A well behaved dog on a leash should be allowed on the trail, but not in the shelters, although any dog lover who would attempt to take his dog on a thru hike should be locked up (with Willk who tells that stupid craping in the car lie over and over until their ears bleed).
the Hobo
If you can avoid possible problems and issues about having a dog on the trail, why not avoid them altogether by leaving the dog at home. Its not a “take the dog for a walk” trip. Plus many people don’t like dogs that get into their space, me included.
misqua
I thru-hiked in 06 at various times with 3 different guys who had their dogs, and all three (people) finished. For the most part, the dogs were well-behaved, but other dogs on the Trail were not. Something that hasn’t been mentioned is places where dogs are not allowed, so boarding is required. The Smokies, Shenandoah NP, and Baxter SP are at least 3, there may be more.
Mango
Someone above said shelters are for humans.
That is mostly true.
They are also for dogs that die as a result of peeing on my gear.
randyg45
Too often, blame for bad behavior by a dog is placed only on the owner. True, the owner is responsible for the acts of its dog. But there are times when action must be taken against the offending animal itself.
For example, my girlfriend has a neighbor who took in an abandoned mutt. This mutt destroys anything that it can get its teeth on, and carries off anything else that it can’t chew to pieces. Last week, I put out some Halloween decorations. A few hours later, they were gone. The neighbor admitted to finding them in shreds. She hid the evidence rather than fess up initially. When I confronted her later, she said “its only a little dog.”
Then, a couple of nights later, her mutt teamed up with another stray that was hanging around and tried to attack our cat. I saw this in progress and kicked the damn dog. It yelped and the neighbor later cried because I had defended our cat. What did she expect?
If I’m on the trail and a dog pees in my boots, I’m gonna “off” the mutt. Same with any human who cries about it. Willk (above) was too lenient. He should have shot that first mutt after the owners turned away rather than restrain it.
Dogged
there should be specific trails set aside for dog owners who take there dogs , but I think they should be seprate from the regular hiking trails, I feel the same way about mountain bikes.
the Hobo
Just a warning for all you tough guys threating dogs. I have trained my dog to carry a hand gun and he is an excellent shot and will defend himself. He will pee where ever he wants!!
Dog Lover
For all of you guys making threats to hurt dogs! My dog is a marksman with a handgun and he will defend himself. P>S> he will pee where ever he wants and you will like it.
Dog lover
To the second The Hobo and the second Dog Lover. You should change your trail names. Somebody is already using them and posted just before you.
mango