[pct-l] Dogs on the trail

[Luce Cruz]

On Sun, Mar 18, 2018 at 5:33 PM, carol bruno <carolwbruno at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I have been section hiking for many years and have northern California,
> portions of southern Oregon and Washington remaining.  I would like to hear
> from section and/or thru hikers who have brought their dogs along.



Some people just don't like dogs. Some people just don't like other
people's dogs. Some like dogs, but don't want to see them running around
loose in wilderness areas. Some are afraid they might get hurt, not
necessarily because your dog will bite them, but they could knock people
over or cause them to trip.

I have a German Shepherd. Some folks are afraid of dogs, and especially
afraid of "attack" type dogs. My dog has never hurt anyone and isn't
trained to do so, but some folks are really scared of her. That's not their
problem to deal with, it's mine. Keep her on a leash, move her away from
people, keep her under control, quiet, and clean up after all of her
messes. I bury her poop just like I bury mine according to LNT practices.

I think people want to have their own experiences out in the woods, and for
the most part don't want to share yours, or share it with your dogs. Keep
them quiet and under control, and that will help a lot. Keep that in mind
and you'll probably do OK.

You're gonna have to carry their food if you haven't taught them to carry
some weight themselves using doggie backpacks. I'm working on that with my
dog. I'm also training her to hunt truffles and mushrooms.

-- 
Luce Cruz