Split from THru-Hikers Q&A: Dogs in the Shelter?

[Tin Man]

It's the right thing to do... in your opinion. Thank you for that deep, insightful comment in which you somehow predicted my future behavior based on my opinion of dogs in shelters. And Tin Man, I'm sorry if "not getting it," in your opinion, is the same as simply having a different view, but I simply do not agree with you. I don't "not get it," I just disagree.

thank you for your insights. i will be sure to speak up when i come to a shelter, ask the dog owner to leave the non-dog owners alone and go camp elsewhere ... i will be sure to tell them it was your idea


then i will move down the trail, because i don't camp at shelters

[hellomolly]

HAHAHAHA!!!

I was going to let this one go but it is just too clear how ignorant some people can be of the situations they create.

Twice over the past 3 years I've approached shelters and found a "grou of people and a dog. In both cases it was clear that the people in the shelter liked the dog and might have been traveling with it and it's owner. I can only guess this was the case since someone (not the owner) was petting the dog. In both cases the dog was aggressive towards me as I approached and I didn't feel comfortable being near it.

There was no way for me to comfortably share the shelter with the animal and his companions even after saying something to have the animal removed. Any dog owner who doesn't acknowledge this is ignorant of their own footprint.

Your perfect little puff-ball might just be that. Or you might ignore the sort of common-sense training that keeps animals from killing babies, begging for food, or getting my stuff muddy.

But I don't know you and I don't know your animal.

I'm sure there are dog owners out there like that, because I've encountered them myself. Which is why I am absolutely not like that - because I think owners like that are obnoxious and give the rest of us a bad name. A friend of mine is like that and it's ridiculous and embarrassing and rude. Which is why I do not behave in that way. And when I say my dog is a total mushball who has never demonstrated an ounce of aggression in his life, I'm being honest.

[njordan2]

I have never had a problem with a dog in a shelter. They usually smell better than most of the hikers.

[Johnny Thunder]

I'm sure there are dog owners out there like that, because I've encountered them myself. Which is why I am absolutely not like that - because I think owners like that are obnoxious and give the rest of us a bad name. A friend of mine is like that and it's ridiculous and embarrassing and rude. Which is why I do not behave in that way. And when I say my dog is a total mushball who has never demonstrated an ounce of aggression in his life, I'm being honest.

That's fine. But I wouldn't want to sleep next to a stranger if I couldn't talk to him first. Oh wait...

Something to consider: There is that archetypal Female-Thru-Hiker-with-a-Large -Rescue-Dog that seem to show up by the dozens every year. After you've been around for a few seasons you'll know what I'm talking about. The thing about rescue animals is that most of them were abused by men.

So, your little angel who may or may not be a rescue is definitely a wild animal which may have aggression issues.

Again, I don't know you and I don't know your animal. You can tell me how great your mushball is but I don't know you.

[hellomolly]

That's fine. But I wouldn't want to sleep next to a stranger if I couldn't talk to him first. Oh wait...

Something to consider: There is that archetypal Female-Thru-Hiker-with-a-Large -Rescue-Dog that seem to show up by the dozens every year. After you've been around for a few seasons you'll know what I'm talking about. The thing about rescue animals is that most of them were abused by men.

So, your little angel who may or may not be a rescue is definitely a wild animal which may have aggression issues.

Again, I don't know you and I don't know your animal. You can tell me how great your mushball is but I don't know you.

Again... I agree with you that there are people like that. But my dog is also my boyfriend's dog, so I don't think he has men issues, lol. He has literally never met a human being he does not like. Young, old, big, little, male, female... all get the body-wiggling tail wag. And if that body-wiggling tail wag is unwelcome, the dog is kept away. And the dog is also always kept tied up away from the shelter while people are doing their food business and such, so he does not have the opportunity to beg or step on people's stuff or such.

I am more just frustrated that some people seem to take dog owners and lump them all in with the one or two or three owners they have met that are irresponsible. There are responsible dog owners out there, I swear! I am one.

[Lone Wolf]

you know nothing sport. lone wolf in person is one of the nicest, most helfpul people you could meet as described by just about everyone who has met him

ahhh. it don't matter. it's the dog thing. real hikers like Crumbsnatcher and his pup did the right thing. always. even though his dog was a mushball. he even carried her food and water.

