A great deal of years ago we were using a very top handler. He was showing a special for us. At a specialty his cost was $150 to show a special and an extra $150 to go breed. We said whoa! the only thing you can win with a special is breed. We are not going to pay a bonus for winning the class you are hired to win. HE still showed our special. Every handler I ever used had a rate card and you knew exactly what you were getting into before you hired him (her) Some charged bonuses & others didn't. Some were really high on expenses while others were economical. The point being, if you know up front what the charges are, and you still want to use that handler, than so be it. If you thing the charges are outrageous, just use another handler. Sometimes you have room to negotiate. Putting it in prospective: Yes, handler charges are going up But lordy, so is everything. 5 years ago it cost me $125.00 to have a 1200 gal septic tank pumped out. Yesterday I called and make an appointment with my regular company and inquired about the price. I was quoted $350. O.K. So I called around. Other quotes were $550.00. Now folks, that is a huge increase over $125.00 Handlers have not gone up at near that rate. Cleaning you septic tank is a necessity. And after getting rid of all that S--t, maybe I can't afford a handler :) Carol Moore ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues ============================================================================