[pct-l] dogs/pets

[patti kulesz]

Gary, 
I have to agree with Swope totally. Labs get hot really easy. I had one so I know this for a fact! There are many long stretches in the dessert where there is no water and when u do find it it's not the swimmable type. There was one dog on the trail this year and she was pretty miserable in the dessert. Her owner took awesome care making sure she didn't get over heated but it made it harder on mom. Not only did she have to carry twice as much water and food for the Stink, but she also had to do really short days when Stink wasn't in the mood to hike for whatever reason. Also makes it harder to hitch and get a room in town. Plus when u go to a restaurant the pooch ends up being tied to a post outside for however long or trapped in the hotel room while ur eating out. And then of course there are the places u absolutely can NOT take dogs and u get a hefty fine if u do...the angels love the dogs, but like I was saying...the hotels, parks, rest, etc. I would
 have loved to have a dog with me for most of the trail, but unfortunately I have to agree that it is not a good thing for the dog, especially in the dessert. Hell it was amazingly hot for me and I'm from FL! I couldn't even fathom having a black fur coat on to boot. And there was a few days where I downed way lots of water...how will ur puppy tell u he needs more wnd what if u dont have it close by to give to him? What if he's bit by a rattler and u dont have cell reception in that area? So many factors....it sux but u want what's best for the dog. If u do decided to take him, hit me up and I can give u some advice for helping him out, but I really don't recommend it.

patti Sugar Moma PCT 09!
www.hikestrong2010.com hiking again in 2010 for cancer! 

--- On Wed, 12/30/09, Swope Christopher <sswwooppee at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Swope Christopher <sswwooppee at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] dogs/pets
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 3:07 PM

Gary,

You'll find the whole spectrum of people who love dogs on the trail to  
those that think that they should be banned, from what I can tell.

I lean in the direction of liking dogs, personally, but I'm not  
bringing my dog for two reasons:

1. It makes the hike logistically much harder since dogs are not  
allowed in national parks.

2. Heat stress in desert.

There are labs that drop dead every year here in MN on pheasant opener  
due to heat stress. It would likely being a big issue for you. Labs  
are bred to fetch stuff in cold water not walk long distances in  
desert heat.

Despite all that, people have done it, I heard. I bet a dog with you  
might just help keep some critters away from your campsite.



Swope







On Dec 30, 2009, at 4:26 PM, Gary Wright wrote:

>
> On Dec 30, 2009, at 5:20 PM, Craig Thompson wrote:
>
>> I'm planning to thru-hike in 2011 and have a well behaved lab in  
>> great
>> shape who loves hiking with me.  What is the general feeling among
>> hikers about dogs on the trail? How much of the trail would my dog
>> have to sit out?
>>
>> For those who have thru-hiked with a dog, what did you do with it  
>> when
>> you came to the parks?
>
> Please search the archives for discussion of dogs on the trail.   
> Here is a google search for "pct-l dogs" to get you started: http://tinyurl.com/dogs-on-the-pct
>
> My short answer: It is harder than most dog owners suspect but is  
> doable.
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

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