it might of been different if there was a group of hikers with a dog or two?
usually hitched by ourselves
This past June I started a SoBo with my Newfoundland. We hike often here in the south and she is a great GREAT hiking companion. But the terrain in the south is nothing like Maine. Her boots wouldn't stay on and her paws were torn up before we were out of the Wilderness. Also, even as agile as she is, there are climbs and rock faces that I had to remove her pack and throw her up. She weighs 111 lbs! Am I sorry I took her? Hell no. We had a good time. But I brought her home from Monson and we've been hiking here (southeast). This June I'll go again - alone this time. I may have her with me in the south but she won't go further north than Harper's Ferry. It ain't the walking that gets her, we do 10-15 miles a day here easily - it's the terrain that gets 'em.
Just read all the post more thoroughly - StonedFlea made appoint about pads gettin tougher for through hike dogs. We did start in the worst of it so Grace didn't have a chance to toughen before we were on the granite. Perhaps if we had gone NoBo she wouldn't have had as much problem - going NoBo will increase your chances of making it.
the thought is that crazy people don't keep pets. if you have a pet you can't be crazy, right?
(that's why you're getting those rides)
this counter-logic can be used by the rest of us...just pull out the old cell phone and act like you're talking into it while you casually thumb a ride. works for me every time. remember, crazy people can't have cell phones. (this was taught to be by matthewski, so..you know, take that for what it's worth).
What a great welcome!
This is the first tread I've read on this site and it almost made me go else where for information. Clearly not everyone is a dog lover, but it was the comment about dogs doing the Iditarod that keep me reading despite the many negative comments.
I'm planning to do a section hike this Spring. I never once thought about not bringing a dog. My thoughts were more about which dog to bring. My reason for starting to read this post was to make sure that I target an area that is dog friendly as I sit here planning. And it sounds like I have since I wasn't considering any of the areas mentioned as restricting access for dogs.
I understand the concerns that some may have for dogs out on a long journey. Even in mushing there are people who don't make the proper preparations for the sport and/or the proper care of their dogs on the trial. I've also been victim of other people's concerns. I've been a mid-distance musher a quite a few years, but there is a difference between me and most mid-distancers. I've been running with only half as many dogs (2, 3, and this year finally at least 4 compared to teams of 6 or more). I've experienced the doubts of others on whether we will finish. I've heard the what about your dogs concerns. But now I have people who will vouch for my experience on the trail and my dogs' abilities to do what other teams can't or haven't tried.
My best advice to all is to know your dog, watch your dog, learn how they move when they are healthy. You'll know when something is wrong if you are watching.
Also, I recommend possibly doing some research on dog sledding. It could be a great benchmarking opportunity to help prepare for a long distance endurance activity. A good musher's first concern is always for their dogs, I would guess a good hiker's would be as well. The sport of mushing has a lot of information on dog paws and injuries, feeding tips, training, and more that might provide some great tips for distance hikers and their dogs. Also there are some mushers that use backpacking with their dogs as away to keep the dogs in shape over the summer months.
I know I'm not thru-hiking, so what do I know, but I'm confident that we'll be prepared for our week long trip this Spring. Well at least the dog I decide to take will be after coming off dog sledding season and pulling my lazy butt around all winter. I can't say the same for me riding on the sled all winter...although I will say, I do a lot of work helping on the trail compared to other mushers because of the small size of my team.
For what it is worth, I like the idea of having a friend or family member pickup and take care of your dog while you hike the no-dogs-allowed areas. Being with someone the dog knows would be less stressful for them.
Good thing Slo Go'un didn't give advice to the great explorers, inventors, etc of the past. His advice would have been "oh, just give it up".
Most interesting post JT..... In high school I read a non fiction book about a GI who was able to get past MP's on the base by simply holding a small stack of letters and a 8 x 11 piece of paper - and walking briskly into areas he would not be allowed in.Originally Posted by Johnny Thunder
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
There's not a good answer to your post WImusher other than welcome. The naysayers never touched the Toss at the top of the thread about negative posts and clearly do not know much about dog - dog behavior - or possibly own one... Its human nature to speak out and dismiss what we don't understand or put down. - This is the INTERNET and folks can come on a say things that they never would say in public unless they were drunk and over fifty.
And yes - if you spends some serious time with your dog and get to know the signals and behaviours and walk the dog up to 15 -20 miles a day they love you or will sit down on the fourth mile... its not Rocket Science.
