[pct-l] dogs on the trail (Long)

Mon Feb 16 19:40:22 CST 2009

I've had more than that, and I agree, it's not the dog's fault.  The owner 
lets the dog run ahead and has no idea I am coming.  By the time the owner 
arrives I have either made friends with the dog or am deciding whether or 
not to stick the dog, but so far it ussually turns out OK.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "montypct" <montypct at gmail.com>
To: "Thatcher Koch" <ironlegs at pacbell.net>; "Bob Bankhead" 
<wandering_bob at comcast.net>
Cc: <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] dogs on the trail (Long)


>I have had more than 10 negative encounters with dogs on the PCT.
> I have heard "He's never done that before." about 5 times.
>
> It's not the DOG that needs to be disciplined.
> It's the owner making the threat.
>
> Warner Springs Monty
>
>
> Lightweight Backpacking
> The fun goes up when the weight goes down
> -Warner Springs Monty
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Thatcher Koch" <ironlegs at pacbell.net>
> To: "Bob Bankhead" <wandering_bob at comcast.net>
> Cc: <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
> Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 3:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] dogs on the trail (Long)
>
>
>> you got that right! i carry an ice ax and i will use it.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Bob Bankhead <wandering_bob at comcast.net>
>> To: Marion Davison <mardav at charter.net>; Pacific Crest Trail List
>> <pct-l at backcountry.net>
>> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 7:08:03 PM
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] dogs on the trail  (Long)
>>
>> Short reply: any dog that attacks me (or anyone with me) on the trail is 
>> a
>> DEAD dog.
>>
>>
>>
>> --- Original Message ----- 
>>  From: Marion Davison
>>  To: Pacific Crest Trail List
>>  Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 6:52 PM
>>  Subject: Re: [pct-l] dogs on the trail (Long)
>>
>>
>>  I hike with llamas, so I really hate to meet unfriendly and unmonitored
>>  dogs on the trail.  They constitute an extreme hazard to my stock.Many
>>  dogs don't know what a llama is, so their first reaction is to bark
>>  angrily.
>>  Too many people let their dogs run loose way ahead and sometimes out of
>>  sight and don't know what the dogs are doing.  When I see loose dogs and
>>  no people in sight, I start hollering for the people to collect their
>>  dog.  If people see us coming and don't immediately get their loose dog
>>  under control, I politely ask them to do so.
>>
>>  In 2003 we did two long section hikes in Yosemite and SeKi totalling 40
>>  nights.  On 8 of those nights we had a bear in our camp.  Since some of
>>  these bears looked on my llamas as a tasty snack, and a bear killed
>>  someone else's llama while we were in SeKi, we were very uncomfortable
>>  with the bears.  So, since then, we have hiked outside the parks on
>>  other sections of PCT and adjoining trails, and we have brought a medium
>>  or large dog with us as a herd guard.  We have not seen a single bear
>>  for the last 5 years, so I agree that, outside the parks, a dog is a
>>  great bear deterrent.  Bear hunters  sometimes use dogs, so bears
>>  outside the parks associate dogs with mortal danger.
>>  On the other hand, coyotes are attracted to our dog in camp.  They will
>>  come right into camp as soon as it is fully dark, calling loudly, trying
>>  to attract our dog out into the open away from camp.  We have been told
>>  that the coyotes want to jump the dog and have her for dinner.  So when
>>  we hear coyotes howl we immediately bring our dog into our tent.  The
>>  coyotes give up and leave eventually.
>>
>>  When I am allowed to let my dog walk loose, I do, and I have trained her
>>  to ignore other hikers and stock.  This took time and patient training
>>  when she was young.  I won't allow her to bark at or approach other
>>  hikers and she has to stay by my stock as we walk.
>>  When I am in an area where I have to have her on a leash, I do, but I am
>>  constantly aware that this puts me in danger.  On rough trails I have
>>  fallen a few times because of the actions of my leashed dog, and got
>>  pretty badly bruised/scraped up a couple of times.  It is annoying when
>>  hiking through leash required areas when we meet so many people who
>>  aren't obeying the law, and their loose dog rushes up to my leashed dog.
>>
>>  One day as I hiked past someone's camp on the Tahoe section of the PCT,
>>  his loose dog rushed out and bit me on the leg.  I was not thrilled by
>>  that experience either.
>>
>>  I took my  medium size short haired dog on a section hike of Section D
>>  in late March.  She was doing fine on the cooler days at the higher
>>  elevations, but on the last day hiking from North Fork to Soledad canyon
>>  the temperature was 100 degrees, and she was totally suffering.  She
>>  also picked up dozens of ticks in the chapparal which took about a week
>>  to remove.  The ticks didn't get us, just her.  I often take my big dog
>>  on Section C hikes in the Spring and she hasn't found any ticks yet,
>>  thank goodness.  But I check her very carefully after every trip.
>>  _______________________________________________
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>>
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