No. We're ok with ya all
For the record, in 2011 I returned two bear dogs on separate occasions to owners - fed them too - they looked so malnourished. I was also scared pretty bad by an un-leashed pit-bull or rottweiler in Connecticut who was very, very threatening to me (maybe as scared as I've ever been on the trail - which says a whole lot). I've also slept in shelters with super nice dogs and owners, played trail frisbee with a dog named Saturday who was more fun than many humans I know. Goes both ways for sure.
HOW CANNOT YOU ENDORSE THIS? Stone Flea with her dog... Get over it ... Life IS to short.
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Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
this is a good one!Originally Posted by Wise Old Owl
AT Anna,
It sounds like your dogs are well adjusted to the trail, and maybe even you too. I think you will find that once you get out in the woods it will be like you're used to. Most people will embrace your dog if he is well mannered. You can see from these posts that the alleged "dog haters" really just hate poor dog behavior, not the dogs. If your dogs are not stealing food, pissing on everything, barking all night, etc. you will probably be OK. If your dog is bothering someone, say...being noisy, you know it.
Please read a thread in this section titled "Have a Solid Recall". It's funny, that thread suggests training and it got maybe seven replies, go figure?
My feelings are that I don't safeguard the public from my dog. Quite the opposite, I protect my dog from the public. I keep the attitude that if someone feels threatened, they may try to whack my dog with a stick. What defense do I have? especially when off leash, which it mostly is. I won't take any crap from your dog, and I don't expect you to take any crap from mine.
I think most problem dogs are day hikers. Thru-hiking dogs are tired in camp, just like us, ready for a rest. I have no problems with my dog and other hikers. I had maybe two people in the past five years give me the "I'm allergic" routine. Maybe they were, maybe not, but it was just a polite way for them to tell me they weren't comfortable with my dog. No sweat. One of us just moved away. A lot of folks seem to forget that they do still have right to step away, but would rather engage in a dispute than enjoy the trail.
My dog goes off-leash, and she craps in the woods, just like me, you, the deer, and the mice. I don't apologize for it. Although these threads always get ridiculous, they are mostly BS. Take your dog and have a good time.
THEY have the "right" to step away?? No sir, they do not ... YOU have the DUTY to control your dog at all times, which means, among other things, that if anyone needs to step away, it is YOU (and your dog) who must do the stepping away.
It is irrelevant whether I, or anyone else on this forum, is a dog-hater or a dog-lover. The fact is that the AT (and the CDT, and the PCT, and the JMT, etc.) was conceived, designed, and constructed, and is maintained, for human use ... not canine, not feline, not equine. Just as in the off-trail world, YOU are responsible for controlling whatever you bring with you, be that your use of alcohol or firearms, your children, or Fido.
(Let the flaming begin ...)
Interesting discussion tho somewhat predictable, i.e. the "My dog would NEVER behave like this or do the things that seem to bother people, etc." Yeah, it's always someone else's dog that's the problem, the same way it's always someone else's baby screaming in a movie theater or terrorizing a restaurant you're trying to enjoy. While there are certainly good responsible owners who are always aware of what their dog is doing and how their dog is interacting with others, whose dog can be trusted to act well off-leash, whose dogs replies immediately to voice commands.....well,sorry, this does NOT describe the majority of dogs or dog owners on the A.T.
And as to the tired old arguments that folks who don't care for Trail dogs don't spend much time on the Trail or have much real experience with A.T. hikers and their trail dogs, I think it's kind of telling that Bob Peoples of Kincora Hostel, after 15 years and 18,000 hiker guests (and hundreds of dog visitors) has decided to make his place dog-free. To suggest that Bob doesn't know much about the Trail, or to suppose that he hasn't actually spent time around hikers' dogs, or to suggest that he simply hates them (he's a life-long dog owner, by the way) would be a bit off the mark. Just as to suggest that there isn't a problem with trail dogs would be off the mark, or to pretend that 99% of the people you meet are just thrilled to be around your pet. Sorry, but this simply isn't the case.
This makes complete sense - RG may have more problems with dogs than I do. I'm a dog lover - I run with my dog quite a bit and we like to roam around in the woods. I don't take her on long distance AT hikes but do not object to others doing so as long as (like RG says) they control their dog at all times - and yes, that would mean deference to human hikers if necessary.
In reality, this thread isn't about dogs on the trail, it's about personal responsibility and respecting the right of others. Some people seem to think that "the rules" don't apply when they're out in the woods. It doesn't matter whether I bring a dog or a tuba, and it doesn't matter where I am, it's my responsibility to keep it (or my use of it) under control. Some people just don't get that.
yes - agreed
RetroGear - The PCT and lots of the CDT are designed and maintained for use by horses. But the rest of your rant is right on!
