Bears and dogs

[ronniedee]

I have a 20 pound dog and a planned 2-nighter in Dupont State Forest in NC in early November. Will I be ok with my dog or should I put her up in a kennel before I go? I've had her out camping locally and she does great, but I'm not sure if she'd pose a risk in bear country this time of the year. She would be leashed 100% of the time and sleeps in the tent with me. I don't think I could depend on her to alert us to the presence of any wildlife, since she's almost a mute.

My preference is to learn to backpack with her since it's a joy to have her out in the woods and I want to avoid the expense and hassle of having to put her up everytime I decide to take a weekender. However, I don't want to cause any unnecessary risks or worry my backpacking buddies either. I'm still learning.

Any insight and advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[ronniedee]

Please scratch Dupont SF and insert Pisgah. Don't know why I typed Dupont.

I don't know how to edit my original post.

Thanks,

[dessertrat]

Bears will probably not come near if you have a dog, no matter what size. It's the smell. I would not, however, let the possibility of bears change your decision of whether to take her or not.

[Newb]

Any place that bears are hunted by men with dogs you will find that they are VERY shy of canines. If a bear smells a dog it probably won't want to come near enough to see how big Fido is...it will just move along. That being said, don't leave dog-food out overnight.

[superman]

I agree that bears usually will avoid dogs. They also tend to avoid people. It's the chance meeting that can get interesting. Winter hiked with me on many miles of many trails and even when we saw bear scat we saw no bears...except.

We could see something black on the left hand side up ahead. I thought it was a stump. As we got close to it it bolted from behind a small bush right in front of Winter (maybe 10'). When the bear cub was right in front of Winter her fur on her back stood up and she leaned forward. I said "stay" softly and Winter leaned back and she relaxed with the cub still in front of her. We just stood still. As the cub got across the trail I realized that the mother was to our right. About the time the cub got to it's mom I told Winter to "come." We slowly eased backward away from the bears. When I realized that the bears weren't following I resumed breathing.

When hiking and I thought I had bear company I'd sing "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." Unfortunately, that has been defined as cruel and unusual punishment.

[Gray Blazer]

100 bottles of bear on the wall? That is kinda insensative.

[RiverWarriorPJ]

..Yes.....take her..!!..it just wouldn't be the same..(wink)..

[SteveJ]

I almost always hike with a dog and with boys - and have never seen a bear on the trail....

[FatMan]

I have only seen a couple of bears while hiking with my dog. And each time I only saw their butts as they scampered away. But my dogs are smart enough not to chase them. Bears have no interest in dogs. But a pack of coyotes at night can be a concern.

[superman]

Like Winter used to say to me ...I don't have to run fast...I just have to run faster than you.
The good thing about having a small dog is it's easier to throw it to the bear if the bear gets too close.

[OldStormcrow]

If you keep your dog restrained, it shouldn't be a problem. Your dog is much more likely to run into a skunk than a bear, so put the bear/skunk bell on the dog's collar to give the critters a running start. I would heed FatMan's warning about coyotes, though. We are positively over-run with them around here. One of their favorite tricks is to have one bold young coyote run by and disappear into the brush as your dog chases it.....then all of he and all of his buddies jump on your dog and eat him/her.

[wrongway_08]

Take your dog, the bears (11 of them) never bothered mine and they sat within a few feet of each other. Even the mother bears that had cubs didnt care my dog was with me. Heck the bears with cubs didnt even get too bothered when I walked up to them to get good photos.

Bears dont care if your around, dog or no dog. Just go do your hike.