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  1. #1
    Registered User Dogtra's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Cheers To Your Dog

    Cheers To Your Dog!
    Stories of Joy!

    In an effort to counterbalance some of the negativity against dogs being on the trail, please share your experiences of times when someone else's dog brought a smile to your face or brightened your day in some way. We are all aware that there are bad experiences involving dogs but I feel they are overstated and may be overshadowing the good. Thank you in advance to those of you that take the time to share.

    One of my best memories may surprise some of you because it is of a young dog with no visible speck of training and was getting into mischief. Surprised, no? Heh. Despite it all I still can't help but smile when I think back to it and I'll be forever grateful for it.

    It was a beautiful day. Yet I wasn't fully appreciative of that fact at the time, being well too caught up in my own thoughts. For those with regular jobs, you know how you tend to block out much of what is going on around you and fall in to a state of "auto-drive"? Well I suppose it isn't all that surprising that the same thing happened to me out on the Trail. Day in and day out, hiking and putting in the miles. Not always taking in the wonders around me because they had become commonplace. But one dog was able to shock me out of it for a long time.

    I was approaching another stile while crossing several farms and ranches. You couldn't really see into the next pasture except where the stile created a break within the tree line and undergrowth. As soon as I placed one foot on the first rung it happened. A large dog that I was somewhat familiar with ran across in front of me, along the fence line, followed no more than a second by a herd of 5-6 calves. I blinked and stepped off the rung.

    "Huh? What.... just happened?"

    A moment later the dog was running along the fence line again, this time heading back the way he came from. Sure enough - the herd of calves were hot on his tail. I broke down laughing at that moment. It wasn't something I had ever witnessed before and it brought me back into the moment. The adult cattle were flat out ignoring the spectacle. The third time the dog came running back along the fence he decided to quickly slip through the fence and hide behind me. Three of the calves stopped right at the stile to stare at us, almost challenging the dog to cross back in. I took pictures while laughing some more. A minute later the dog took off down a dirt road to my left to try and find another way to catch up with his new owner. I found out later that he did.

    It was unexpected but exactly what I needed.

    CHEERS to that dog!

  2. #2
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    While not as elaborate as your story dogtra, I will say: A recurring theme for me is, while hiking with my dogs over the years, no matter what the weather or how long the hike, at the end of the day when we are laying there before sleep, ole boy is always 'smiling' at me

  3. #3
    Registered User Dogtra's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by July View Post
    While not as elaborate as your story dogtra, I will say: A recurring theme for me is, while hiking with my dogs over the years, no matter what the weather or how long the hike, at the end of the day when we are laying there before sleep, ole boy is always 'smiling' at me
    Thank you, July. But you must have a good thing to say about someone else's dog, right? I'm afraid we have too much favoritism towards our own dogs.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogtra View Post
    Thank you, July. But you must have a good thing to say about someone else's dog, right? I'm afraid we have too much favoritism towards our own dogs.
    When you walk the woods with mans best friend....What???
    .

  5. #5
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    I shared camps with the Green Mountain Trio -- Tom and Sue and their dog Lincoln -- several times on my attempted thru. Lincoln was never a problem. He was a sweetie. Maybe I remember these two and their dog because they were the exception to the norm.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogtra View Post
    Thank you, July. But you must have a good thing to say about someone else's dog, right? I'm afraid we have too much favoritism towards our own dogs.
    You will recieve zero response from myself or Friends to dogtras Posts...

  7. #7
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    I must admit... would you care to join a Great Pyrenees and myself for a Dinner on

  8. #8
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    THE French Broad?

  9. #9
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    Still got Hommies in Blk Mtn.... Cycles on the ParkWay...81 MF...

  10. #10

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    I guess I'm in the minority. I enjoy encountering other people's dogs. But I'm not a thru hiker, and I rarely sleep in shelters.

    Once, on the AT, I saw a little female husky, off leash, carrying her own pack and perfectly trained; i.e., she came when called, and according to her humans, didn't chase animals, run away, or jump on other people. As a husky owner, I was astonished and asked how long it took to train the dog. Three years, they said. Locally, when I'm walking my dog, he is always pleased to see fellow huskies, and sometimes they break into a group howl.

  11. #11

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    I really enjoy meeting dogs on the trail. Next to my house here in California is a great fire road that leads through the redwood forest. The highlight of my walk is meeting and greeting the various dogs.

    a woman was walking a Shepard mix the other day. I asked to approach, and she said she was not sure as the dog was just being socialized.

