HikeArizona.COM

Just had to share this, it was too good....

This is my favorite one from the Kane Ranger Station, Grand Gulch Utah.

Outdoor Lover wrote:Oh the stories I could tell, why do you think the coyotes up on South Mountain are so well fed?
It certainly isn't from "leftover" food that people toss....

We need to find a way to make this happen in the Gilbert Riparian Preserve.

@PLC

No, but you can sure get in their wallets!

@Kevin

Do you need to import some coyotes? Go to Sun City, they'll love you for it....

Here's a couple of sites to make your own signs:

Highway Shield Generator
http://www.kendrick.org/ShieldsUp/default.aspx
Warning Sign Generator
http://www.warningsigngenerator.com/

@Outdoor Lover
I'm just honestly curious. How is it you ascertain the relative intelligence of the dog owner before you ticket them? You seem to imply that you only ticket "dumb" dog owners. I know Liz added the stupid soliloquy (did I spell right Liz?) which caught on to the forum masses. You then replied to Paul's (Plc92084) stupid comment saying you sure can take them for their money. Your replies although I suspect are in jest reflect poorly on what you do. I don't disagree that there are people who are irresponsible with their pets especially on trails. I also know there are uninformed people and inexperienced people seeking to get outdoors and more of these people taking their pets with them. Ignorance begets ignorance. I know a lot of intelligent people with poorly mannered and trained dogs. I've also seen a few prison programs where dogs are socialized and trained by inmates as well as mental health group homes where people with IQs which are significantly below the bell curve of normal intelligence have very well socialized and mannered pets. Which brings me back to my original point. Are ticketing individuals for rule infractions or because they are dumb?

I think we are just kiddin' around. ;) But my rant reflected past experience with dogs on the trail. Needless to say, I didn't pull an IQ test out of my backpack and hand it to the dog owners. I got away from them quickly in order to get away from their dogs!

Plus I really meant it when I said I admire Outdoor Lover for her job. It is not something I could do, hand out citations to dog owners, who might get very angry.

@bart01
First of all, I would like to apologize because I generated a post that took this thread "off topic" and I let my humor get a little carried away. It will not happen again.

Second, no, I don't just ticket dumb people and I certainly do not gauge anyone's IQ by where they live or who they are. I also ticket normally Responsible Dog Owners that make mistakes. We all make mistakes with our dogs and sometimes other people are affected or injured by our poor decisions. Actually compared to some members of my squad, I write very few tickets, I tend to give people a warning first, unless the dog has caused property damage or injury to another, and then I have no choice, but to write. I personally do not even like writing tickets unless the person is truly and purposefully reckless and endangers the public, other animals, or even the safety of their own dog. Tickets mean alot of extra paperwork for me, and I would rather be out taking animals off the street that need to be off the street, either for the public's safety or for their own safety and well being, than sitting at a computer writing reports.

What I meant by getting in the wallets of stupid people was just that. Sometimes you can warn people and warn people and warn people and they just don't get it. The only way to get them to sit up and pay attention is when it finally costs them some money. In my opinion, people with any common sense, would never let it get that far especially since the majority of the tickets that I do write are criminal. They stay on your record forever, on top of the fines you have to pay. I think most people know the implications and problems that can create for you down the road, but some people just don't think about consequences until it's too late, and then they are angry at you for doing your job.

I could tell you endless stories of people that have not used, or flat out ignored common sense, and it has resulted in dire consequences for either themselves, or unfortunately someone else. I have a fellow officer with a permanent disability, due to such lack of good judgement.

I myself applaud the programs that rehab dogs through Prison Programs, it rehabs the Prisoners as well. I also would never stereotype someone who is mentally ill as someone with an IQ lower than the norm. Some of our most brilliant Scientists have suffered from Mental Illness or were Savants. Mental Illness is actually a physical disease as is autism and other birth defects affecting learning and social skills and dogs have been found to be excellent means of therapy in helping these people lead normal, productive lives.

So bart01, I will close this subject on this public forum, again apologizing for any impropriety or offense that my attempt at a humorous thread may have caused and if you would like to explore this topic further, please feel free to PM me any time. I too, make mistakes, but I try to learn from them and I will not comment any further about my occupation on this public forum. Thank you for "drawing the line". Everyone's opinion and comments are always welcome and appreciated.

Pam

I think HAZ should have a "most articulate post of the month" award, and I hereby award it to you! That was very well-written, well-thought-out and full of heart as well!

