View Full Version : Dogs on Trail?
noblenoof
01-25-2006, 15:17
I have a very friendly black lab that will be 2 years old when my brother and I do our next section hike in North Carolina and Tennessee. We will not be in the Smokies on this section. I would like to bring her and he is against it. He thinks that she will hurt her paws on the rocks and may get injured in some other way. He is also worried that she will offend some hikers.
Please tell me your thoughts on this subject. I'd like to have informed feedback. If you have actually taken a dog on the trail with you, please relay your experiences pro and con. Thanks much! :welcome
Ive hear negative attitudes about dogs on the trail. It frankly annoys me! I hike w/ dogs all the time. The majority of people I meet like them and enjoy them. We dont stay in crowded shelters w/ others because we understand that not everybody loves dogs. Ive seen dogs that have hiked further than many people can handle, but you need to be super aware of there health as not to put them at risk. Check out Ruff Wear Bark n Boots, they are the best dog bootiesI have found.
Dogs have been around longer than us. Their natural habitat is outdoors. We sould respect there species and make room for em on the trail.
txulrich
01-25-2006, 16:03
I like most dogs. I was bitten by a german shepard once and don't care for them. That said, I wouldn't mind meeting a dog on the trail, IF it is well trained and not a mooch. How well have you trained your dog? Does he behave and obey your commands? If he will not come, sit or heal on command, don't bring him. Just my $.02 worth.
D'Artagnan
01-25-2006, 16:07
Please respect other AT'ers (I have no reason to believe you wouldn't anyway) and keep him/her on a leash. I hope you have a great time in my home state (NC) and that everyone makes your experience a positive one.
Navigator
01-25-2006, 18:49
As with anything there will always be negative encounters with dogs on the trail. This past summer a hiker ( I believe it was a thru)was attacked/bitten (snapped one of his leki's) by a rottweiler(sic) just north of sunfish pond . When the hiker approached the owner of the dog, the owner basically stated that it was not his problem so deal with it. The situation was reported at Mohican Outdoor center, but the dog and owner were well gone.
I guess the point is that dogs need to be under control when you encounter other people and other people with dogs on the trail.
I have a very friendly black lab that will be 2 years old when my brother and I do our next section hike in North Carolina and Tennessee. We will not be in the Smokies on this section. I would like to bring her and he is against it. He thinks that she will hurt her paws on the rocks and may get injured in some other way. He is also worried that she will offend some hikers.
Please tell me your thoughts on this subject. I'd like to have informed feedback. If you have actually taken a dog on the trail with you, please relay your experiences pro and con. Thanks much! :welcome
there is a whole thread you can read on this topic, complete with all it's opinions... it was/is a pretty warm subject... bottom line is that no one likes your dog as much as you do. some people tolerate their presence, others hate it. don't remember any non-dog-owners saying they wished everyone would bring a dog along...
Your dog would probably enjoy the hike! I'll be honest, I don't like to be approached by dogs on the trail (even friendly ones) when their owners are no where in sight but if you keep 'em close by I think it'll be fine.
KirkMcquest
01-31-2006, 17:44
If your dogs paw pads are not conditioned, this could be a problem. There is a spray you can purchase that will toughen the pads ( I can't remember the name). And booties might be an idea. You'd hate to have to get off the trail because of a bloody paw
....Your dog would probably enjoy the hike!......
Even if the dog can make it to Baxter SP from Springer, it won't have the pleasure of enjoying the summit on Katahdin. Dogs are not allowed on the AT in Baxter SP or GSMNP. Should be banned everywhere on the AT. Whats good for those areas should be good for the rest of the trail.
...Should be banned everywhere on the AT. Whats good for those areas should be good for the rest of the trail.
Says you. Others disagree. And why on earth would what's being good for SNP also be equally good for, say Connecticut. Let's reverse this... Fires are not allowed at all in CT. If it's good enough for the (lovely) state of CT, then they should be banned along the entire trail. Besides, fires kill people every year. They're dangerous. (good grief)
All that said, I've seen a lot of trail dogs that didn't enjoy it all that much. I've also seen a couple that did. Just depends on the dog. I am of the opinion (and it's just my opinion) that if it's not a trail trained dog, not only will you have a hard time, but so will the dog.