Kanga - No one might say anything about your dogs to your face, but how many have cursed under thier breath? I know I have many times as it was pointless to say anything to the owner.
I've been barked at, nipped out, charged at and even adopted by dogs who decided they would rather hike with me then thier owners. I've seen dogs who had to be tied to a tree to get thier pack on in the morning and dragged back out onto the trail.
To be fair, I've meet dogs who were a joy to have around. Too bad these are the exception, not the rule. The thing is, most people who take thier dog on the trail shouldn't.
Follow slogoen on Instagram.
I love dogs have 6 of them none of them run loose at home or anywhere else
I never heard anyone complain about a dog in 4 months and 850 miles of hiking on the AT. All the dog haters are right here on this forum sitting behind their computers...they don't hike the AT all that much. Most of the complaints surround shelters...for some reason when someone hasn't taken a shower for a week and everything they own is dirty and smells like mildew and BO it offends them when a dog comes into the dirty wooden box they plan on sleeping in. Just be courteous and let everyone know that there are no rules about having dogs in the shelter and if they don't like it they can set up their tent. Your dog has just as much right to stay there as people do. The ones that complain about it probably smell worse than your dog does, and they will snore, stay up talking loudly until midnight and then wake up at 430am and cook their breakfast inside the shelter while they stomp around getting their gear together...so you may not actually want to stay in a shelter anyway.
I always take my 85lb dog (male Doberman) along with me on section hikes. However, I absolutely NEVER allow him off lead due to most people's prejudice, misconception and ignorance of the breed and out of respect of those who may be frightened of large dogs in general. He wears a full harness and pack with a handle for me to restrain/assist him if need be. Last time out with him over Roan Mtn. he could have been seriously injured from a dangerous fall had I not had the harness and lead attached to him. His hind legs were actually dangling off of a 30 ft. cliff adjacent to the trail. While he's typically very friendly to most people, he's very protective of me from other dogs who intrude within a 5ft. radius of us. It always makes me nervous when a dog runs towards us unrestrained as I can't be responsible for how my dog might instinctively react. I always way aside to provide more than ample room for others to pass as a matter of respect. I love the outdoors. I love dogs. I love packing with mine. I really don't want to witness an "incident" on the trail where someone's dog gets injured. Please keep your trail buddies on a lead as I do mine.
Honest folks, how much more are the people here going to continue to read your posts about leashes from morons that don't have a dog and never had a dog, and have opinions about their personal fears of dogs. HYOH and get a clue.
Every thread in this forum brings leash this or that, don't you have other things to talk about?
Please read the toss... its overbearing overdone and over...... My humble opologies to those that have a dog and want to discuss this.
Possibly the only forum I would MOD - Scary Huh? might get something done around here.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
I have no problem with dogs, as long as they stay off me, off my gear, and away from my food.
It is extremely annoying, however, to have somebody's dog sniffing around my dinner while it's cooking, possibly knocking over my stove and pot, or tracking mud and dog hair all over my sleeping bag laid out on a shelter floor. And your dog may be the friendliest pet ever, but that doesn't mean I want him or her nuzzling me or jumping on me as an invitation to pet him.
~~
Allen "Monkeywrench" Freeman
NOBO 3-18-09 - 9-27-09
blog.allenf.com
[email protected]
www.allenf.com
Where does it say that. Some of these trails are specifically made for horse trails. Me taking my dog for a walk is human use.
If you find yourself in a fair fight; your tactics suck.
i wonder if the same people that complain about dogs in the shelter on this forumn, are the same one's that say they never ever use those dirty old shelters ?
Last edited by CrumbSnatcher; 01-26-2012 at 18:33.
How about muzzles? Wish more people were required to wear them!I was out on a day hike last fall with 2 friends, I was in the lead and rounding a bend, out of nowhere here comes a big black labradoddle, off leash, barking like ****. It's owner came around the bend yelling at the dog - it was my dogs Vet! The only woman in the group is terrified of dogs as she has been very seriously bitten twice. The dog pulled up short by 10-15 ft., but it scared the hell out of all of us. Words were exchanged.
While hiking on Mt. Greylock, I came over a rise, and a guy and girl were trying to put their leash on their dog, mine was on a leash. I said "mine is friendly, just old and deaf", the guy said mine is "old and bitchy" after a couple seconds, I said "Oh you were talking about the dog". I thought it was funny.
Have any of you dog owners come up with a good freestanding dog shelter that doesn't weigh a ton?
For hammockers using a small tarp and hiking with a dog, this could be a good find.
As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11
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