I totally agree with Liz outdoor lover and I suspect that you could write a very interesting book from your experiences. If you are not doing so please begin a journal and begin recording on a day to day basis with the thought in mind that you someday may want to share some of those choice and bitter moments.

Outdoor Lover wrote:First of all, I would like to apologize because I generated a post that took this thread "off topic" and I let my humor get a little carried away...

Hey Pam, ! I don't think an apology is necessary, and your posts seem very reasonable and well-thought-out.

Since you're relatively new to HAZ, I thought I would introduce you to one of several "hot-topics" that have been discussed at some length in the forum, as you may find it interesting, and certainly could add thought and insight to it. It's all about hiking with dogs off-leash:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3917

When you're done with that one, you can also read the naked hiking and firearms threads.

Pam, you have a long way to go before you become a total interweb screwup like me.
Welcome to the party and btw, I worked hard here to become Feral Kitty Kopelli... ;)

Alston Neal wrote:Pam, you have a long way to go before you become a total interweb screwup like me.
Welcome to the party and btw, I worked hard here to become Feral Kitty Kopelli... ;)

Yeah, and he has the scratches to prove it!

@Alston Neal You can have the cats, lol! I would rather have a dog's jaw clamped on my leg than be attacked by a cat! LOL! They don't fight fair, it's like they're double jointed or something.....I like Cats, don't get me wrong, but I sure hate having to handle the unsocial ones, man! I have seen more people hospitalized for Cat Bites than any other animal type injury. Wow! I'd really enjoy hearing your story sometime...

@chumley I've already visited the Naked Hiking forum....
I'll have to check out the Firearms topic, depending on what the specific subject about Firearms is, I just might have something to say there....
Thanks for the link to the Off Leash Topic, I'll check that one out too.

I want to thank all of you for making me feel so welcome here. You guys have been awesome and it's always interesting to read everyone's thoughts on a subject or two, or ten...I applaud everyone's points and opinions, regardless of whether I agree or not, that's the beauty of forums such as this. I really like that I have somewhere I can go, meet real people, and learn so much more about the Outdoors and the "Sport" of hiking. I have always done the "Touristy" hiking, you know, the paved parking lot, and the .8 mile trail to the lake type. But I really want to get more involved with it, I know there are so many places out there that most people never get to see unless you really "hoof" it, and I want to see them. I am an AZ native and until about 13 years ago, I'd hadn't really seen much in this state. I was lucky then, I did State Highway work for 6 years and it took me all over the state and I "found" mountain ranges that I never knew existed here and got to explore alot of them in my "off" time. Got to see quite a bit of New Mexico too.

I feel like I have enrolled in a new school and am hoping that this Site and you guys will volunteer to be my teachers so that I can truly "live" the Outdoors and survive to talk about it.... I know I'm not ready to accompany some of you on those 4.5 trail for 40 miles in a day, lol! But I would like to get there....

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and for "humoring" me and allowing me to return the favor. And just know that I can take it just as fast as I can dish it out.

Pam

Outdoor Lover wrote:@Alston Neal Wow! I'd really enjoy hearing your story sometime...

Careful what you ask for! :roll:
viewtopic.php?f=69&t=5811

This is still my favorite....


Bwahahahaha

@Alston Neal
That's your handwriting, isn't it!?

PLC92084 wrote:@Alston Neal
That's your handwriting, isn't it!?

Nope! It's spelt right.

@chumley
Believe it or not, I just read that entire thread, before I saw your note, lol! And Liz just opened it again with a doozy, lol!

@Alston Neal
You know I like Cats as long as their nice and friendly, and I am a huge animal lover in general, but sometimes "sick" humor manages to override all of the love. I think the phrase "You either laugh or cry" fits. It's so shocking that you can't help but laugh at the imagination. It's not like it's hurting the cat any.... By the way, your favorite thread is back open....

Speaking of humor in tragic situations, here's an example for you. I went and helped the ASPCA with the Animal Emergency during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We went in October, a full two months after the devastation hit and worked in Saint Bernard Parrish, one of the hardest hit counties. By this time, they were starting to let residents back in during the day to do whatever they could do with their homes and belongings. But the residents had to be out of the Quarantine area by nightfall. Well, it was apparent that some of the residents had the same thought about their situation as depicted in the picture below. "You either laugh or you cry". I guess some of them decided to laugh. I know we did, it was too heavy there, you had to do something....

@Outdoor Lover
Ahhhhhhh! That's funny!!!!

Alston Neal wrote:This is still my favorite....


Bwahahahaha