Board Game Arena

Is it written in the rules, that you won't participate at the competition, when you don't have a pet?
I could not find s. th. written like that (even so, it would make sense, but that's not the question).

If you still can participate, you can use the +2 position (bribery) and the +1/2 whip artefact.
For the artefact at least it is written, that you can have even +1/2 even when you would have 0 points.

The following is from the rules:

In a full-display exhibition, you can score reputation points even when you have no pets. It is possible to get a positive exhibition score using only the judging action or the Whip of Obedience. However, to score reputation points in a single-pet exhibition, you must have a pet.