Question of the Week

Paul Clas

Hanover, Pennsylvania

Absolutely not. By the time entries have closed, clubs have already made financial commitments to venues, judges and others. In a lot of cases, those commitments are non-refundable for any reason. And unless there’s an army of members willing to commit many hours to writing checks and stuffing envelopes, a club must pay the superintendent to send out refunds. In the end, the exhibitor gets less than half of their entry back, or the club loses money and could be discouraged from having future events.  

Cheryl Suckling

Fredericksburg, Texas

If a club makes a profit on a cancelled show, there should be at least a partial refund of the entry fee. I realize that there are deposits and ribbon costs, so that’s why I say partial. I always just wrote it off as a donation to the club, but some of the entry fees have crept up so high that just losing that money is hard for some people. 

Rebekah Rivera

Douglas, Wyoming

I never in my life imagined I’d be quoting Kourtney Kardashian to a dog-fancy magazine, but here we go: “Kim, there’s people that are dying.”
 

Jamie Clay

Orange Park, Florida

For disasters such as hurricanes, yes, the fees should be refunded if the shows are cancelled due to destruction.  

Tracy Van Niel

Columbus, Ohio

As a member of a club that holds two show weekends a year, I'm torn on this. When a show is cancelled due to weather, that means the club has already paid out numerous expenses or will have them to pay. Judges have already made travel arrangements for the show (airfare especially, depending on distance of travel). Deposits have been paid to venues. Depending on how food was going to be provided, that can already be paid as well … along with a myriad of other miscellaneous expenses already paid out in anticipation of the weekend.

As an exhibitor, it would be nice to receive at least a partial refund, but issuing a complete refund (minus processing fees, as you know the superintendent will still get paid) means the club holding shows is paying out all the committed expenses required even with a cancelled show, and will have nothing in the coffers to replace that money. That could mean the difference between being able to hold a show the following year or not, especially for a smaller club.

Sulie Greendale-Paveza 

Fort Pierce, Florida

Maybe not a full refund, as some expenses the club and the superintendent have put out are not fully refunded due to "act of God" clauses in the rental contracts for the show sites, but some refund from the entry fees sent in would be appreciated. 

Edy Dykstra-Blum

Ocala, Florida

It all depends on the situation. Clubs have expenses to pay: judges’ travel if they cannot cancel flights, etc.; AKC and super fees, if they are not waved, and facility rental, if not waived. In that case, NO refund given to exhibitors; after all, they all sign the entry form and the rules.

In case a club has NO expenses to pay, no judges’ travel expenses, all other fees waived, so the club has NO loss of money, it would be nice to refund the exhibitors.

Also ALL pre-grooming fees should be refunded regardless.

These last two cancellations had a major impact on people’s lives and property. Loss of life and property — compare that to loss of entry fees, which in my opinion is peanuts.

I lost entry fees and judging fees — no problem. I am alive and have a house intact.

Susan Kwiatkowski

Lebanon, New Jersey

If the show is cancelled because of weather, a prorated refund should be returned. Most clubs would have difficulty absorbing the cost they don’t get refunded. If the club gets refunded, then the full fee should be refunded.

Jamie Hubbard

Bloomington, Indiana

Absolutely not. Most of the clubs have to cover huge expenses when the event is cancelled. However, if a club does end up profiting from a cancelled show, I certainly hope they would use that money to re-invest in the following year's show by either lowering entries or offering more prizes.

Kris Harner

South Carolina

As a former show chair and cluster chair of a large cluster, there isn't a show committee or a club that wants to cancel a show. Most have poured hours of work into making their shows the best and are proud of the shows they have. Making the decision to cancel a show certainly isn't done easily; there is a great amount of thought that goes into the steps to make that decision. Besides the costs, the safety of the dogs, exhibitors and the local community is one of the most important parts of the decision. Can the show go on with safety measures in place for all? Safety is the main reasons a show is cancelled. Will the community to be able to support and safely have additional visitors to the area?

Once the decision is made to cancel, the clubs are still responsible for expenses. The venues now make sure they have in their contract no refunds in the event of a cancellation, on their part or the club’s. The superintendents still have staff to pay, so they have incurred expenses in setting up shows. Most often, hotel contracts made for judges also have prepayment and a clause that if you do not occupy a percentage of the rooms, you still are responsible for your proposed amount of usage. Then you have judge expenses that often can't get refunded, and the clubs are responsible for those costs. Clubs also have incidental expenses that have already occurred based on how close to the show the cancellation is done.  

