Any Recourse Against Those Exhibiting Ill Animals?

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MamaSheepdog

MamaSheepdog

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I have attended two shows recently where a particular person will have rabbits DQ'ed for snotty noses and matted paws in Show A, and will put them back on the table for Show B. This seems to be habitual behavior, as the same thing happened at a show I attended last year.

Entries clearly state that ill animals are not to be exhibited, yet when an animal is DQ'ed for health reasons it isn't marked in any way to prevent it from being shown again. What is the standard protocol here? Can this be reported to someone, and if so, what are the consequences?

Considering I have culled three does and one kit due to white snot since these shows, (Coincidence? You decide...), and have another that will probably suffer the same fate, I would like to be able to at least file a complaint against this person when it happens again.
 
So sorry to hear about your bunnies :(.

I would go directly to the host club with this. CC the ARBA, but the ARBA doesn't care. Are you a member of the club? Or of another club? Is the other person? I would calmly write down your observations, and concerns, and go to the secretary. I would also CC other clubs on this in the same area. Make it clear you don't think this is the clubs fault but an unfortunate oversight that you would like to help rectify in the future. Ask for it to be brought up at a future meeting, and then attend that meeting to raise the points. Ask for a policy of making sure rabbits exhibiting illness are removed from the grounds immediately to be implemented.

I remember seeing an occasional sick rabbit at shows, but I never saw someone showing the same one over and over.
 
Well, if there's no consequences, you could use my technique for stopping bad behavior in teens that the deans didn't act on: embarrass them publicly! Not in a way they can come back at YOU either; it's sort of like playing super nice but dumb. Yell, "oh dear LORD, what is wrong with your poor BABY?! HE'S ALL COVERED IN SNOT!!!! You should get him to a vet IMMEDIATELY before he DIES!!!!" in the middle of a big crowd at the show.
 
If someone yelled that at a show I was attending to buy some bunny's I would just turn and leave

you'd think people would be more responsible and not risk the heath of other peoples animals some people have a lot of $$$$ tied up in this to be thrown away by 1 or 2 irresponsible people

I hope you dont have to cull anymore of your animals because of this
 
dragonladyleanne":3aidjc27 said:
Well, if there's no consequences, you could use my technique for stopping bad behavior in teens that the deans didn't act on: embarrass them publicly! Not in a way they can come back at YOU either; it's sort of like playing super nice but dumb. Yell, "oh dear LORD, what is wrong with your poor BABY?! HE'S ALL COVERED IN SNOT!!!! You should get him to a vet IMMEDIATELY before he DIES!!!!" in the middle of a big crowd at the show.
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Nice thought, but also you have to remember some people, especially in Today's Society, don't embarrass easily. Also can pull the "super nice but dumb" act by saying, "Rabbit was OK when he/she got here, Must have started here.".

Where were the judges? Judge DQ'd a rabbit for snotty nose and paws, but didn't state this rabbit needed to leave immediately?" And then a Second Judge "DQ'd" same rabbit for same reason? As the "P" word should be very well known in the Rabbit World as a very contagious disease, shouldn't the Show Judges, who are supposed to know rabbits, also look out for other rabbits and their owners?

Where were the voices of outrage of the people checking in rabbits? Don't you have to check in rabbits, check ear tattoos?

Sorry about your rabbits MamaSheepDog. Hoping you don't loose any more. Unfortunately you have people that don't care and just looking for a "leg" or "trophy". Rabbit means nothing to them. Maybe more vigilance at the door could stop sick rabbits coming into the shows. And judges should definitely have the authority to show sick rabbits and their owners to the door.

Just my honest opinion.

Karen
 
I would go too the show superintendant he has authority too remove animals from the showroom.
 
That is terrible! People should know better then that. Sorry to hear about your does. That sort of thing really makes me concerned about showing..
 
It is the Show Superintendent's job to remove the animal. He needs to be made aware of that fact that there Are sick rabbits.and where they are in the show room.
Having said that... "diagnosing" sickness... is a Vet call... and there can be repercussions for doing that if one is not a vet.

When there are recurring issues with specific people showing sick animals... the best way to protect one's herd... is to refuse to put one's own rabbits on the table With theirs. A great many of us have at various times Scratched an entire entry because issues were not addressed. Loss of money...yes.... but way better than losing a whole herd.

Yet another suggestion... IF there is a show coming up... contact the Show Secretary ahead of time... and find out what their policy on sick animals being shown. Perhaps even find out if the "sicko exhibitor' is entered. One could then let the Secretary know that "our rabbits will not be at the show because of issues with that exhibitor"

And... there have been situations... where the 'sicko exhibitor' has a HUGE entry and the club does not want to ruffle feathers and lose his money.

Last fall there was an instance where sick rabbits were DQed. The Superintendent Made them remove the animals and watched to be certain they ( the animals) did not return. I could have cheered !!!

It is terribly disheartening to have that situation arise. Long ago i lost an entire line of animals because of a sicko exhibitor.
 
Thanks for the advice and support, everybody.

