Unleashed dogs in wilderness

[Trotter]

i've seen first hand the dangers of off leash dog. Went hiking past some people going the opposite way with a very friendly off leash dog. Petted it and left. About a mile later, the dog comes running up to me trying to get more petting. I can barely hear someone calling for it. Eventually the owner catches up and grabs the dog, but had to go two miles roundtrip the wrong way to get it

[SoCool]

My contribution to this thread is a short story from the little hamlet of Aspen: several years ago a woman was hiking with her small dog on one of the most popular trails in Aspen, the Smuggler jeep trail. The dog was off leash, which is against the rules, and was killed and eaten in broad daylight, in view of the owner, by some unusually aggressive coyotes. Yes this story is gruesome, but also... educational?

Edit: http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20110 ... /110529962" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I may be wrong about the leash requirement on this trail.

[SikYou]

Another productive discussion that adds to the increasing uselessness of this site.

[moneymike]

First of all, I'd like to express my sympathies to all of you who have been jumped on, or in any way come across unleashed dogs in the back country. There are few things that can drive fear into the hearts of men like coming across an unleashed schnauzer in the back country. You are true mountaineering heroes and I'm glad that all of you made it through your harrowing ordeals and survived to share your stories on the internet. In fact, I feel that ranting on the internet is one of the most productive means of dealing with your ptsd.

Speaking of which, I recently had an equally traumatizing experience in the mountains and feel like I need to afford myself the opportunity to let it out. So, this weekend my girlfriend and I climbed a few peaks and ended our day by climbing one of the more popular 14ers. Needless to say, there were a lot people on this peak, most of whom irritated me in some way or another. There were a few unleashed dogs, but that was not my main concern (although there were a couple dogs that walked right by me without stopping to sniff my hand, which I thought was kinda rude. I didn't even get a god damned tail wag from some of these anti social dogs!). My main concern was all the children. Have you folks ever noticed how oblivious young children are? They'll be walking in one direction and staring in another. What the f**k is up with that? I'll have to stop in my tracks, and then gently stop them when they walk into me. Then, the irresponsible mothers smile at me, say sorry, then gently tell their 6 year old to pay attention. I usually just smile back, pretending it's no big deal and that I understand that's just how children are, and that coming across children is a necessary fact of life that I need to deal with, but on the inside I am boiling! I'm like, why the f**k can't you keep your kids on a leash? Maybe not a physical leash, but the metaphorical leash of discipline! Instead of smiling at me, indicating to your children all is well, you should discipline them!

s**t like that really ruins my day. Every mother thinks that her kids are well behaved and that the rest of us don't mind them. Well guess what, mothers! Your kids are little shits, just like all the rest!

And it's not just their obliviousness that ruins my whole f***ing day. Have you noticed how they're always f***ing talking, usually about stupid s**t? Every time I passed a child on this easy 14er, he'd be like "good job, you're almost at the summit. Keep going, you can do it." How degrading is that? Why do those little twerps think I need their f***ing encouragement? Listen up mothers and fathers! Not everyone is a "kid person." Children do not belong in the wilderness, restaurants, movie theaters, air planes, or anywhere else I might happen to be! God invented Chuck E Cheese for a reason!

As for this dog issue, I hate dogs as much as anyone. I think the CFI video makes a great point about how dogs are destroying our wildlife and our wildlife viewing opportunities. You dog people have to understand that the rest of us want to be able to view the wildlife. That's why we are developing and paving over our wilderness areas...to make wildlife viewing easier for us. Dogs are the number one cause of wildlife destruction on our planet and are completely ruining things for us humans.

It's not enough that we have eliminated all the top predators from Colorado, we must also protect the wildlife from the grave threat that bumbling labradors pose. Even though these dogs usually never come anywhere close to catching these animals, every time a marmot has to run from a dog, it is not collecting food for the winter. It makes me very distressed when I see all these horribly emaciated marmots on the trail.

Ok, I'm done with my rant. Thanks for listening. The only thing that helps me with my dog/children related ptsd more than internet ranting is to listen to a bit of Godsmack...

[lodgling]

Hah! I was accosted by an unleashed dog in the HC Wilderness yesterday and I thought to myself that now the JK thread has fallen off the charts that I would dredge this one back up.

Lo and behold, it was already bumped up by someone else. It must be summer around these parts.

So, in any event, my comment for the dog owners out there, including the one I encountered on the last mile of an HC slog yesterday:

Dogs in the wilderness should either be leashed, or should respond to voice commands. The statement "He's nice" as your dog repeatedly charges me with teeth bared and snarling is not a voice command. Either train your dog or control it in the wilderness. Next time I might not wait to use my whippet to defend myself.

[Dave B]

Mark Twain caliber societal observation

Absolutely brilliant.

[Le Marmot]

When people acquire a taste for dog meat this problem will be solved.

I have a hard time faulting dogs for their owners' idiocy. Cats on the other hand should become a world staple just based on the amount of songbirds they kill every year. Evil, evil creatures...

[peter303]

Frankly I avoid introducing any negative emotion in the situation as tempting as it may be.
Dog are masters at reading emotions and reacting, especially of their owners.
Any negativity or anger could escalate.

[JeffR]

Frankly I avoid introducing any negative emotion in the situation as tempting as it may be.
Dog are masters at reading emotions and reacting, especially of their owners.
Any negativity or anger could escalate.

That's certainly your prerogative.

But there'd be less bad behavior (and I'm not just talking about dogs) if people wouldn't insist on continuing to enable it.

[Le Marmot]

Well, we definitely should get rid of wind power - Less birds more insects.
https://abcbirds.org/program/wind-energy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's been the great thing about wind power; higher rates, less birds and lower personal guilt. Since al gore says its a good thing, it must be so.

[Jesse M]

I had my first negative experience with two off leash large breed dogs on the Colorado Trail this summer. It has had a large effect on my opinion of off leash hiking, I am now mostly against it. I was put into a situation where I needed to defend myself with my hiking poles and actually hit a dog. Being a dog owner, this sucked! For the rest of the trail, and every trail I have been on since, I fear dogs off leash. Had my dog been with me, the situation could have been much worse, an intact husky on a leash that is very defensive of me. I think people who hike with their dog off leash are selfish and are putting others at risk. I now carry a small canister of pepper spray, not for bears, but for aggressive off leash dogs. I will never be made to feel like that again.

This event took place on segment 12 in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness near the ridge of Waverly Mountain at 11,500+, after hiking 19 miles, it was getting late, and I still had 2 miles to camp at Pine Creek.

[randalmartin]

I think people who hike with their dog off leash are selfish and are putting others at risk.

+1.

If I had a dollar for every time a dog owner has said, "My dog responds to voice commands.....". Such BS.