[Tin Man]

ahhh. it don't matter. it's the dog thing. real hikers like Crumbsnatcher and his pup did the right thing. always. even though his dog was a mushball. he even carried her food and water.

yeah, i've heard about crumbsnatcher and his dog. isn't he hiking now? we were going to meet up if / when he came thru here.

[snaplok]

I again don't see what the problem is. A dog is an animal not a child, nor a sibling, nor a spouse. I have pets and love them too, however it's obnoxious to force them on someone in a shelter, and yes if you do have a problem with it speak up. No one hiking should rely on a shelter anyway. That's like saying you're an ultralight packing, then not taking a tarp, or food, or a stove, then expecting to "borrow" from someone. If you have a pet with you, then you and that pet should sleep outside. And no, not every pet owner is rude, but TONS of people do believe that their ***** doesn't stink and will infringe on other's rights easily but how dare you infringe on theirs.

[wcgornto]

If you and your dog arrive at a shelter full of boy scouts, should you only evict one boy scout to make room for yourself or should you evict two so that your dog can stay in the shelter with you?

[Panzer1]

If you and your dog arrive at a shelter full of boy scouts, should you only evict one boy scout to make room for yourself or should you evict two so that your dog can stay in the shelter with you?

LOL

Panzer

[snaplok]

If you and your dog arrive at a shelter full of boy scouts, should you only evict one boy scout to make room for yourself or should you evict two so that your dog can stay in the shelter with you?

You should "ask" if they mind that's the polite thing to do, even if you are forcing them to just agree. If they don't have the self-confidence or self-assuredness to speak up for themselves when they are put in a situation that makes them uncomfortable, that is their problem. Or something that someone said like that.

[ed bell]

If you and your dog arrive at a shelter full of boy scouts, should you only evict one boy scout to make room for yourself or should you evict two so that your dog can stay in the shelter with you?

Pretty sure this was written to add some welcomed levity here....

You should "ask" if they mind that's the polite thing to do, even if you are forcing them to just agree. If they don't have the self-confidence or self-assuredness to speak up for themselves when they are put in a situation that makes them uncomfortable, that is their problem. Or something that someone said like that.

Not exactly sure what you are saying there. The gist of it seems to be:

"You can do what you like, but go ahead and "ask" because it's the "polite" thing to do. Don't worry about pushback since most will agree with your request because they don't want to cause a possible confrontation. If that is indeed the case, then it's their own fault for not being self confident or self-assure enough to handle their unwillingness to disagree with you." Or maybe that isn't what you meant or something else someone said kind of like that....

[snaplok]

Pretty sure this was written to add some welcomed levity here....



Not exactly sure what you are saying there. The gist of it seems to be:

"You can do what you like, but go ahead and "ask" because it's the "polite" thing to do. Don't worry about pushback since most will agree with your request because they don't want to cause a possible confrontation. If that is indeed the case, then it's their own fault for not being self confident or self-assure enough to handle their unwillingness to disagree with you." Or maybe that isn't what you meant or something else someone said kind of like that....

Yep, I quoted Molly. And yes, that is the gist of what she's saying.

[hellomolly]

Yep, I quoted Molly. And yes, that is the gist of what she's saying.

No, it's not - just because you disagree with me doesn't mean you can just re-invent my opinion based on your own bias. And my comment was butchered to the point where that last post Ed bell made doesn't even make sense. Come up with your own opinions instead of hijacking and then misrepresenting mine.

[snaplok]

It's not an impossible position if you have the balls to say, "I'm sorry, but I'm uncomfortable with your dog in the shelter." Not my problem if you don't. Your assertion that it is rude to even ask is ridiculous. If I ask and everyone enthusiastically says, sure, no problem, then there's no problem. If you don't have the guts to say there is, that is YOUR problem, not mine.

"he's just looking out for your safety, but maybe you know better and should just go for it"

He's looking out for my safety by being a pompous, arrogant jerk who behaves as though he's written the be-all, end-all book on "hiking etiquette" and how to be a "woodsy type?" Please.

I'd rather spend a night ina shelter with a dog than with a psycho homeless dude who talks to himself and has been living out of the shelter for more than a week. But that's just me.

Again - if you don't have the self-confidence or self-assuredness to speak up for yourself when you're put in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, that is your problem. I don't ask if it's okay because I know that it's not - I ask because it's the polite thing to do. I'd strongly disagree with whatever ignorant statement someone made asserting that most people are uncomfortable with dogs in shelters. I've met people in shelters who are way dirtier, smellier and nastier than most dogs.

