Is there really so much animosity towards dogs/their owners on the AT?

[rafe]

Personally, I really don't want to be woken up by a barking dog when i'm camping/hiking.

I don't really want to hear a barking dog, ever. It's an unpleasant noise, especially when I know it's coming from an excited, carnivorous animal of significant size and strength and dubious intelligence.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

My wife & I were hiking this weekend. We were passed by another couple with a leashed dog. Immediately after passing, the dog leaped back and tried to bite my wife...barely grazing her leg. Fortunately it wasn't worse. The response, "oh, he's never done that before".

Unfortunately that happened to me Easter weekend at Grayson Highlands. Saturday, I see a group with a black dog & the dog comes up to me to say "hi", I pet her, and all is well. Sunday, see same group, same dog, I step aside on the trail, and as the dog walks by it starts snapping, lunging, at me, and finally gets about a foot away from my face in a final, desperate attempt to dislodge a chunk of meat from my body. Definitely was a downer to my day.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

Let me add that again, I'm a dog owner, didn't bring my dog because I didn't know if she was ready for a whole weekend of walking, but when that happened, I wish I did.

[squeezebox]

I was walking in the woods of Forest Park, St. Louis yesterday. A fair sized wooded area for being in the city. A smallish lab mix runs around the corner in front of me. Wags it's tail real hard, then sits down, no barking etc, looks over it's shoulder for it's people. They come around the corner in a few seconds.
My comment, " oh so it's not a lost dog" snide comment, yes
The dog still should have been on a leash.
Any dog less well behaved than this one does not belong on the trail.

[Francis Sawyer]

Some dog owners are not responsible.They think it is cute when the dog , not leashed,jumps all over some unsuspecting person.They scold the dog,"Barney, bad boy; He won't bite, he's just saying hello" personally I don't like it.

[Solitude501]

I am a dog owner and take my dog on hikes, as much as I would like to let him loose, I cannot. It would be irresponsible. No matter what, he is still a dog and is unpredictable and not controlled by the owner, unless he is on a leash.

[squeezebox]

I promise I will not inflict folk accordion music on you folks, although I really think you should enjoy it as much as I do.
So don't inflict your dog on us, I do not love you dog the way you do. Even though you think I should.
Get real. Accept it.

[Mrs Baggins]

I promise I will not inflict folk accordion music on you folks, although I really think you should enjoy it as much as I do.
So don't inflict your dog on us, I do not love you dog the way you do. Even though you think I should.
Get real. Accept it.

Thank you! My feelings exactly. I'm on a FB page about RVing (as we have a trailer) and there were people saying they'd never go to a campground where their "fur baby" wasn't welcome. I had to wonder how many of them avoid campgrounds where there are small children.......

[squeezebox]

And besides my accordion does not jump on people
poop in the middle of the trail,
or growl at people, (Ok well maybe sometimes )

[Tuckahoe]

And besides my accordion does not jump on people
poop in the middle of the trail,
or growl at people, (Ok well maybe sometimes )

I would be happy to hear a few songs, but you'd have to play Dixie.

[LN33]

I was on a section hike last June and was bitten on the leg by an off-leash dog so you can imagine how I feel about this subject. It was a fairly severe bite so we hiked out to Woody Gap and called Lumpy for a ride so I could get to a hospital. We were all shocked, including the owner who obviously did not expect this from his dog. It was unprovoked, we were walking past them and the dog bit my calf once I had passed her so I didn't even see it coming. I'm a dog lover but now I firmly believe that just because your dog has never bit anyone doesn't mean that it won't and that a leash is a must on the trail.

[squeezebox]

You just do not know how your dog is going to react in a strange environment, yea! your dog goes hiking , but for months on end?
The dog is tired, sore muscles, sore feet. probably hungry, sensory overload, away from home comforts, and generally crabby.
Are you surprised when gosh the dog doesn't do that at home? Well you're not at home .
Have you ever wanted to bite someone on the trail ?

If you must bring your dog , how about a muzzle ?

[Coffee]

One thing to keep in mind is that dogs can be territorial. Many years ago I had a house on a few acres next to a neighbor who kept a couple of German shepherds on his larger property. One of the dogs was often able to find his way onto my property and was quite friendly and even hung out with me sometimes for several hours while I was doing yard work. Yet whenever I even approached his owner's property line, the dog would get irritable and seriously pissed if I got near the fence line.

How does this apply to the trail? I think that it is quite possible for a dog to be friendly during an encounter while walking on the trail and territorial around a shelter or a tent in camp. It is something I always keep in mind on the trail. I never assume anything about a dog that I don't know. Yes, people should keep their dogs on a leash but most dogs I have seen on the trail are not on a leash.

[squeezebox]

I've had dogs almost all my life, even as a kid. not during college and a few years after.
but 50 of my 61 years, Almost always had a fenced yard.
My now 19 yr old son, when about 10-12, would chase squirrels with the dog in the park, because dogs require leashes. very funny to watch.
My dogs have been very, very ,seldom off leash outside my yard, and only as an accident.
My last dog did not like other dogs, was wonderful with kids and adults. was even the school dog at a Luthern grade school, But people in the park, did not even ask, but thoughtlessly insisted that their dog to be allowed to have a sniff fest with my dog- I told the person to pull their dog back, they ignored me, and then were surprised when my dog snapped at theirs. I warned them.
On the trail there are wildlife for a dog to chase and injure, water to foul. people will protect themselves, with hiking poles, or there are the folks with guns.
So please explain to me why you want to let your dog off leash in a public area,
Because I completely do not understand why you would choose to endanger wildlife, people and your dog by letting it off leash.
I'm not being a smart ass, I really don't understand .

[SawnieRobertson]

I love walking with my service dog on the trail. She finds it a cool experience too. We sometimes refer to it as taking our daily constitutional.

Of course, because we are a service dog team, I cannot be separated from her. At the same time, because she is a service dog, she is well trained and never off leash except when at home.

My fear is not for other hikers. If she gives them a bark, I whisper to her to be quiet. She gets it. If she does not stop barking, I suspect there is something that truly concerns her. My fear though (besides that someone will be offended by this kind, gentle, affectionate dog) is that she will be attacked by other dogs which are running loose or by feral ones. It is my job to protect her. However I hope I can, I will do exactly that.

Those people who cannot or refuse to read SERVICE DOG, DO NOT PET, DO NOT DISTRACT on her vest are also a worry. You would not believe how discourteous they are. They honestly believe that it is okay and even good to ignore her situation. She normally loves to be petted by friends, but under that vest she is a working dog. Like any human, when people interrupt her at work, she becomes distracted and finds it kinda difficult to return to her concentration.

So I am saying that she is (1) on leash, (2) highly trained at her job, (3) remembering to do her job instead of interacting with the wildlife that she may notice, and (4) does not poop on the trail. Give her and me a break if we encounter you: Ignore her and chat with me. If you want to send compliments her way, do it through me. Do not talk to her. Do not reach out and pet her. Do not allow your children to do those things either but explain to them why they must not.

Thank you. Thank you again and again. And spread the word. Yep, thanks.