[pct-l] Hiking the trail with your dog

[yogilists at hotmail.com (yogi yogi)]

Sorry Dave, but you're not getting it.  To make a statement comparing PCT 
dogs to Iditarod dogs is laughable.  You're comparing apples to oranges.

The dogs on the PCT are not the Indian dogs you saw hiking 18 miles in 
blazing heat.  The dogs on the PCT are not Iditarod dogs.  PCT dogs live in 
people's houses.  They are pets.  They run around at the park on the 
weekends.  The dog owners think the PCT would be a fun adventure (which it 
is), and they selfishly force their dogs to come along.  It's not about the 
dog hiking the PCT.  It's about the person who forces the dog to hike the 
PCT.  The dog doesn't have a choice.

I have never seen a dog on the PCT who even slightly appeared to enjoy 
hiking with a dog pack.  Sometimes at breaks, the PCT dogs bark and wag 
their tails.  Sure, they'll chase a thrown stick, because that's what 
they've always done.  But as soon as you put that pack on, and they 
instantly adopt a stance that any fool can see as the dog saying, "come on, 
man, don't make me do this again."

Horses, burros, mules, llamas, goats???  Perhaps you could start a new 
thread.  The topic of this thread is dogs.

I usually don't jump into these threads which are reborn every few months.  
The two sides to this issue will never agree.  It just seems to me that 
those of us who feel that dogs shouldn't be forced to hike the PCT care more 
about the well-being of the dogs than the dog owners do.

And that is all.

yogi

----------------------------------
Sorry Yogi, but you are being dogmatic on this. To make a blanket statement
that ALL dogs don't want to hike just doesn't make sense. I've seen Indian 
dogs
GLADLY hike 18 miles in the blazing heat. No one forced them to. Some people
have mentioned the Iditirod dogs
How does one know whether horses want to hike. Or burros or mules or llamas
or goats.
   I don't own a dog. Some dogs are a real pain on the trail. Some aren't.
Kind of like people. Some dogs shouldn't be on the trail because they aren't
trail wise when it comes to coyotes and rattle snakes. Some people shouldn't 
be
on the trail. I thought some people would finally "get it" when they 
suffered
terrible blisters and decide that different footwear just might be the 
answer.
But they don't. They just assume whatever they are suffering from is the 
norm
and nothing can be done about it except toughing it out. A dog will refuse 
to
hike if he has such foot ailments. Therefore I must conclude that some dogs
are smarter than some people. They KNOW when to let it go and say enough is
enough
   David C

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