I am not a member of my local club, but plan to become one. The exhibitor is a member of one of the clubs that hosted the show, and is a major player in hosting the event. I do plan on contacting the clubs in the area as suggested, and knowing that I can also report ill animals to the Superintendent is great news.

ZRabbits":3kmko4to said:
Where were the voices of outrage of the people checking in rabbits? Don't you have to check in rabbits, check ear tattoos?
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When you "check in" you pay your entry fees and are given your entry forms. The ear numbers are checked once the animals are on the table being judged. At least that is how it has been at the few shows I have attended so far.

Random Rabbit":3kmko4to said:
Yet another suggestion... IF there is a show coming up... contact the Show Secretary ahead of time... and find out what their policy on sick animals being shown. Perhaps even find out if the "sicko exhibitor' is entered. One could then let the Secretary know that "our rabbits will not be at the show because of issues with that exhibitor"
Click to expand...

That is a good suggestion as well- even if he does attend as a day of show entry a member of the host club will know in advance.

Here is another question for you all- if I do find my rabbits on the table with this person's, can I request that our rabbits be separated by at least one coop? I did have a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol with me and sprayed down the coops before putting my rabbits in them to minimize the danger.
 
Friends of mine... ( actual Real friends i personally know) have been taking Clorox wipes to the shows, and wiping the rabbit's feet, quickly over the face, and across the back Immediately after judging. They believe that it has helped avoid some issues.

And... with a Day of Show entry... if one sees the sicko exhibitor... one Could let the Secretary know that "too bad... we were going to enter...but with so-and-so and their sick animals...guess not today" However there goes quite a bit of one's time and expense getting there....
 
the thing is... I had a young rabbit breeder get their rabbit kicked off the table for being ill...when it wasn't. And I've seen rabbits go past the judge where I could see snot (and I'm not that close) and didn't get kicked off. So it's a HUH?

Generally when I see rabbits kicked off the table for health concerns the judge washes hands and wipes down the area that the rabbit was in.

Nice to know that a person can inform the show secretary though. :)
 
RR, the wipes are a good idea. I could even dampen a paper towel with alcohol and wipe them down with that.

ladysown":2n3nw6v5 said:
Generally when I see rabbits kicked off the table for health concerns the judge washes hands and wipes down the area that the rabbit was in.
Click to expand...

The judge that kicked them off in Show A had hand sanitizing gel and used that before touching another rabbit. I think they cleaned the rabbits noses up for Show B because only one was DQ'ed for snot.
 
Most show catalogs I've seen have a statement that no ill animal are to be allowed in the showroom and if they are, the show superintendent will request they be removed from the premises. If they're in the showroom I would think you could request the superintendent to approach the breeder for resolution.
 
This kind of stuff happens at dog shows-- and the AKC regulations for dog shows state that no unentered dogs are to be on the premises, as well as no bitches in whelp, etc-- all that flys out the window... I should think it is the exhibitors with HEALTHY animals should band together at each show-Especially since so many entries are made on the day of show.
 
I would be too ashamed to bring a sick rabbit to a show, let alone show it again after it was DQ'd for being sick. That's the thing with rabbit shows.. rabbits are exposed to a lot. We took our rabbits to a show one time and not long after coming home several of them came down with Weepy Eye. Thanks for the tips with sanitation. That is a must.
 
What a situation, MSD!

You mentioned that this person assists with putting on the show too if I read correctly. You may meet resistance too then at having anyone do much about it.

When we showed, there was an exhibitor that always had a couple rabbits with snotty noses. And at one memorable show, she was laughing nervously because a doe was giving birth in her show cage. :( Nobody made her leave, and later she still showed that rabbit. When we brought up our concerns, the secretary informed us that if we wanted to have a show next year, we'd have to put up with it because the exhibitor in question was the only leader in our county (4H Rabbit Leader) and no one else had stepped up in the years that this secretary had been there (far longer than we'd been involved)

At a 4H show, this same exhibitor won 1st place with a rabbit that was missing an ear and a tail.
Thankfully, most 4H shows are not this bad, but that county was truly awful.

As one post mentioned, maybe if you can make gentle inquiries with club members to test waters and see who/if else is unhappy with this other exhibitor? If more than one person is behind the push to enforce rules, maybe they'll do the right thing here.

Hoping so!
 
It is quite a problem, since there are so few Rex exhibitors here. It is usually myself and two others. I may have to head West or North to avoid the exhibitor.

I forgot to mention that when I was showing my Beveren, the judge found evidence of fur mites on my new doe :oops: and another couple of rabbits. One was DQ'ed because it had scabs, but not the others, including mine. So in addition to wiping the rabbits down with some type of disinfectant, it would be a good idea to apply some Diatomaceous Earth to any rabbits shown once you get them home.

Additionally, if you are clerking and an animal is DQ'ed you need to write the reason for the DQ on the animal's entry ticket. This way it will still be counted as an entry. Otherwise, if the class is small- as mine was with only five rabbits- you will not be eligible for a leg.
 

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