    I got on one knee, and just waited. The dog was cautious, but slowly came over for a sniff. I offered my hand and was greeted with a lick. I could tell the dog wanted to be friendly... It was like he was actively trying to change. A moment later, I slowly moved and was able to pet the dog on the chest. He just melted into my hand.

    i looked up and the woman was crying. She said that was the first time she had seen the dog allow anyone else to touch him.

    when I walked away, I realized She was not the only one crying.
    Want a 'Hike Your Own Hike' sticker?... => send me a message <=


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  12. #12

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    One of the sweetest dogs I've ever had was a 5-year-old white husky from the pound. His previous owners abused him, I was told -- left him chained up all day, didn't feed him regularly, etc., etc. He was really smart, and he fit in with my family right from day 1.

  13. #13
    Registered User Grampie's Avatar
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    Fond memories: in 2001 I shared my thru hike with a wounderfull dog by the name of Marvin.Not so fond memories: While at the Partnership shelter someones dog peed on several hikers backpacks.
    Grampie-N->2001

  14. #14
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    I hope several people had the nerve to pee on his pack the next morning.
    There are a lot of good dogs out there, unfortunately there's more bad owners.

  15. #15
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    I don't have any specific interactions to share, but I do want to state that in all my years of backpacking, I've never had a negative encounter on the trail with anyone's dog. It always perks up my spirits to see a smiling doggy face joyfully enjoying the sights and smells of the outdoors.
    Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish.

  16. #16
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    I've encountered several hunting dogs while on the trail and every single experience was pleasant/acceptable. However, I do feel bad for the young lady who had a terrible experience recently.

  17. #17
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    I've told this story here before. One time that I was going up this lovely patch of trail:


    Climbing Out Of The Col by Mountain Visions, on Flickr

    there was a guy with a beagle coming down. While the guy was getting out the climbing harness for the dog, the dog gave him a "what are you doing that for?" look, and jumped down the mantel at the far end of the picture, scampered across that ledge, and then did the rest of the scramble down to the next patch of more-or-less level ground, neat as you please. He then stopped about 15 feet from me in a perfect "stand-stay," and stood there wagging his tail at me. The owner laughingly apologized for the dog's enthusiasm (while asking whether I was OK with dogs) just as I was asking for permission to approach his dog - who was a ferocious brute. When I approached he simultaneously tried to lick me to death and beat me to death with his tail!

    A beagle who can negotiate a scramble like that, and then be polite to hikers at the bottom (keep his distance until given permission to approach) is a wonder-dog in my book.

    (Incidentally, I chatted with the handler for a while. The dog was not allowed in shelters. Not because the handler didn't trust the dog to behave himself, but because the handler didn't want other people around the dog while the human was asleep.)
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

  18. #18
    Registered User polechar's Avatar
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    I was in NH on my sobo trip last year when I met a guy and one of the happiest little dog's I've ever met, at the time I was really bummed out because I got news from home that my cat of 15 years and a high school friend had passed. The guy told me that he was in Virginia when he spotted the little dog in the woods and he knew that he was in pretty bad shape and in need of a vet. So for about an hour he tried to get him so he could take him to a vet with no luck. He said he reluctantly gave up because the dog kept running away from him. He hiked on for three miles to the next shelter and started cooking his dinner, he had no idea but the dog followed him and with the enticement of food the dog approached him. He shared his dinner with him and then the dog slept next to him and he was able to get him to a vet the next day. From then on they were best friends and he hiked with the dog the rest of the trip.
    When I met this dog the first thing I noticed was how happy he was, I can see why, what a wonderful change of life he had. Just before we met that day on the trail I was wiping tears of sorrow, soon after our meeting, I was wiping tears of joy, his story (much better told by him) is one of the highlights of my trip.
    Long Trail 8/12, AT SOBO 2013, https://www.youtube.com/user/Polechar/videos

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by polechar View Post
    I was in NH on my sobo trip last year when I met a guy and one of the happiest little dog's I've ever met, at the time I was really bummed out because I got news from home that my cat of 15 years and a high school friend had passed. The guy told me that he was in Virginia when he spotted the little dog in the woods and he knew that he was in pretty bad shape and in need of a vet. So for about an hour he tried to get him so he could take him to a vet with no luck. He said he reluctantly gave up because the dog kept running away from him. He hiked on for three miles to the next shelter and started cooking his dinner, he had no idea but the dog followed him and with the enticement of food the dog approached him. He shared his dinner with him and then the dog slept next to him and he was able to get him to a vet the next day. From then on they were best friends and he hiked with the dog the rest of the trip.
    When I met this dog the first thing I noticed was how happy he was, I can see why, what a wonderful change of life he had. Just before we met that day on the trail I was wiping tears of sorrow, soon after our meeting, I was wiping tears of joy, his story (much better told by him) is one of the highlights of my trip.
    Great story..thx..enjoyed watching your videos...hope you and pups doin good...I just missed you outside Damascus last year...no better hiking partner than a dog....imo


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  20. #20
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    I once had the good fortune to meet this guy. He was quite the pooch.
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

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