PDA

View Full Version : Funny Dog Stories from the Trail



Daddy Longlegs
07-21-2006, 12:16
Late last winter I was hiking a couple days around Standing Indian with my dog Blaze. She always walks a few steps in front of me and stops to sniff all the time. Well at one sniff she was going longer then normal when I realized that she was eating bear poop.:eek: She got a smack on her nose and we went on. Later that night in the tent I woke up with her coughing then throwing up all over my sleeping bag. It was nasty and smelly! I cleaned it up the best I could and then went back to sleep. About 30 minutes later she did it again and a little later again. By that time I did not have anything else to use to clean it up so I moved my pad and bag outside, tied her to a tree, and slept beside her. Once outside I guess it was out of her system and she did not throw up again. The nice thing was that the sky was very clear and it looked like you could touch the stars. I even saw a few shooting stars. By the next morning she was fine.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
07-21-2006, 13:10
While section hiking in 2004, we met a young couple from PA hiking with a large, black dog. The dog was very friendly, well-behaved and intelligent. As I was talking with them, I looked at the dog and asked if she was enjoying the hike. The animal nodded it heads yes! I couldn't believe it. I asked her if she wanted to go home and she nodded her head no! I wouldn't have believed this had I not seen it.

Blue Jay
07-21-2006, 22:16
Later that night in the tent I woke up with her coughing then throwing up all over my sleeping bag. It was nasty and smelly! I cleaned it up the best I could and then went back to sleep. About 30 minutes later she did it again and a little later again.

This is by far the best dog person story I've ever heard. Thank you so much.
Usually they throw up on some one else's sleeping bag.

ed bell
07-21-2006, 22:47
Usually they throw up on some one else's sleeping bag. My sleeping bag has been puke-free for over 15 years, no rocket science involved.:D

Ramble~On
07-21-2006, 22:53
Late last winter I was hiking a couple days around Standing Indian with my dog Blaze. She always walks a few steps in front of me and stops to sniff all the time. Well at one sniff she was going longer then normal when I realized that she was eating bear poop.:eek: She got a smack on her nose and we went on. Later that night in the tent I woke up with her coughing then throwing up all over my sleeping bag. It was nasty and smelly! I cleaned it up the best I could and then went back to sleep. About 30 minutes later she did it again and a little later again. By that time I did not have anything else to use to clean it up so I moved my pad and bag outside, tied her to a tree, and slept beside her. Once outside I guess it was out of her system and she did not throw up again. The nice thing was that the sky was very clear and it looked like you could touch the stars. I even saw a few shooting stars. By the next morning she was fine.

That's a great story!

Uncle Silly
07-22-2006, 03:00
My pup Katy hiked her first 20-mile day 6 days into the trail into Partnership Shelter in VA. We met a hiking couple there (Pip & Baumer) with a 9-month-old husky mix, Vedder, who Katy got along with swimmingly. The next morning I got up before they did, and discovered Katy and Vedder had bedded down in between the couple! Far too cute... now if only Katy hadn't taught Vedder the joys of the off-leash ramble...

Nightwalker
07-22-2006, 18:44
This is by far the best dog person story I've ever heard. Thank you so much.
Usually they throw up on some one else's sleeping bag.
So, BJ, have you been grouchy/unhappy/whatever your whole life?

berninbush
07-23-2006, 01:13
This wasn't on the Appalachian Trail, but another trail in Tennessee.

My dad has bad knees from an old college wrestling injury. We did a day hike on a mostly-uphill trail and he overdid it. He needed to come down slowly, so I hung back with him and his dog Sadie while the rest of the family went ahead. Sadie's a sweet dog but she's usually very shy of anyone not in our family, so we were very surprised when she disappeared for a minute and then returned with two other hikers.

They said she had done the Lassie routine.... gone up to them, then walked back and forth until they followed her. Apparently she was terribly worried about my dad and thought he needed more help. The other hikers came down with us to make sure he made it ok. Slightly embarrassing, but also very touching that she was so protective of him!

frieden
07-23-2006, 08:33
berninbush, that was a wonderful story. Thank you.

OT - I think the dogs know what is best for us, whether we admit it or not. Yesterday, Ed had been alerting on and off for about an hour. My boss came up to the register, and Ed started to alert like crazy. I knew I was having problems, but we only had an hour left, and I was trying to stick it out. My boss asked, "Is he alerting? Do you need to go home?" I said that I was fine, as long as I was sitting down (code for: I've only got an hour left....) Ed went towards her, and then alerted on me, and looked back at her. There was no mistake in what he was saying, and how strongly he was saying it. She just looked at Ed, and said "Good dog, Ed!"; looked at me, and said "Bye". He doesn't have the mental limitations of humans - for example, the thought of "if we don't work, we don't eat". <sigh>

Our funniest story, which was in the tent in the back yard, was on New Year's Eve. I thought it would be a great way to start the year. We got everything set up, and got in the tent. All of a sudden, fireworks started going off, and kids were yelling everywhere. I couldn't believe that I forgot about the fireworks! Well, we would just have to deal with it, until the noise died down. I thought I'd better run to the little girl's room one more time (I can't go outside, without being arrested), since we weren't sleeping anyway. I opened the tent door, and the smoke was so thick, I almost couldn't see the house. We coughed in and back, and got back into the safety of the tent. Ed curled up with me, because it was cold, and 2 seconds later was too hot. Noise, smoke, wet and cold - Ed got up, and looked at me like "Oh, this was smart! Nice going, Einstein!" We stuck it out, but I'll never forget that look.

Blue Jay
07-23-2006, 08:37
So, BJ, have you been grouchy/unhappy/whatever your whole life?

Nope, I just don't suffer fools too well.

