PCT Thru with dog.

[Mags]

Section hiking with a dog, and cherry picking the places and seasons would work better regarding logistics and your dog’s health. Go to the desert when it is cool. Hike the national park units on your own and not have to worry about shuttling and kenneling options. Etc.

Also seehttp://www.pcta.org/discover-the-tra...y-basics/dogs/

[Wooobie]

Thank you for posting Traumas blog. I will deff look into that.

I was not aware that a dog could weather a snake bite. Murphy has seen plenty of snakes and wildlife in generall. Never rattlesnakes or anything venomous. Im deff going to have her on leash through the entire desert.

[Wooobie]

Thank you Mags but we will be attempting a Thru.

[Kookork]

Thank you Mags but we will be attempting a Thru.

Would it be easy for you to post a better photo of your dog here. I like to see her better.

[Mags]

Thank you Mags but we will be attempting a Thru.

That's what I am saying. IF you want to hike with your dog, a section hike is probably better. Or flip-flop over a year's time and cherry pick the sections that way.

Do you want to hike with your dog primarily? Or say you thru-hiked with your dog?

Neither option is bad, but a straight thru-hike with a dog on the PCT is difficult for logistic, weather, terrain, and other reasons.

Flipping around and cherry picking is far easier. And you still get to hike the PCT. If the community and social aspect of a thru-hike is important to you, obviously not the best choice. But flipping around may be a better choice for your dog.

[Wooobie]

The only thing im concerned about is wildlife (snakes) and terrain. i will obviously be boarding her through some of the parks that dont allow dogs, if i find some terrain to be too much for her i will board her. Not wanting to flip flop all around is mainly just me being lazy.

[Kookork]

That's what I am saying. IF you want to hike with your dog, a section hike is probably better. Or flip-flop over a year's time and cherry pick the sections that way.

Do you want to hike with your dog primarily? Or say you thru-hiked with your dog?

Neither option is bad, but a straight thru-hike with a dog on the PCT is difficult for logistic, weather, terrain, and other reasons.

Flipping around and cherry picking is far easier. And you still get to hike the PCT. If the community and social aspect of a thru-hike is important to you, obviously not the best choice. But flipping around may be a better choice for your dog.

From 5 years being a member of WB,I found out that thru hikers with a dog are mostly two different groups.One comes and says : Is it possible to thru hike whatever trail with my dog? They are mostly open to discussion and listen to what other people say and some of them change their mind. The second group say: I am thru hiking with my dog , what do you think about it? This group mostly won't change their mind no matter what other say.

Ps: I have been in later group last year but this year I will have a fighting chance because I am not taking my dog to PCT ( Traillium who is a member here in WB and my hiking mate last year on Bruce trail) is kind and generous enough to take care of my dog while I give PCT thru a shot for this year. Thank you Traillium and family.

[Wooobie]

Im banking on Murphys 100% success rate. If she gets injured or is suffering i will promptly fly her back to Texas.

[Dogwood]

Not wanting to flip flop all around is mainly just me being lazy.

Mags said section hike cherry picked for you and your dog's ease. This particularly should be a considered scenario he gave you since you said "just me being lazy"(you can be lazy). As you know thru-hiking is not a lazy person's activity. As you also know being a thru-hiker accompanied with a thru dog on the AT is definitely not a lazy person's activity. Being a thru-hiker with a thru dog on the PCT raises the stakes in my estimation for increased hassle by 1/3 to 1/2 that of thru-hiking the AT with a thru-dog. What's been given is to possibly make you more aware. Plan appropriately with what's been offered. Several here offering advice are very experienced knowledgeably plugged into the PCT trail scene Not necessarily saying don't do it.

[Dogwood]

How is it negative to point out the issues and difficulties of taking a dog on a long distance hike? That's being realistic. From what I'm reading here, the challenges of a taking a dog on a PCT thru are even more significant then for the AT.

This....+1

[Wooobie]

the negativity surrounding Dogs on trail has nothing to do with the realities of it. Its simply people being mean, i would encourage you to goto the dog forum and click on any post. but im sure you both already know that.

