[pct-l] Hiking the trail with your dog

[mceverj at qwest.net (Jim McEver)]

With all the concern about the dogs, how about us hikers who encounter
said dogs on the trail. 

I was day-hiking by Burnt Lake early one AM, on the way to Zigzag Mtn
near Mt Hood a couple of summers ago, when I was accosted by a snarling
dog on the trail. Now this was not a pleasing circumstance, especially
when dogs are expressly forbidden the the Wilderness (check the signs at
the trailhead). I don't hold this against the dog - it's owners were
camped nearby and still in the sack, and it was just doing its doggy
thing and being protective. Might well have been a nice dog under other
circumstances.

"Oh, don't worry, he's OK," I heard from the depths of a sleeping bag.

Yeah, right - most dogs I know raise their hackles and bare their teeth
when they are preparing to jump in your lap and lick your face. At that
point, I was tempted to give the dog some reason to be protective, but
that's not how we want the world to be, so I just insisted that they get
out of bed and secure the dog so I could pass safely.

So no harm done, but I'm still pissed to this day, and I'm against
unleashed dogs in the woods for this reason, if for no others. To my
mind, extremely rude and insensitive on the part of the owners, but I
guess in this land of "rights" it's not cool to think about
responsibilities.

Jim McEver