I have a very friendly black lab that will be 2 years old when my brother and I do our next section hike in North Carolina and Tennessee. We will not be in the Smokies on this section.
In this case, they're not hiking in Baxter or the Smokies.... IMO as long as the owner keeps the dog close by it shouldn't be a problem.
Even if the dog can make it to Baxter SP from Springer, it won't have the pleasure of enjoying the summit on Katahdin. Dogs are not allowed on the AT in Baxter SP or GSMNP. Should be banned everywhere on the AT. Whats good for those areas should be good for the rest of the trail.
simple fact.
72 miles of AT in the GSMNP
10 miles of AT in Baxter State Park
little over 2000 miles of AT not in GSMNP or Baxter State Park
majority rules!
smokymtnsteve
01-31-2006, 19:01
Even if the dog can make it to Baxter SP from Springer, it won't have the pleasure of enjoying the summit on Katahdin. Dogs are not allowed on the AT in Baxter SP or GSMNP. Should be banned everywhere on the AT. Whats good for those areas should be good for the rest of the trail.
what is good enough for the rest of the trail is good enough for Baxter and GSMPNP.
smokymtnsteve
01-31-2006, 19:06
mankind and canines have co-evolved,,,humans traveling in the wilderness with thier canines is a traditional way of life,,,natural,,
to be against wilderness travel with canines is to be against the natural order.
to be against the natural order is to be perverted,
what is good enough for the rest of the trail is good enough for Baxter and GSMPNP.
Then go ahead and take your dog into the GSMNP and Baxter SP. Maybe the dog will pay the fine for you.
mankind and canines have co-evolved,,,humans traveling in the wilderness with thier canines is a traditional way of life,,,natural,,
to be against wilderness travel with canines is to be against the natural order.
to be against the natural order is to be perverted,
I'm sure the GSMNP and Baxter SP Rangers hadn't thought about this. If I were you I'd explain this concept and maybe they'll change the rules and let the domisticated pet into an area teaming with wildlife just waiting to get parvo and other diseases from your pet.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/2002-06-07-dog-usat.htm
"............ dogs generate disease-causing bacteria that can make people sick. Studies done in the last few years put dogs third or fourth on the list of contributors to bacteria in contaminated waters. "Dogs are one of our usual suspects," says Valerie Harwood, a microbiologist at the University of South Florida. "At certain sites, we find their effect to be significant."
It doesn't take a Ph.D. to figure out that dog do is nasty. But it took science to determine how nasty it is.
From mutt to blue-blooded champion, all dogs harbor so-called coliform bacteria, which live in the gut. The group includes E. coli, a bacterium that can cause disease, and fecal coliform bacteria, which spread through feces. Dogs also carry salmonella and giardia. Environmental officials use measurements of some of these bacteria as barometers of how much fecal matter has contaminated a body of water........"
smokymtnsteve
02-01-2006, 01:39
Then go ahead and take your dog into the GSMNP and Baxter SP. Maybe the dog will pay the fine for you.
no problem I'm qualified to have and hike with a service animal....
smokymtnsteve
02-01-2006, 01:41
humans also carry giardia and e coli...
along with lions and tigers and bears.
wacocelt
02-01-2006, 01:49
Ridge, it sounds to me like you need to go down to the pound and get a job euthanizing strays. I've been bitten by a dog before and don't have anywhere near the extremely obnoxious attitude towards them that you do. Your monotonous raving about dogs is sickening.
Ridge, it sounds to me like you need to go down to the pound and get a job euthanizing strays. I've been bitten by a dog before and don't have anywhere near the extremely obnoxious attitude towards them that you do. Your monotonous raving about dogs is sickening.
Just read the scientific facts about how nasty dogs are and how much in denial their owners are. I have 2 dogs and neither will ever see a white blaze.