While a club may want to refund entry fees, it often isn't possible to refund full amounts, and some clubs are barely surviving and may not have the funds to refund at all, as their expenses are equal to or more than the entries they get. Personally, I think in the event of a major disaster that affects many, we all have a part in the loss. We want our clubs to continue to offer shows for us to participate in; with clubs that are struggling, we should support and respect their inability to give a refund. At the same time, if a club has the ability, after expenses, to offer any amount of refund, I would like to see those clubs help their exhibitors. 

We all need to help each other when it comes to this type of situation.

Christine Chapman

Primos, Pennsylvania

While I would hesitate to say that there should be a refund for entry fees for a cancelled show, as someone who has exhibited dogs for more than 50 years and now as a retired (limited funds) person, I would love to see a partial refund as a gesture of goodwill toward exhibitors. I understand that a cancelled show does still have costs, but a partial refund would go a long way in public relations.

Patricia A. More

North Fort Myers, Florida

NO.

The show-giving club has already paid for the superintendent, the AKC fees, sometimes non-refundable facility fees, judges' airline expenses and ribbons/prizes, which include the show dates. The better suggestion is for the club to state they would reduce the show fees for the upcoming year by $XX, which would potentially be the amount of any refund, along with refunding any grooming fees, RV fees, etc. The administrative costs associated with providing a refund for each entry are quite high, so why not provide every upcoming-year entrant a lower fee?

Donna Manha

Fremont, California

I wouldn’t mind them keeping all or part of my entry fees, as I know they had expenses, but sure would love my RV overnight parking back.

Susan Bachtold

North Port, Florida

Yes! Especially in the event of natural disasters such as hurricanes! Agility trials are giving refunds — why not conformation?

The entries to the shows are getting small and smaller. People who can’t travel long distances will soon stop showing altogether. Can’t afford to throw away their money! Even a percentage of entry fees refunded would be a good start!

Sue Bauman

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Unfortunately, for all most times the monies needed from the entry fees are already spent. The superintendent must be paid as they set up the rings, they print the judging programs, and catalogs are printed and paid for. Plus rental costs for the venue are paid as well. If the judges are there, the travel costs will be paid.

Rita Figg 

Laurel, Florida

A number of years ago, our shows had to be cancelled due to a hurricane, and the facility we were using for the shows was a recovery base.  

We opted to take monies to only pay for the things we already had to pay for, and left the rest to be given back to the exhibitors — our judges were phenomenal as far as their expenses. I do not remember how much each entry got back, but at least it was something!

I will say, doing that was great PR for our clubs and shows!

Steven Herman

Wesley Chapel, Florida

The club and superintendent should share with exhibitors any funds over and above their actual expenses.

Nancy Bowman

Bowman, Georgia

A loud YES! Why does a superintendent deserve to keep those fees? They didn't do the hard work! Why keep them? Help out those people who could use a bit of money right now! It's only right.

Cathy Pronzini 

Danville, California

I think that clubs should issue refunds after they have covered the costs that had already been incurred. Even if the refund is only partial, it would show that the club appreciates its exhibitors and encourage entries in their next show.

Lesli Smith 

Fruitland, Idaho

The simple answer is no. It clearly states in each premium list about no refunds. While it is rough to lose the entry fees, should you get a refund because you had vehicle trouble and couldn’t get to the show? There are a lot of expenses that still need to be paid whether the show goes on or not. 

Eric Glofka

Tampa, Florida

In my opinion, the answer should be 100 percent yes if the club does not reschedule to another venue within the next couple months. There are other options. No venue is booked every weekend. Most clubs are canceling and letting a year go by. I understand that there are some upfront expenses that need to be paid, so at a minimum you should get back 50 percent, but if the club makes no attempt to reschedule or change venue, then that’s not acceptable. It’s laziness, and the club is taking all that money with not having to pay the overhead, which in my opinion is ripping off the exhibitors.

Clarence Gelwicks

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

No. There are too many expenses clubs pay ahead of the shows that aren't refundable, sometimes including down payments on venue rental, among other things. Many clubs would lose money and cease to exist, or be so financially hampered they couldn't have other events. We accept the no-refund policy every time we make an entry. It's in the fine print and it's up to the exhibitor to know these things.
I would like to see processing fees refunded on entries that had judge changes that occurred before closing dates, but that's a different discussion and involves the superintendent.