It's like any other situation - if someone is smoking pot or doing drugs ina shelter, you can ask them to stop or you can leave. If there is a psycho homeless dude in a shelter, you can ask them to leave or you can leave. If there is a pleasant, calm, quiet dog in a shelter than curls up on a blanket and passes out and does not bother a single person, and the owner asks you if it's okay if the dog sleeps there in the corner... you can either say no, i'm not okay with it, or you can leave. There's no law saying a dog can't be in a shelter.

So you didn't post this?

And how am I bias?

[snaplok]

Basically, you're forcing someone deal with your dog. If they have the balls to tell you to "take a hike" from the shelter because of it. Wouldn't it be more polite not to bring the dog in the shelter in the first place, instead of calling people out. And what if someone says no, I am not ok with it, will you huff and puff and keep the dog there anyway?

[hellomolly]

So you didn't post this?

And how am I bias?

Putting certain words in quotes as if i was being sarcastic or dishonest and then replacing words that I wrote with others that change the tone and meaning of my original post is what i was referring to, which is what Ed Bell did and you subsequently agreed with. I don't "ask" if people are okay with the dog. I ask, politely and without any sort of sense of bullying, and if they are not okay with it, it doesn't happen. Putting "ask" in quotes connotes sarcasm, etc. But of course, you knew that.

[hellomolly]

Basically, you're forcing someone deal with your dog. If they have the balls to tell you to "take a hike" from the shelter because of it. Wouldn't it be more polite not to bring the dog in the shelter in the first place, instead of calling people out. And what if someone says no, I am not ok with it, will you huff and puff and keep the dog there anyway?

i can't force anyone to do anything they don't want to do. i'm like... 5'3 and 120 pounds. just don't have it in me.

i don't "call people out." you act as though i storm into the shelter, let my dog crap and piss all over people's stuff, then loudly ask, "Uh, anyone gonna have a problem with this?!" while holding a freaking pistol to to their heads.

i walk to the shelter with the dog on a lead so he does not get into anyone's things. he stays away from the shelter while everyone makes food/settles in because i make him. in the course of the conversation i ask if it is okay if the dog sleeps in the shelter and that if anyone isn't, he can sleep outside because he has a pad and a blanket for just that. if people say its okay and there is enough room that i can sleep between him any everyone else, i put him in the corner of the shelter at my feet as far away from every else as is possible. he sleeps through the night. then in the morning he is taken out, first thing. i ask to keep him there because it's warmer for him and because he does not bark while in a shelter, while sometimes he has been known to bark at random woods noises while in a tent or outside a tent, and i feel bad when that happens because i don't want him disturbing anyone.

like i said... if you can't say that you are uncomfortable with something, regardless of the situation, that is something that is your own problem. if someone asks you to buy something in a store, do you buy it because you don't want to cause a confrontation? just say something. if the person is a jerk and rude and inconsiderate... then they're a jerk, lol. but to act like all dog owners are like what you described is simply ignorant.

[snaplok]

Putting certain words in quotes as if i was being sarcastic or dishonest and then replacing words that I wrote with others that change the tone and meaning of my original post is what i was referring to, which is what Ed Bell did and you subsequently agreed with. I don't "ask" if people are okay with the dog. I ask, politely and without any sort of sense of bullying, and if they are not okay with it, it doesn't happen. Putting "ask" in quotes connotes sarcasm, etc. But of course, you knew that.

I don't know about that, your phrases of if they have the balls, or guts doesn't exactly say bullying but it does take an in your face attitude. It's like saying I don't mean to be disrespectful but then the next thing said is really disrespectful, but because you said you didn't mean to, it's ok. Maybe I am a little bias being a native New Yorker where you get a lot of people trying to pull that same crap, however, as others have said here everyone who does that knows exactly what they are doing.

[hellomolly]

I don't know about that, your phrases of if they have the balls, or guts doesn't exactly say bullying but it does take an in your face attitude. It's like saying I don't mean to be disrespectful but then the next thing said is really disrespectful, but because you said you didn't mean to, it's ok. Maybe I am a little bias being a native New Yorker where you get a lot of people trying to pull that same crap, however, as others have said here everyone who does that knows exactly what they are doing.

Alright, I can see what you mean with this. I did not intend for it to come off that way and I don't have that sort of an attitude in a real life situation - here, I was pissed and it's the interwebs, lol.