I've decided to walk sections of the AT next April- probably about a month's worth, and decided to research to make sure the trail permitted dogs. I have to admit, I was pretty taken aback by all the backlash against dogs and dog owners, and evidence of a dog owner culture I've never even heard of before.

I live in Colorado and am blessed with access to several trails. I normally hike with my two dogs (a lab/golden mix and a german shepherd) weekly, and we've done a couple one week hikes. I consider myself pretty responsible and considerate. And we encounter hikers regularly, as well as several other dogs (I'd say one in every four people has a dog). I've never seen any negative reaction to having a dog on the trail. Racking my brain, there was only one time I woman was very clearly petrified when she saw my dogs, so I called them away, they came, and she was apologetic.

I've always thought I was a very responsible dog owner- meaning my dogs are in my control at all times. However, by the standards on these boards, I shouldn't be allowed to have a pet. Here's what I don't get:

- My dogs are never on-leash. They respond very well to voice commands, they come when I call them. They respond to heel, to wait, to a host of other commands reliably. But I don't keep them on-leash when I'm walking and I don't restrict them to a heel on the trail either. They freely go off-trail, though they stay close and responsive. I guess I can kind of see that this might be a slight threat to the wilderness, except no more than any other animal, or indeed person who gets of the trail to do his or her business. Indeed, I'm sure I could practice with them and have them follow closely on a leash, but it sounds so cumbersome! Any slight pull as we all make it up the path and suddenly everyone's balance is out of whack. I'm sure it's significantly less fun for the dogs, for myself, and also for others. Paths are often narrow. I've always thought it was an advantage for dogs to be off the trail, so as to give people more room to easily pass.

- Packing out my dogs' poop? Seriously? The first time I read it, I thought it was a joke. I mean, obviously if they go on the trail, it needs to be picked up and moved out of the way, but how many animals and people are crapping in the forest, and the dogs' poop is particularly detrimental?

These two aspects of the expected culture sound non-sensical to me. I'm not bull-headed about behaving in one way just because I have been. But is there really that much of an anti-dog bias on the AT? And are these two policies really regarded as indispensable for responsible canine behavior? If so, is the PCT culture noticeably different? I don't particularly relish the stress of everyone staring dagger eyes at me. But I'm also not going to follow "unspoken rules" that seem non-sensical and counter-intuitive.

(I know the PCT is harder on dogs. I don't plan on walking the whole thing. Just until one or all three of us has had enough.)