Dogs following you

[10-K]

Saw an interesting sign at the Devil's Fork Gap trailhead. It went something like this:

Hikers! Please don't let dogs follow you. These are people's pets! A little boy lost his dog because a hiker let it follow him to Sam's Gap and it got run over crossing the road.

Now maybe it's just me but I think that's a pretty unreasonable request with the obvious right answer being: Keep your dog at home.

Have you ever had a dog follow you? How did you handle it?

Finally... I volunteer with the local humane society and this year I brought 3 lost hounds and 1 dumped pig off the trail to the shelter.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Saw an interesting sign at the Devil's Fork Gap trailhead. It went something like this:

Hikers! Please don't let dogs follow you. These are people's pets! A little boy lost his dog because a hiker let it follow him to Sam's Gap and it got run over crossing the road.

Now maybe it's just me but I think that's a pretty unreasonable request with the obvious right answer being: Keep your dog under control.

Have you ever had a dog follow you? How did you handle it?

Finally... I volunteer with the local humane society and this year I brought 3 lost hounds and 1 dumped pig off the trail to the shelter.

Fixed that for you.

[MuddyWaters]

I dont let dogs follow me, i figure its not in their best intetest to do so.

[perrymk]

Sound Defense K9 Warning Device works on curious dogs. Dogs in groups or aggressive dogs may not be as deterred.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Sound Defense K9 Warning Device works on curious dogs. Dogs in groups or aggressive dogs may not be as deterred.

A standard disposable air horn (think the type you buy for a boat or sporting event) will probably work better and cost a lot less. I've seen one used to break up dog fights.

...then again I don't foresee hikers bothering to carry either.

[Mr. Bumpy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow8WCkWWPo8

[Thorfinn]

I also saw that and intended to write at the time. People in the country let their dogs run. Another part of that notice said the hiker put a rope on the dog and took in to Sam's Gap. It had rope burn. It got loose at Sam's Gap and was killed by a car. I am completely sympathetic with the locals. No hiker should haul a dog away. A couple of weeks later a hiker came into Uncle Johnny's hostel near Erwin with a hound that followed her. She was at a loss for what to do. My wife helped her. We had some experience with this as our dog was lost in VA the year before with, fortunately, a happy ending. The first thing she did was post on White Blaze. Within hours the dog was in a no-kill shelter and scheduled for transfer to a hound rescue place. Please do all you can to discourage a dog from following you - be aggressive. I could go on but am tired after a long day on the trail.

[Tipi Walter]

There are two main types of dogs that follow me in the woods---non-hunting strays and hunting dogs. The hunting dogs are by far the worse as they will jump into your tent, steal your food, claw your gear and stay with you for 3 or 4 days without interruption.


This poor fellow stayed with me for 9 full days before I took a turn in a trail and he did not follow. He was not a hunting dog and hooked up with me at a trailhead and by the time I realized what was happening I was too far to go back to where we started.


Hunting dogs are the worst as mentioned. What's amazing is that if a pet owner abandoned his dog in the forest he'd be cited for abuse, but if a hunter abandons his dogs and lets them run lose unsupervised for days on end nobody says anything. It's a grand southern tradition etc etc. And yes, they are abandoned when they hook up with me for 3 or 4 days. Where are the owners? No clue. Sitting in a truck eating donuts? Probably.

[10-K]

I also saw that and intended to write at the time. People in the country let their dogs run. Another part of that notice said the hiker put a rope on the dog and took in to Sam's Gap. It had rope burn. It got loose at Sam's Gap and was killed by a car. I am completely sympathetic with the locals. No hiker should haul a dog away. A couple of weeks later a hiker came into Uncle Johnny's hostel near Erwin with a hound that followed her. She was at a loss for what to do. My wife helped her. We had some experience with this as our dog was lost in VA the year before with, fortunately, a happy ending. The first thing she did was post on White Blaze. Within hours the dog was in a no-kill shelter and scheduled for transfer to a hound rescue place. Please do all you can to discourage a dog from following you - be aggressive. I could go on but am tired after a long day on the trail.

I'm the person who picked up the dog and took it to the shelter. That was one of the 3 hounds I referenced in my first post. I also brought a pig someone dumped on Unaka Mountain and it's on a farm rescue right now.

I did not see the part about the rope burn, etc.

[Spirit Walker]

Years ago I passed a group of hikers who had a dog trailing behind them. He followed me. At the top of the climb, I waited for the group to hand back their dog. They said it wasn't their dog, he had just followed them for a couple of miles. Fortunately, the dog had a tag, so when we reached a road, I flagged down a car and asked them to call the owner and return it. (No phones back then and I had gotten to the trail by bus.)

On the AT many years ago there was a dog that followed some hikers. When they contacted the owner he said, "Oh that dog just loves to hike. He always comes home."

I've returned several strayed dogs over the past few years. Some owners were grateful, some not so much.

