With more of us traveling around the countryside in our RVs with our pets as our constant companions, and others who have trained their pets to travel in tank bags, the question of whether we will allow pets on the rally site has been raised.

We are happy to announce that dogs will be allowed on-site at the 2005 BMW MOA International Rally. HOWEVER --- and this is a really important point --- pet owners must be responsible for their pets.

Because of the "rally venue" and the number of people at the rally, we will require pet owners to exercise thoughtful judgment in caring for their dogs. In addition to ordinary care, we request that:

• Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times and cleaned up after;
• Please keep your dog close to you and do not leave it unattended at anytime;
• Pets are not allowed in ANY of the buildings, including seminars, beer garden, and vendor buildings.
• Loud or barking dogs will not be tolerated.

Keep in mind that well intended people are capable of behaving in unknowingly threatening ways toward dogs, leading to trouble. In addition, dogs can threaten people just by innocently being dogs, again leading to trouble. Sadly, in both cases, the dogs come out as the guilty party as well as a legal liability for all.

Please remember that loud noises and large crowds can be very stressful for your pets. Information for a nearby kennel will be available for interested parties. And finally, if necessary, Rally Security has the right to ask pet owners to remove their pets from the rally site.

So, keep your dog close to you, well fed and watered, and enjoy the rally. Thank you for your cooperation.