Denise Wilczewski

Wall Township, New Jersey

It should be optional for the person who entered. Due to the dire needs of kennel clubs, I would donate the money, but it needs to be a choice. Without kennel clubs, there will be no more shows. We already see the continued downward trend in entries. 

Joan C. Behrend

Hertford, North Carolina

Yes, I have said for years that we should get refunds for cancelled shows. But not from the clubs, who have to pay their bills whether or not the show goes on, but from AKC. 
Five cents in a refund kitty collected at each show would go far in covering the entry fees, even if a portion were refunded. Or have AKC collect the $3.50 from the superintendent and use that to refund the exhibitors. They have no expense of putting the results online.

Kari Pillsbury

Greer, South Carolina

I know some costs have already been incurred in setting up the shows, but I do think a partial refund might be nice. Many of us enter multiple dogs in multiple shows, whether it is conformation or obedience, and a cancellation could have a big impact financially.

We appreciate all those who set these shows up and enjoy them so much!

Sharyn Hutchens

Lexington, Virginia

No. The club is already underwater with the expenses of planning the show. Some clubs are right on the financial brink as it is and hoping the show will give them one more year to get back on their feet. It's unfortunate that exhibitors may lose money on entries, but I just think of it as one more expense of dog showing. Showing is one big gamble anyway! In the midst of a disaster, natural or otherwise, expecting a club to refund money is a bit narrow minded. Join a club and you'll understand! 

Michael Silva

Milford, New Jersey

Absolutely! I believe AKC should refund half the fee they take per entry. This should be enough to cover their administrative fees. Further, I think the club putting on the show should calculate their expenses, which should exclude judges’ fees and expenses (assuming judges have not travelled to the show), deduct that amount from what they received in total entries and determine a per-entry refund amount. Exhibitors should receive that per-entry amount for each class the dog was entered. 

Linda Whitney

Wesley Chapel, Florida

In my opinion, exhibitors should receive at least a 50 percent refund of entry fees.

Shawn Brown

Grass Valley, California

Tough one, as no two situations are alike; however, in this day and age, perhaps it's time clubs insist on a clause in the site contract for cancellations due to extreme weather. The judges can almost always use the flight credits, no stewards are paid in advance, and any trophies could be used the next time. There obviously is a cost from the supers, but it could be minimal depending on how close to the event the cancellation occurs. As a club member and exhibitor, I know there is a lot of work that happens before the day of show, and I also know firsthand the feeling of being cheated when nothing is refunded. I am hesitant to support a club that makes NO effort to refund at least a tiny portion.

Sylvia Arrowwood

Charleston, South Carolina

Some refund is due. What was being paid for was not received: an entry at the show. Of course, the clubs and supers had some expense. Perhaps the entry forms should state "enter at your own peril" or insurance could be obtained to cover a show cancellation, but that would necessitate an increase in entry fees, which are reaching the point of being absurd.

Anne Marie Kubacz

Jackson, New Jersey

Most dog-show premium lists have a statement regarding cancellation of the show due to weather or natural disaster. It is true that many people don't bother to read premium lists to get any information for the show, so they may be unaware of what they signed when they entered their dog!

There are many expenses for shows that are paid long before the dog show itself, including the contract to rent the building and contracts with judges who would have already purchased airline tickets and turned down other assignments in order to fulfill the dog show with which they have a contract.

Based on this, I do not believe that kennel clubs could survive being accountable for those expenses without having entry fees to pay them. Many clubs would just go bankrupt.

The decision to cancel a show is not taken lightly and sometimes it is completely out of the control of the show-giving club depending on the location and the designation of the surrounding areas in an emergency situation.

No one likes to be out money, but I support the clubs who keep the entry fees to offset the unavoidable expense they have incurred. If people truly can't afford to lose an entry fee, they probably need to reassess whether or not they should really be having the expense to enter a show and then travel to it.

Susan Fetter

Savannah, Georgia

I believe there should be at least a partial refund, as judges are often not paid if the event is cancelled before they leave for the event. Certainly if the venue is not accessible, that would not be any club expense. The AKC entry fees are for recording the awards, and if there is no event, there should not be a charge for this. I understand the cost of ribbons, but they can be used at another trial.

A club should not be able to make money for a trial that didn’t happen.

As a result of having a trial cancelled due to Hurricane Helene and losing my entry fees, I will be hesitant to enter a trial in a “hurricane zone” during hurricane season.