[Tipi Walter]

Years ago I passed a group of hikers who had a dog trailing behind them. He followed me. At the top of the climb, I waited for the group to hand back their dog. They said it wasn't their dog, he had just followed them for a couple of miles.

I'm always relieved to find someone like you who will hike by and take stray mutts off my hands. All it takes is one innocent dayhiker or other backpacker and the abandoned dog gets new hope and leaves me to follow someone new. Yippee.

[Studlintsean]

There is a dog named Snoopy at the US 60 road road crossing in Buena Vista that is notorious for following hikers. I saw him last June at the Priest Shelter about 20 miles away (estimated distance) and then 2 days later at the road again.

I had a bear dog follow and stay a night with us in the GWNF in the Masanutten area a few years ago. We were able to get ahold of the owner who eventually came and got him.

December 2013 014.jpg

[Dogwood]

Please explain to me how I avoid having a dog follow me as a hiker without actually attempting to harm it when I've done all I could to shoo it away, not befriend it, send it back to its owner, or escape its company? I'm serious. Please no replies like, "avoid hiking while gnoshing beef jerky."

[Rain Man]

Interesting how anyone who lets their dog run wild and loose would stoop to blame the victim who has those dogs latch onto them. If dogs are judges of character, it seems the dogs have made their judgment about who is a good owner and who was a bad, neglectful owner.

We had a puppy follow us on a back road road walk on May 1st of this year on the Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky. Couldn't get rid of him. We stopped locals as they drove by. Every one said that was a place where people "dump" dogs to get rid of them. He had ticks, fleas, and mange. What he did not have was a collar nor was he "chipped."

Today he's a happy, smart, new member of our family back in Tennessee, getting adjusted to our two old dogs and two old cats. That's after three trips to the vet and counting.

Piss on people who let their dogs run wild and without ID, then whine if they get hit by cars, lost, ... or latch onto more caring humans.

[earlyriser26]

About 7 years ago I had a small dog follow me for over 10 miles. It was raining and about 40 degrees out. Our shuttle driver agreed to take the dog to a local shelter. My dog never goes out without me. Plus the dog that followed me had no collar.

[ChrisJackson]

Today he's a happy, smart, new member of our family...

:-) Good deal Rain Man! That was good of ya'll. Haven't had a dog follow me while hiking yet. Just a pup a couple of years ago while out walking down in south Georgia. Cute little guy. We knocked on doors but couldn't find the owner. That evening, as we were happily coming to the conclusion that we just got a new member of the family...the owners knocked on our door. Word got around. Bittersweet.

[ChefATLTCT]

In 2000 two beagles followed three hikers to a shelter in the same area, they played with the dogs and then went into their tent leaving the dogs to roam. That night it rained hard so I took one of them into my tent, the next morning the three hikers wanted nothing to do with these dogs. I took one and hiked carried it to sams gap, before the new road. Still raining I decided to hitch into Erwin, got a hotel room and called Sheriffs office. Later that evening a man showed up at hotel to claim his dog and all was well

[The Solemates]

I've been on both ends of this situation. I've always owned hounds, and right now have 3 of them. Most notably, a few years ago I brought home a walker after trying for weeks to get in touch with its owner (it did have a collar but followed me for days). It was a 4 hour drive from my house to my hiking location, but I decided to bring him home anyways. It jumped right in the truck with me. Like 2 months later I get a call and turns out the guy was on an oil rig off the coast of LA and couldn't exactly be reached easily. It was his teenage son's fault for losing his $10,000 dog (or so he said). I was glad to take another trip to return him, mainly because I hoped someone would do the same for me.

I guess I have a little different perspective than most who have so vehemently spoke out on this thread....so I will keep quiet. But suffice it to say I grew up with dogs roaming the woods and don't see it as a major issue as so many have opined. Then again....I think the original posted note is ridiculous. If an owner lets its dog wander a bit, it shouldn't expect it to not follow people.

http://amongnature.blogspot.com/2012...creatures.html

[Grampie]

While on my thru in 2001 I stopped at Maupin Field shelter for lunch. At the shelter was a Beagle about 6 months old. It was very friendly and I figured his owner would soon come along. After about a 1/2 hour I was ready to move along. The dog insisted on following me. All my efforts to have him not follow me were a failure.
I continued to my destination at Rusty's. Rusty had signs posted on his driveway that dog's were not welcome and when he saw the dog behind me he told me so. I assured him that it wasn't my dog and he had just followed me down from the road.
Rusty called someone from the NPS and they came and took the dog away. I hoped that it's owner had reported it missing and they would link them up.

[Seatbelt]

Please explain to me how I avoid having a dog follow me as a hiker without actually attempting to harm it when I've done all I could to shoo it away, not befriend it, send it back to its owner, or escape its company? I'm serious. Please no replies like, "avoid hiking while gnoshing beef jerky."

This is exactly what 1st came to my mind when reading the "request"