Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Dogs, dogs and even some cats
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WinterKlondike
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by WinterKlondike »

edhaman wrote:WinterKlondike, it might be helpful if we had a little info on your dog. How old? What breed? How many pounds? The ultimate question is: Are you willing and able to carry your dog back to the car if necessary? From my experience, in relation to 14ers routes, if the dog is anything other than a 6-pound Chihuahua, the answer is "no."
She is an eight year old black lab mix about 60 pounds who has summitted 8 fourteeners and been canyoneering in southern utah. I have training in evacuating dogs, and while I don't think it is ideal my whole point of this thread is to determine the risk factor for her, which from the sounds of it people who have done it with dogs isn't to big.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by viejo »

Good ways to make this decision:
1. Climb the route yourself without the dog, then make a judgement as to whether she can make it.

2. Consult with someone you personally know and trust who has done the route and has also climbed with your dog.

Bad way to make this decision:
1. Take the advice of strangers on the internet.

Really bad way to make this decision:
1. Get a bunch of answers on the internet, then cherry pick the minority view points that support what you would like to do in the first place.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by eagrnnr »

Remember, if you, or if your dog, kicks loose rock onto people in a Class 3 environment, someone can very quickly wind up dead. You're not the only one on the route, remember that.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by its_not_a_tuba »

nomadelmundo wrote:there are so many dog haters on this forum it's unbelievable.. Quandary will be fine for ur companion have fun... just avoid any class 3s...
clearly you have been reading everything those "dog haters" have been saying very carefully.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by CorduroyCalves »

its_not_a_tuba wrote:
nomadelmundo wrote:there are so many dog haters on this forum it's unbelievable.. Quandary will be fine for ur companion have fun... just avoid any class 3s...
clearly you have been reading everything those "dog haters" have been saying very carefully.
+1 =D>
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WinterKlondike
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by WinterKlondike »

eagrnnr wrote:Remember, if you, or if your dog, kicks loose rock onto people in a Class 3 environment, someone can very quickly wind up dead. You're not the only one on the route, remember that.
Not to be rude but that is not really relevant to the question because humans are just as capable of kicking rocks as dogs are. I've been in many class 3/4/5 environments by myself and with my dog and I know the protocols.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by eagrnnr »

WinterKlondike wrote:
eagrnnr wrote:Remember, if you, or if your dog, kicks loose rock onto people in a Class 3 environment, someone can very quickly wind up dead. You're not the only one on the route, remember that.
Not to be rude but that is not really relevant to the question because humans are just as capable of kicking rocks as dogs are. I've been in many class 3/4/5 environments by myself and with my dog and I know the protocols.
A dog doesn't know that what it's doing can kill someone though. It's extremely relevant. You asked if you should bring a dog up the west ridge. Everyone is saying you shouldn't. If you've taken your dog on class 4/5 with your dog, why even ask if it's ok to bring him/her up class 3 stuff?

At the end of the day, you ask people for their opinions online, you'll get opinions you don't want to hear. This is a concern I have of you taking a dog up a loose class 3 ridge. Why? Because loose rock can kill. I've had friends get hurt by falling rock because people didn't pay attention to what they were doing. You think a dog won't kick even more stuff down the route just because you two "know the protocols"?
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by metalmountain »

WinterKlondike wrote:
eagrnnr wrote:Remember, if you, or if your dog, kicks loose rock onto people in a Class 3 environment, someone can very quickly wind up dead. You're not the only one on the route, remember that.
Not to be rude but that is not really relevant to the question because humans are just as capable of kicking rocks as dogs are. I've been in many class 3/4/5 environments by myself and with my dog and I know the protocols.

It is completely relevant. Dog's don't understand repercussions of rock fall. I'm not saying someone should never take their dog up into those conditions. I trust Kushrocks and his pup, and I know he is a knowledgeable climber and watches out for others. I would expect that out of anyone who takes their dog up on a route like that. But I have also seen people who took their dogs onto similar routes and it turned into a disaster. I had to help a girl get her dog down off of the class 3 section of the sawtooth last year. The poor thing was shaking like mad and obviously terrified.The owner couldn't get the dog down herself, which violates what I think is one of the biggest tenants of taking your dog into the mountains. If you can't get your do down in an emergency without the help of others, then you sure as hell shouldn't have your dog up there. Me and my partner had to put ourselves into a potentially dangerous situation to help them out, all because of some poor planning on their part. I also witnessed a massive rock slide in the gulley (standard route) on My. Lindsey that was started by a dog. It would have destroyed anyone below them.

Please keep in mind that people on this forum only have access to the information you provide. No one knows your background or abilities except for the few 14ers that you have listed as completed. If someone just looked at those and then saw your question, I think some assumptions would be that you probably shouldn't be taking your dog up there. Not saying those are correct assumptions, but we don't all know each other personally here and can only go off of the information at hand :) If you train dogs and such, and have experience with dogs in similar situations then you can probably manage just fine. A little more background with such a potentially hot button question might help out next time.
Last edited by metalmountain on Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jim Davies
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by Jim Davies »

I don't recall many spots on the west ridge where rockfall would be a problem. Lots of traversing between the class-3 sections means you're rarely below other climbers (or dogs) on the route.

Cristo Couloir is a whole different matter, though. I wouldn't take a dog in there when it's dry.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by gone_skiing »

I do get a kick outta these forums a lot. I gotta say, I read them daily for two reasons: see if there's snow anywhere, and read the drama. I have a yellow lab, and I found his limit 2 weeks ago. But I wouldn't have found out unless I took him. Yeah it was a pain in the ass to go get him but I knew the possibility getting into it. Now I know when he can come and when to leave him. I'm getting a kick reading how much your dog is going to kill someone. Not knowing the rules....I haven't taught my dog how to put on his seatbelt in the truck yet but I still take him for rides. I say you might be okay, just use your best judgment. Worst case you turn around. I can't imagine you're as dumb as half these people make you sound.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by metalmountain »

Jim Davies wrote:I don't recall many spots on the west ridge where rockfall would be a problem. Lots of traversing between the class-3 sections means you're rarely below other climbers (or dogs) on the route.

Cristo Couloir is a whole different matter, though. I wouldn't take a dog in there when it's dry.

I would agree, but I definitely am curious about getting a dog up that last tower. Maybe Kushrocks can let us in on how it worked.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by Jim Davies »

gone_skiing wrote:Worst case you turn around.
I can think of far worse outcomes than that. People die on this ridge, and there have been cases of dogs getting left behind when their owners take them into rough terrain.
example
another example
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