they ran through it repeatedly for three hours. I was only moments away from offering them any choice they wanted from my own CD collection.
What was the most obnoxious issue all weekend?
One group of about fifteen campers brough their bikes (motorcycles). When I first saw them, I thought--oh, cool, they're going to bike along the lake or the wine trails. Noooo. This campground was part of the old Army depot long ago and far away, so there are lots of semi-paved trails that wind through the fields and trees. On the three nice days, this 'group' spent several hours roaring through the fields around the overflow camping area--and one busted out of the brush right in front of me as I was driving the back road down to my own campsite. I appreciate a fine bike as much as the next person, but this was neither the time nor place for that kind of riding. Apparently, they also spent a lot of time at their campsites tuning up the bikes--until the rangers drove through and told them that, just like generators, the song of a roaring motorcycle engine was not contributing to a happy camping experience for the rest of the world.
This was probably the kind of camping situation most folks would consider 'taking the dog thing a little too far.' Thing is, this campground is closed to camping by the non-dog public for this show circuit, and the Finger Lakes Region of the NYS Parks Association is a co-sponsor of the shows. They have made so much $$$ from this event that they've been able to upgrade all of the park's shower houses, the marina, the beach, the concession stand, the park roads, and add an extra 200 improved sites to land that wasn't being used. So the rest of the year, everyone who camps at Sampson State Park benefits from the six days when this park goes to the dogs. We do give back, at least in this area--and help make a better camping experience possible for everyone else for the rest of the year.
by MSG Hall » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:42 am 
