Dogs on the trail... sans leash...

[Thoreau]

I had an 'interesting' experience today while hiking Thompson Peak that I think illustrates at least one reason why leash laws/rules exist.

Let me start out by saying that if something as simple as this got my heart racing the way it did, I can't even imagine what it would be like to be dealing with a human instead of a dog (and Harold Fish had to deal with BOTH)...

Anywho, I was out on the trail to Thompson Peak today. Great hike (holy s&&& it was steep towards the end!) and all went well. Until about a mile or two from the end on my way back out.

I was coming up a hill and looked up to see a pretty good sized dog at the top. I had enough time to notice that it had tags hanging from a collar, so was able to immediately rule out stray and wild animal, which almost set me at ease. Unfortunately, the dog (looked to be a doberman mix of some type) noticed me and began growling/barking. No owner in sight. A few seconds later the dog made some false charges in my direction at which point my hand went to my H&K. JUST as it was about to come out of the holster, the owner appeared at the top of the hill on a mountain bike and managed to get the dog back under voice control and to back off (took 2-3 tries to get the dogs obedience.)

Owner apologized immediately and all was well, but that's probably because he never noticed I was carrying.

In that short time, I was amazed at how something so minor could pump that much adrenaline into the bloodstream. I've never even been charged at by a dog before in my life, but even while armed it was an experience to remember.

Why the hell do some dog owners think it's okay for them to let their dogs off leash in public places? I mean, it's not like every hiking trail, preserve, forest, etc. doesn't have signs up reminding people that dogs must always be on a leash. That's as much for the protection of other people as the dog/owner. That poor dog, through NO fault of its own, was only about 1-2 seconds away from being introduced to a .40 (or 14). All because some owner can't follow simple, basic rules.

For added fun, all that dog's barking got the attention of a nearby pack of coyotes who were then singing away for the remainder of my hike out. As if native wildlife isn't reason enough for a caring dog owner to keep the dog under control at all times...

[PaleoRob]

Maybe they mean 22mm?

[PLC92084]

Maybe they mean 22mm?

We have got to hike together sometime...

[Al_HikesAZ]

... (Though I don't think I would take on a grizzly with "at least a .22" as they suggest ...)

You don't have to shoot the grizzly. Shoot one of your hiking partners in the leg and outrun 'em. Maybe that's why nobody wants to hike with me anymore. :A1:

[VVebb]

Sometimes they thank me and put the dog back on leash, other times they scowl at me and tell me to mind my own freakin business, and I continue on with my hike.

I have a medium-sized (55-lb) dog who has never shown aggression toward people, except when a group of three children that I didn't know showed up inside my fenced yard and specifically at my open front door. (Not sure if my dog sensed her owners' reactions to unexpected visitors in our open doorway, but that's the only time she's ever growled at people, and boy was she upset.)

My personal rules are: (1) Only let her off-leash in low-hiking-traffic, (2) keep her within my view (e.g. NOT cresting the next hill so that other hikers see her before they see me), and (3) and as soon as I see/hear other hikers, I call her to me, hold her collar, and ask the other hikers if they'd like me to leash her.

The whole point of letting a dog off-leash is that it's more comfortable for the dog and the owner, so my method balances those interests with the comfort of other hikers. Maybe I'm a bad person for it, but I guess I forsake the letter of the law and honor the spirit of the law.

[Tough_Boots]

@VVebb

that sounds reasonable to me!

[Jeffshadows]

You may be only the second responsible dog owner I have encountered in a sea of irresponsible ones...

[joebartels]

Woman says dog was attacked by man with golf club while hiking Phoenix trail

https://www.azfamily.com/news/woman-say ... d32dc.html


[ Mormon Trail - South Mountain ]

Beyoncé - Put a Leash on it?

[LindaAnn]

The woman who owns the dog needs to keep it on a leash. I hate encountering off-leash dogs when I hike. I don’t want a dog walking up to me or my kids, trying to lick my hand, whatever. HOWEVER, it seems like the guy hiking with a golf club was looking to hit a dog at the first opportunity he felt was justified. Based on one side of the story, I think he was way out of line in hitting the dog.

As aside note, I’m guessing the dog that was bit by a rattler near Wave Cave last week was probably off leash too. None of the articles I read said one way or the other, but I’m assuming the dog was far enough ahead and was able to stick its face in a bush that it wasn’t on a leash.

[RowdyandMe]

@LindaAnn
I agree He was looking to hit or kill something on the trail. Maybe he really wanted to find and kill a Rattlesnake or something. There is no reason to have a golf club on a trail. And then I wonder if this would have happened if it was a man with a dog vs a woman?

[Hansenaz]

I like dogs. People can be trouble though....

[Alston_Neal]

@Hansenaz
Tus still isn't sure about you, she likes the Mrs. HansenAZ though.

[Hansenaz]

@Alston_Neal
Our two cats, who I feed everyday, jump for joy when they see my wife and one sits on her lap 24/7. They both avoid me.

[The_Eagle]

They both avoid me.

Smart Cats.
I've never put those two words together, signed, Dog Owner

[RowdyandMe]

@PaleoRob
Bring beer

[chumley]

@RowdyandMe what should he bring? A time machine?
Has he posted in this thread in the past 8 years?

[Tough_Boots]

I’m guessing the dog that was bit by a rattler near Wave Cave last week was probably off leash too. None of the articles I read said one way or the other, but I’m assuming the dog was far enough ahead and was able to stick its face in a bush that it wasn’t on a leash.

I've almost stepped on a dozen rattlers as has any avid hiker in Arizona. Any leashed dog could easily stick its nose too close to one.

[LindaAnn]

@Tough_Boots I said I was assuming. You can come to your own assumptions. Either way, she didn’t have control of the dog, or the leash was too long. A leashed dog bit my hand (second dog bite in a little over a year) on South Mountain in December—it lunged at me and the owner didn’t control it. I gave that dog a hard kick in the face. Just because something is on a leash doesn’t mean it’s under control. Not even two weeks after that, another leashed dog tried to bite a friend on a different SoMo trail. That owner even admitted his dog was aggressive.

[Tough_Boots]

@LindaAnn
That's a bummer you've had bad experiences with dogs but I don't see what that has to do with whether or not a dog on a lead could get bit or not. I'm not making any assumptions-- I'm just saying another scenario is possible. That dog may or may not have been on leash.

[LindaAnn]

@Tough_Boots Isn’t the whole point of this thread about dogs on/off leash? My comments are in line with that, and not off topic. I gave an opinion of mine—that a dog on a leash AND under control, which requires some effort and attention on the owner’s part, has a much lower chance of getting injured, or causing an injury, on a hike—and I mentioned some of the reasons I feel that way, i.e. supporting my opinion. I’ve seen plenty of good owners keep their dogs on leashes short enough, and well-trained enough, that the dogs weren’t attempting to investigate anything off the trail. Yeah, that could have just been an unlucky dog near Wave Cave, and the owner did everything right, but it could also have been the owner not keeping the dog right next to her. As for the golf club incident, the guy seemed to be out of line, BUT, I’d also have been pretty darn annoyed at an unleashed dog running up to my dog. I’d have yelled at the lady too. You tend to only comment on posts when you want to make contrary statements.

[chumley]

You tend to only comment on posts when you want to make contrary statements.

Isn’t this what makes life worth living?