Yet if you come down the trail and there is a guy with a dog and no leash we are assumed to be a terrorist. Yet I use a radio collar at times - there no visible leash. It has a lot to do with education. Not the dog - The guy in the street. Even Ceasar Milan did a show to educate Postal Workers!
CEASAR
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Just wanted to mention (as a disabled person with a service dog) that you're under no obligation to prove your disability to anyone at any time. Not even rangers, not even TSA security screeners. My pit bull is always a big hit on flights.
dont be getting any foolish ideas
it's a FELONY offense to impersonate a disabled person, AND/OR have your dog
impersonate a service dog. Punishable by huge fines and prison time.
be honest, and do what is right
the law is actually very loose here. the governing legislative statute is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)dont be getting any foolish ideas
it's a FELONY offense to impersonate a disabled person, AND/OR have your dog
impersonate a service dog. Punishable by huge fines and prison time.
be honest, and do what is right
as stated in the ADA ( http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm#anchor62335 ):
"
To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.
"
I don't have any legal precedents to cite regarding an individual claiming rights under the ADA and their classification as a 'person with a disability' being legally called into question, so i cant say what a court/judge would think about someone without official registration as handicapped or disabled claiming such rights. If you can cite one i'd be very interested to hear the story. As far as my reading has turned up, theres not much precedent for strict interpretation of the above language.
ADA in regards to service animals ( http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm ):
"
How “Service Animal” Is Defined
Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.
...
Service Animals Must Be Under Control
Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.
Inquiries, Exclusions, Charges, and Other Specific Rules Related to Service Animals
- When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.
"
I don't encourage lying in order to take advantage of legal loopholes (we already have enough lawyers doing that everyday), but in the case of a person who may have a mental disability (which can range anywhere from social disphoria to Alzheimer's in legal definition) and uses their dog as a coping method, I could see where it could end up being a tricky issue for a court to figure out.
Just my two cents and the official language.
Long story short, I think I'm just going to leave GSMNP and the Baxter State Park off of my list of planned section hikes for now. My dog agrees. ;-)
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
@Lea hey what kind of dog do you have and give us pic of him/her (if you did this earlier I got loss in the thread) just ignore. I am not in a position at this time to have a large dog (landlord sucks) and my chihuahua is not a hiker I would have to carry her but I do love to follow the dog threads and if you do a journal on Trailjournals.com send a link I would love to follow even if you start now with the training of both you and the dog. Happy Trails to both of you.
If you can’t fix it with duct tape or a beer; it ain’t worth fixing
Some of these may apply:
FS 414.39 Fraud, F.S. 68.081 Florida's False Claims Act
California Penal Code Section 365.7
here is a brief roundup of state laws, Right hand column for impersonating a disabled person
http://www.animallaw.info/articles/d...nimaltable.htm
Oddly enough none of the states that the AT runs thru seem to have A Fake service animal law, and the Federal Code is so vague on the subject, you could get arrested by a zelous federal officer, but I suspect you would be released Quickly for the dog, But if you are not disabled, the false statement you made to a law enforcement officer would stick and that could cost you 5 years in federal prison
Not A good hiking story
No if you read the book about dogs - there are a few dog loving folk that work with you to pick up and deliver at various points along the trail. The information is lost to me - but I know there are folk here on WB who might remember the addresses and contacts
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
I'm new to white blaze.net & I'm not planning a thru hike at the time, but I just can't seem to get enough of the trail journals! Never thought I'de be spending hours on end reading daily journals where ya walk, and walk... It's dragging me in, oh nooo! Ha ha!Anyhow, you have probably already found this and other canine friendly journals, but in the event that you have not: I just read Solophile's AT journal. She did a thru-hike with her dog Micah in 1997.Her website is:http://solophile.com/She has a quick bio along with daily journal entries. Best part is that she included her gear and Micah's pack which I found to be fun to mentally pick through. Now I'm searching for more AT stuff to read... I guess I could go hike a local trail but that would be feeding the monster and I don't know if I'm ready for that... Maybe I'll just take the dog for a jog.
And now I know Quick Reply ignors the enter/return key as paragraph separation. Oh well, correct address is http://solophile.com/
Are you using a smartphone or tablet/ipad to post comments? For some reason comments made using these devises seem to end up getting posted as one paragraph, with all of the enter/returns taken out.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
. Yup, thanks, that must be it, silly iPad. I'll have to try my next post on tapatalk.
the smpky mountain national park changed some policies and allow dogs on all but three trails check to see how close they are to the at and if they are make a couple of adjustments to your trail plan thats what im doing check the great smoky mountains national park dog friendly section
thats what im doing
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