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  1. #141
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rain Man View Post
    There are definitely people, especially once they leave "civilization," who think law is for lesser mortals and think nothing of disdaining law enforcement officers, rules, and their fellow man.

    Kinda sad that we even run into it on WB, where the User Agreement must state:



    I have run into a few bad dogs and bad dog owners on the AT. Thank goodness the good ones far outnumber these self-indulgent jerks.

    Rain Man

    .
    I completely agree on all counts.

  2. #142

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    Cooler wiser minds are prevailing. Couldn't have said it better than Jack Tarlin and Rain Man. Where do I sign my name to the referendum?

  3. #143

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    this must be what that crossbow was for... dem zombies

  4. #144

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    Quote Originally Posted by goin'4ahike View Post
    Just this past weekend 2 large dogs (1 a pit bull) appeared on the crest of the trail where it curved up ahead. They spotted my friend and I and bounded down the hill toward us. We were scared to death. We yelled in deep voices to deter them. They did not harm us, but sort of circled around us until the owner eventually appeared and called them off.
    As a sort of public service, I'd love to hear a recording of the deep voices you used to scare the dogs. Would normal voices be okay for smaller dogs?

  5. #145

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    Quote Originally Posted by rickb View Post
    I am usually not an ******* in the woods, but I'll admit to being one some years back.

    I was told what so many of us are told when an unleashed dog is running at us. When I stared at the owner and repeated back "Don't worry I won't hurtyou" I almost certainly crossed a line judging by the look on the woman's face.

    I won't do that again, but neither will I chuckle and make small talk like that is acceptable. And like the previous poster, I always thank those owners who stop and connect their dog to a leash as they see me approaching
    I have similar remark when told "S/He does not bite." My response is, "Funny that is what h owner of the last dog that bite me said; JUST BEFORE THE DOG'S BITE ME!"

  6. #146
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    "he won't bite" never trust those words, especially if you smell like bacon!

  7. #147

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    We did a short day hike from Springer Mountain to Hightower gap last Sunday. I stopped at Stover Creek shelter to use the rest room and was menaced by someones off leash dog. You will be hard pressed to find a bigger dog lover than me, but I didn't appreciate this persons dog doing the low crawl stalk complete with ears back, showing teeth and growling as it moved towards me as I approached the shelter. The dogs owner didn't seem to care that his dog was threatening me either. I think it is this type of scenario that gives dogs a bad rap. In this scenario I 100 percent blame the thoughtless human and not the canine.

    As an aside I turned sidewise, didn't make eye contact and remained still and the dog eventually moved back towards the inside of the shelter. If he had continued in the aggressive stance I would have been forced to defend myself. It would not have made for a pleasant day for me or the dog if I had been forced to fight off this persons dog. I hike with a nice hickory stick for a walking pole, and am also legally carrying a firearm while in the woods.

  8. #148
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    Whew, that had ugly written all over it, glad it didn't escalate. Definitely all on the owner

  9. #149
    Hike On!!!!! Many Moons's Avatar
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    Default KEEP them on a lease

    Quote Originally Posted by googlywoogly View Post
    We did a short day hike from Springer Mountain to Hightower gap last Sunday. I stopped at Stover Creek shelter to use the rest room and was menaced by someones off leash dog. You will be hard pressed to find a bigger dog lover than me, but I didn't appreciate this persons dog doing the low crawl stalk complete with ears back, showing teeth and growling as it moved towards me as I approached the shelter. The dogs owner didn't seem to care that his dog was threatening me either. I think it is this type of scenario that gives dogs a bad rap. In this scenario I 100 percent blame the thoughtless human and not the canine.

    As an aside I turned sidewise, didn't make eye contact and remained still and the dog eventually moved back towards the inside of the shelter. If he had continued in the aggressive stance I would have been forced to defend myself. It would not have made for a pleasant day for me or the dog if I had been forced to fight off this persons dog. I hike with a nice hickory stick for a walking pole, and am also legally carrying a firearm while in the woods.
    Yea your right! Dogs off lease are the problem. Ran into cool dogs and dudes, but dogs off lease running the trail is just not right. I like dogs, but keep them under control! HIKE ON!!!