Tamarack
09-17-2006, 05:18
I love to swim, and my Grandparents have a lake front cottage on Lake Huron. So this summer Peanut and I went to the cottage like we do every summer for a few days. Tent it like always (no dogs in the cottage) Little does Peanut know but I am a compotent swimmer and not all that bad with my snorkeling fins on. She on the other hand is not a good deep water swimmer and has to wear her lifejacket at the cottage. So anyway this summer she's started being a little more protective of me. I would go for a swim, once I got about 6 feet from the shore that was too far she'd come out and swim with me, and wouldnt leave me alone until I swam beside her to land. A few times I'd dive to some large rocks to look at the minnows and see what's down there. I'd come up for air a few seconds later and she'd be treading water, panicing, her head wet from trying to dive after me so she could "save mommy". Silly dog but I love her. she also tries to "save" the rocks that are in the water. I wonder if she's thinking they're live things and she saves them from thier watery deaths lol. she'll gingerly pick each one up and set it down gently with the other rocks on the beach, then go back into the water and get another rock to put gently on the beach. As much as I try to distract her from her endless chore. She'll go back to it after a while. Silly Silly dog.:cool:

Tamarack

trailale
10-02-2006, 13:11
I was walking with my dog on a frozen lake several years ago, and approached some ice fishermen to see how they were getting along. My dog (who couldn't contain himself..as you will see) ran up to one one of the guys' tipups and pissed on it. Then he ran as fast as he could to the next tipup and crapped on that one. I was so embarressed! Fortunately the guy fishing was also a dog owner and he took the incident in stride.

superman
12-29-2006, 08:10
One of the advantages of hiking with Winter is that she would give me about a five minute warning if someone was coming. She and I were camping alone as usual and it was time to get in the tent for the night. We got in the tent and were sitting side by side in my slick rock doorway and Winter was intent on the trail. I assumed that it was a hiker coming up the trail but then a huge buck deer just casually walked about 30 feet in front of the tent. Winter and I just sat still and watched. The deer walked to the tree line and disappeared. We just looked at each other and went to bed.
Incidently...Winter is not a game dog. She's been about nose to nose with skunk, porcupine, deer, bear and others. She doesn't bother them and they don't bother her.

stumpknocker
12-29-2006, 08:54
Originally Posted by Blue Jay
This is by far the best dog person story I've ever heard. Thank you so much.
Usually they throw up on some one else's sleeping bag.



So, BJ, have you been grouchy/unhappy/whatever your whole life?

Nah, Blue Jay is a good guy. I was at his house one time and he takes good care of a small bugger in his pasture....can't remember if it was a small horse or a donkey, but I do remember he was proud of it. :)

I have to say I was LOL at his response to that dog puke story. :D

As much as I love dogs, it's those kind of stories that keep me from having a dog now.

Miss Janet
12-30-2006, 14:46
Fabian was an impossible puppy. He was the little tyke in the litter that looked like a cute wind up toy. Note: Pick the cute puppy that looks like a little calm, quiet RUG! His mom had been a hiker rescued stray of various varieties... most likely bird dog and beagle... the best guess on the dad is Weimaraner. A month into a thruhike attempt and three weeks after getting thier new Trail Dog... named Wayah, the hikers struggled into Erwin with a "sick" dog. "She must have worms or something." I realized right away that the "worms" were due to be born at any time. A few days before Traildays 2001, Wayah presented us with six af the cutest pupies ever. She was attended by about a dozen hikers who turned my living room into a labor and delivery ward complete with quiet music and lowered lights!

Fabian never had a chance to be normal... his first name was Titanium Spork... Before he was six weeks old he had been influenced by well over 300 hikers.

After a difficult year of crate and leash training... six rescues from the local pound... three water hoses(don't ask)... twenty pairs of shoes.... puppy ritalin... this for Fabian and then therapy... this for me... we finally felt he was ready for his first AT hike. He slack packed with a small group in March of 2002 and seemed to like it. Over that season he went out several days each week to "slack" sections around Erwin, tn. He was a different dog in just a few short weeks. His behavior became tolerable and we started to think we might be able to keep him. He began to recognize trailheads from the van and very loudly start trying to convince you to take him with you! Then he started to recognize the daypacks used for slackpacking and he would start begging as packs were being prepared. He even learned to say "I love you!" in a valiant attempt to seduce the less dog friendly slack packers.

Now, almost five years later, he is a permanent fixture on my couch... he will actually share his couch with hikers if they are nice. He is a very common sight on the AT around here. We figure that he has gone well over 4,000 miles on the AT... all of it on the sections from between Devils Fork Gap and 19E! He is by far the most photographed dog on the AT! He is also the only dog I know that gets emails and Christmas cards!

As many of you can attest... this dog loves to take you hiking! He really takes his job seriously and will wait at double blazes for you and keep an eye on you all through the day. Fabian has had to show even experienced hikers the right direction to hike. He has been known to stay with an injured hiker for many slow hours. I really think that he could do most of these sections around Erwin all my himself!

Yeah, I am a little proud of the bucket head! Just don't say "HIKE" around him unless you are serious!

RiverWarriorPJ
12-30-2006, 15:00
..lol..good story....we're lookin forward 2 meeting him...

Jack Tarlin
12-30-2006, 15:04
Everyone thinks I hate dogs.

Miss Janet can tell you this ain't so.

I have more fun hiking with Fabian Hensley than I do with all but a handful of human partners.

Plus, Fabes never complains, doesn't talk politics, doesn't bring along any musical instruments, and has never bummed a cigarette.

Plus he likes my cooking.

I hope to be hiking the Roan Highlands with him in around 10 weeks, if Miss J. can spare him!