Dogs on 14ers?

Dogs, dogs and even some cats
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Should dogs be banned from 14ers?

No
119
71%
Yes
48
29%
 
Total votes: 167
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J-RockandRockpile
Posts: 861
Joined: 8/22/2007
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Post by J-RockandRockpile »

I'm sorry if you don't like dogs on a peak, but there are millions of other animals on the peak as well. If one bothers you are going to ask the FS to ban marmots?

Dogs are the problem its ignorant owners. I don't have a dog but I love dogs, if one is off leash and wants to come say Hi, I would love to say Hi right back. If it grawls I know not to bother.

Its like parents that let there kids do whatever they want, that annoys the hell out of me, but I see no problems with having a dog in the mountains and I see no problem letting them run free off leash if they are trust worthy animals. I'm sure you'll find majority of people out in the wilderness will agree!
I have been to the top of the mountain, and it is good
bjohnson
Posts: 11
Joined: 6/5/2007
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Post by bjohnson »

I've only climbed ten 14ers so far, the two easier ones, Handies and San Luis, I brought my Australian Cattle Dog, Kate along. She did great on both of these relatively easy hikes. On the class III and IV climbs I would not bring my dog. She pulls at the heart strings when she sees the gear come out of the closet, but her safety is more important than the fun of having her along. And the fun can evaporate quickly if the climbers find themselves in a hazardous or emergency situation and have to worry about a dog as well as their own safety. An acquointance of mine lost a dog that slipped over a cliff edge on class III terrain. These domesticated animals don't have the experience to know their limits and will often follow us anywhere, whether it's walking across a busy street or scrambling along an exposed mountain ridge, and so we must use good judgement.

One time my climbing partner and I carried someone's dog out of Granite Mountain Wilderness in AZ because it hadn't occured to the owner that the dog would need to drink water too and the poor thing, a black lab, was severly dehydrated and collapsed on the trail. The owner didn't know what the problem was and just kept trying to nudge the poor thing along.

Just like people, not all dogs are the same. Some are very well behaved and a pleasure to encounter. Others are extremely annoying and it would not matter where you encountered them, it would still be an unpleasant experience. I've found the same thing with people. While most are a pleasure to encounter, there are some that have poor trail etiquette and can make a climb less enjoyable. With dogs, most of the differences reflect on the owner and the level of proper training or not.

Most people know whether or not their dog is annoying to others. But some people only care about what they want and not the impact on others. Responsible dog owners will always have their dog under control and will never allow their dog to approach someone else unless invited.
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Wuldier
Posts: 165
Joined: 1/25/2007
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Re:

Post by Wuldier »

J-Rock&Rockpile wrote:I'm sorry if you don't like dogs on a peak, but there are millions of other animals on the peak as well. If one bothers you are going to ask the FS to ban marmots?

Dogs are the problem its ignorant owners. I don't have a dog but I love dogs, if one is off leash and wants to come say Hi, I would love to say Hi right back. If it grawls I know not to bother.

Its like parents that let there kids do whatever they want, that annoys the hell out of me, but I see no problems with having a dog in the mountains and I see no problem letting them run free off leash if they are trust worthy animals. I'm sure you'll find majority of people out in the wilderness will agree!

=D> well said!! =D>

i voted yes they should be allowed on peaks, but it was tough but only because the fact that if i had my dog on the mountain then i would be worried all the time that he is going to fall off and get really hurt or worse lol.. but i would love to see dogs on the 14ers and see them return to ground level safe and sound..
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