    Miller

  10. #150

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    A well behaved dog on the trail is much appreciated by all. My female Wheaten is a 5X AT Section hiker and she has never met someone that didn't like her. She is off lead until I see another hiker or when I feel she needs to be close then she goes on lead for a while. The experience has always been good and other hiker responses have been positive. We have not come across anyone that should the negativity that you were describing in your post.
    This year will be her sons first section hike. Yeah! He however will be on lead behind me at ALL the times. Not because he is ill mannered. He likes to roam, it's his nature and if he picks up a scent he likes he's gone for a while. That just won't do!
    So, I say hike with your pooches and keep good trail manners.

  11. #151
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    I will admit, I let my dingo off leash for a majority of the hike, but he knows never to get more than a few yards from me.

    Everytime we've crossed paths with someone on the trail, he comes back immediately after being called & goes on leash. I actually enjoy seeing who notices other hikers first... The dog is usually too busy enjoying himself to notice.

    When passing, I keep myself between the dog & other hikers, & he's not allowed to bother them unless they offer to see him.


    Idk if this makes me a "bad" dog owner, I certainly hope not. He's learned that any misbehavior means an immediate return to the car, & if he ever showed aggression to a person, he'd be left at home.

  12. #152

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    Quote Originally Posted by AT Annie View Post
    A well behaved dog on the trail is much appreciated by all. My female Wheaten is a 5X AT Section hiker and she has never met someone that didn't like her.
    This is exactly what I call a God complex: declaring what total strangers uniformly and only feel about one's dog, what goes on in their heads. If Christ Jesus came down and set foot on the AT with a dog, I might believe him if he declared what occurs in other's heads. But when anyone else presumes the same powers ... meh.

    Rain Man

    .
    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

    [url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]

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  13. #153
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    As a dog owner- let me throw my $0.02 in the ring. 1) I love my dog more than I like a lot of people. 2)M y dog has boundaries & limitations, especially when I walk her on a trail.
    If it's a remote section of a trail at an odd time of day (locally here, not the AT) where I know I won't see many people (if at all), I'll let her off leash, but no more tham 6 feet in front of me- and I always watch out for other people. As soon as I see someone or someone with a dog, she goes back on leash, immediately. On this particular trail there are no blind curves, so I can always see at least 100 feet ahead.
    When I'm using one of the more utilized trails, state parks, etc, she is ALWAYS on leash, tethered to my pack. What I HATE is people who let their dogs run 12 feet away on the extendable/retractable leashes. People-it's not a leash if your dog is running 12 feet away from you! I have had several instances where I've had people running or jogging or hiking with dogs off leash, and they run up to and around mine, barking and snarling, etc. Now, my Zoe is a sweetheart, unless a dog threatens her, so here she was, on her 3' lead, with a irritating (albeit beautiful) Samoyed that was charging her. Needless to say, even though the owner was desperately trying to call him back, my trekking pole was swung in his direction. For one thing, I didn't need 65lbs of American Bulldog tugging at my pack. I yelled back to the owner that her dog should have been on a restraint when she saw us (like I did). This has happened several times on trails, where my dog was restrained but other folks felt like it was cool to let their dogs roam freely around strangers.

    To me, the right answer is to keep your dog on a leash when there is the chance you'll run into people. I love dogs, but sadly some people don't control their animals. It's when they are not controlled I don't like them.

  14. #154
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    Quote Originally Posted by googlywoogly View Post
    We did a short day hike from Springer Mountain to Hightower gap last Sunday. I stopped at Stover Creek shelter to use the rest room and was menaced by someones off leash dog. You will be hard pressed to find a bigger dog lover than me, but I didn't appreciate this persons dog doing the low crawl stalk complete with ears back, showing teeth and growling as it moved towards me as I approached the shelter. The dogs owner didn't seem to care that his dog was threatening me either. I think it is this type of scenario that gives dogs a bad rap. In this scenario I 100 percent blame the thoughtless human and not the canine.

