Let me wade into this subject......and this is my viewpoint from a Park owners perspective. You ask as to why we charge for dogs?
Well, for a start on my Park we provide a large (1 acre) area of ground solely for dogs to exercise off lead. This area is fenced around, the grass is cut up to twice a week, and there are 2 "dog poop" bins provided, which we have to empty & dispose of regulary. We are planning on purchasing another 4 more dog poop bins for 2007 season to have dotted throughout the Park.
We also have approx. 3 miles of nature trails around the fields that can be used for excersing your pets, on a lead at all times as there are farm livestock on our 150 acres of farmland. We also hand out free of charge dog poop bags at Reception for anyone that asks.
I personally think that for £2 per dog per night is cheap........especially when in a typical year this is what we have to put up with with a small minority of dog owners : dog poop that has to be cleaned up by my staff, noise of dogs barking that upsets other holidaymakers (yes, some dogs are found left in the caravan for hours on end), dogs that have nipped people walking past, and on the odd occasion, finding either ducks that have been chewed...or even sheep that have been bitten or killed by Fido. Yes....I have seen it all.
Now before I get harrased by every dog lover in the world, I'd like to clearly state that I am a dog lover (as a family we had sheepdogs for over 30 years), and it is not the dogs but the people that "control" them that are the problem. As I say it is a small minority of dog owners that cause these problems.
Therefore in summary, we charge for dogs to cover the costs of the facilites that we provide....and any problems that can occur.
Happy caravanning,
John Brookshaw MD Plassey Leisure Park
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