[Wooobie]

The reason to flip flop around would be to avoid extreme temperatures. unless im just wrong.

I would do that if i thought the temperatures were extreme. im pretty experienced in so cal and lived right outside of joshua tree for 2 years. also dont intend on hiking during peak sun, because its the exposure to the sun that really gets you.

[gwschenk]

The wife and I have done some backpacking with the dog. It's a hassle, but you're aware of all that. She's big enough that she can carry some of her own water. The dog drinks as much water as I do. That's one thing you'll have to consider. One thing we learned was that in the national forests, at least in the Sierra, you need to bury your dogs waste as well as your own.

[Water Rat]

It didn't occur to me to post this yesterday, but they do make a rattlesnake vaccine for dogs. I ended up having my dogs get these vaccines when I lived in the southwest. The vaccine isn't necessarily a cure-all for your concern (it would depend on the location of bite, amount of venom, etc.), but it does lesson the swelling, pain, and overall effects of rattlesnake bites. It creates protective antibodies that neutralize venom. I believe it is also effective against other snakes with similar venom.

The dog gets the initial shot, followed by a shot 1 month later. Then, it is an annual booster (best given just ahead of your hiking season). It is definitely worth talking over with the vet, especially if your dog will be spending a lot of time hiking near rattlesnakes. I see you live in Texas - this might be a good shot to include with annual shots.

[Sasquatch!]

The PCT will kill your dog.






























































If your advice is dont bring a dog, which i know someone will pipe in about it. I dont care.[/QUOTE]

[Sasquatch!]

Your dog has four legs, a coat of hair, and cannot sweat. There are stretches of hot, dry, sunny desert with no water for twenty plus miles. These conditions kill healthy adults. Your dog is at a severe evolutionary disadvantage to cope with the extremes of SoCal.

It is just sadistic to put a dog through that. They are not built for it, and they won't say no. The AT is nothing like SoCal PCT. You are going to kill that dog. That is realism, not negativity.

[ScareBear]

I can't picture a dog in the desert in 100 degree heat and no shade walking for 20 miles without consuming...at least a gallon of water...but, maybe OP has figured this out and is willing to hump an extra...TEN POUNDS, minimum, just for the dog's water....

But, what do I know? OP doesn't want to hear any negativity. OP only wants to hear "Yeah man, bring the canine!" or "Go for it, you rock!" OP doesn't want to hear that Murphy won't make it...

Hope OP has a good rationalization program in place for when something happens to poor Murph on the PCT and it's nobody's fault but OP...

[AllDownhillFromHere]

In the Middle East they pump a liter or two of saline in under the fur each morning, they end up looking like camels.

From experience as a hiker and as a caretaker, 9.5/10 dogs on the trail shouldn't be there. From fouling water supplies to growing at hikers to tracking mud all over people's rolled out sleeping bags, to getting injured, they're just not built physically or psychologically. I know of one dog who actually quit the AT - his parents were hiking Lehigh Gap in PA, turned around to find the dog, and it was walking back down the hill towards the road. They're domestic animals, it's not "Call of the Wild".

[ScareBear]

In the Middle East they pump a liter or two of saline in under the fur each morning, they end up looking like camels.

From experience as a hiker and as a caretaker, 9.5/10 dogs on the trail shouldn't be there. From fouling water supplies to growing at hikers to tracking mud all over people's rolled out sleeping bags, to getting injured, they're just not built physically or psychologically. I know of one dog who actually quit the AT - his parents were hiking Lehigh Gap in PA, turned around to find the dog, and it was walking back down the hill towards the road. They're domestic animals, it's not "Call of the Wild".

Bill Irwin's guide dog Orient ran out on him on the AT as well....he did come back, though....

Dogs will often just lie down and refuse to move when they have had enough. Do not ever attempt to physically handle the dog when it is in that mode. It will probably bite you, no matter how much it loves you. It has had enough, you are the cause of it's misery and it won't be f'd with any longer...

[Wooobie]

Sasquatch thank you for your opinion. Scare bear, 100 degrees is not extreme heat in any way. yes i will carry 2-3 gallons of water.