    As an aside I turned sidewise, didn't make eye contact and remained still and the dog eventually moved back towards the inside of the shelter. If he had continued in the aggressive stance I would have been forced to defend myself. It would not have made for a pleasant day for me or the dog if I had been forced to fight off this persons dog. I hike with a nice hickory stick for a walking pole, and am also legally carrying a firearm while in the woods.
    Pepper spray. I would have maintained eye contact (letting the dog know I'M the alpha) and stood my ground. I come across folks with badly behaving dogs all the time. One (at a state park) kept growling ferociuosly at me every time I walked past (it was at a popular scenic area). I wasn't about to let a dog keep me from enjoying the scenery, but the 2nd time when he growled at me I looked directly at the owners with that "keep your dog restrained" look. They seemed pretty embarrassed that he was acting that way.

  15. #155
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Tarlin View Post
    I've said repeatedly over the years that it's not a dog problem, it's an OWNER problem. All too many people hit the Trail with animals that are too young; ill-trained or not at all trained; that won't respond to voice command; that are skittish, threatening, or violent towards strangers; that don't behave correctly with other dogs, wild animals, etc.; or the biggest sin of all, dogs whose owners are too tired, inattentive, lazy, or downright thoughtless when it comes to over-seeing how their pet is interacting with other people. This morning, first thing after I get outta bed, a hiker dog leaps towards me growling and snarling. This is not why I'm out of the woods, folks. The owwner said "Easy, dude, everything's cool." Um, no, it isn't cool, and that's the essence of the "dog problem" on the Trail, and dogs like that, or dogs with owners like that, don't belong out here. Again: It's usually an owner problem and I wish more owners would recognize themselves here.
    Wholeheartedly agree. Behavior like that from a dog should not be tolerated by owner or stranger, at all. Words would have been exchanged. If my dog did that, end of hike for her, no excuses.

    Having said that, I would LOVE to take her with me to the Grayson Highlands, but I want to interact w/ the ponies, & I'm not sure how her presence would affect their behavior, so guess what? She doesn't go. Too easy.

  16. #156
    Registered User canoe's Avatar
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    I like most dogs.Hate a misbehaved dog. I will do what it takes to take care of a bad dog or bad dog owners. Remember Nobody like my dog like I like my dog. And no matter how well a dog behaves... some people just dont like dogs. We should be sensitive to those who dont like dogs and keep our dogs away.

  17. #157

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    My wife and I will be hiking with our 6 year old Miniature Dachshund. She is a very good hiking dog, and most of the time stays clear of strangers. We hardly ever have her on a leash while hiking, and she generally hikes between the two of us. Being a Dachshund, of course she can be a barker, and that never lasts more than a minute at the most. She's a great trail dog, and keeps to herself about 95% of the time. We're already planning on sleeping in our tent when the shelters get crowded, just in case she starts barking. Most of the evening she'll spend sleeping in one of our bags, or least after she eats.

  18. #158
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AT Annie View Post
    She is off lead until I see another hiker or when I feel she needs to be close then she goes on lead for a while.
    Quote Originally Posted by Likeapuma View Post
    I will admit, I let my dingo off leash for a majority of the hike, but he knows never to get more than a few yards from me.
    For good or ill, the AT has mandatory leash regulations for 40%+ of the trail.

    The two of you, and others, may have a well behaved dog. But the leash laws are there for a reason.
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  19. #159

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    Quote Originally Posted by JumpMaster Blaster View Post
    To me, the right answer is to keep your dog on a leash when there is the chance you'll run into people. I love dogs, but sadly some people don't control their animals. It's when they are not controlled I don't like them.
    There is ALWAYS a chance you'll run into other people, especially on the AT. I once had a dog decide it would rather hike with me then it's owner, who was going bit slow. After a couple of miles of this, I tied the dog to a tree. No longer my problem. (yes, the owner did eventually catch up and found his dog).
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  20. #160
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    A minute of Dacshund barking may seem like cute and nothing to you but to me it would be very irritating and seem like LOTS longer then a minute.
    "Something hidden. Go and find it. Go, and look behind the Ranges. Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you . . . Go!" (Rudyard Kipling)
    From SunnyWalker, SOBO CDT hiker starting June 2014.
    Please visit: SunnyWalker.Net

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