Alpha Dogs: Moye and Chase at an Impasse. Photo: Claudia Chang
Do dogs belong on the trail? Our readers seem to think so—a whopping 82 percent of you said “yes” when we polled you online. But there were some caveats. Dog owners need to act responsibly. So we asked EO contributor Adam Chase and managing editor Jayme Moye to face off over the issue.
Dog Gone
I’m a trail runner. I am not your dog’s chew toy. Nor do I like the smell of your dog’s crap or the sight of your dog’s shit in a bag festering on the side of my trails. And, thank you very little, I don’t really appreciate it when “Dylan” or Marley” goes chasing wildlife while you act all put out for having to repeatedly yell at him despite the fact that he pays you absolutely no mind.
But at least you can see him so that you comply with “voice and sight command” rules right?
Surveys from some of the people who make 4.7 million annual visits to Boulder mountain parks report that dogs, the four-legged accompaniments on one-third of those occasions, are the greatest source of conflict in our public spaces. In fact dog problems account for more than double all other enforcement actions and infractions combined. And we thought rogue mountain bikers were the culprits.
And those enforcement issues don’t even address the many environmental concerns raised by canines and the fact that they expand the radius of their recreating guardians. By their nature, dogs mark territory, bark at and chase down deer and other fauna, and poop. A lot. Not that we should blame dogs for being dogs, even misbehaved ones. It is like encountering bratty children; their spoiled conduct is the fault of the parents, their guardians.
It is too extreme to ban all dogs in open spaces, but the current system makes Boulder feel like one big dog park and I know quite a few parents who are justifiably frightened to take their young children on a hike because they’ve had too many encounters with dogs that either bite or trample the kids.
Perhaps the solution is to have more leash-only trails and increase the enforcement efforts and feces patrols, funding those programs with higher fees for licensing and stiffer fines for violating voice and sight requirements and poop pick-up rules. Alternatively, there could be dog-free days and a schedule like that applicable to mountain bikers on the Betasso Reserve Loop, where they are prohibited two days a week.
Adam Chase is the trail editor of Running Times magazine and a frequent EO contributor.
Dog Days
This is not a new argument. People have been discussing the pros and cons of allowing dogs on trails since I moved to Boulder twelve years ago. And despite all the eloquent debate, it comes down to this: if you don’t like dogs on trails, don’t move to Boulder. Even better, just stay out of Colorado all together. If you were born and raised here, and somehow still despise our community’s off-leash dog policies, consider leaving and moving to Mentor, Ohio, where I came from. There are no trails there, and dogs stay in the house, lying at their owners’ feet through countless reality television episodes, as well as Browns, Cavs and Indians games. You’ll fit right in. The point is, there are dog friendly places and not-so-dog friendly places. If you’re not-so-dog friendly, maybe you’re in the wrong place.
I admit that the issues raised by the anti-canine sect are valid. No one likes dog doo on the trail, or aggressive dogs or clueless owners (er, excuse me, guardians) who let their dogs run rampant after defenseless toddlers, old people and prairie dogs. But the number of people who’ve been negatively impacted by dogs (or their droppings) on Boulder’s open space trails isn’t high enough to be statistically relevant.
There are 99,466 people living in Boulder, according to a December 2009 US Census Bureau estimate. Even if 100 people were annoyed by a dog while hiking on a trail this year, we’re talking 0.1% of the population, hardly enough to waste city time and resources to remedy. So are dogs really the issue? Or is it a handful of people who don’t fit into our healthy, well-educated, dog-friendly, oasis at the foot of the Rocky Mountains? Surely Boulder wouldn’t have been named the #1 Best City to Raise an Outdoor Kid by Backpacker magazine or the No. 2 Healthiest Town in the US by Men’s Journal or the No. 1 Happiest City by Moneywatch if we had a misbehaved dog epidemic on our hands.
As for competitive athletes like Chase, who can’t bother being slowed down by man’s best friend, I suggest you stick to the trails that don’t allow dogs. For your own peace of mind, and also because no one wants their sweet, old pooch plowed into by an aggro runner who doesn’t brake for furry friends.
Jayme Moye is EO’s managing editor.
Reader Response from the Web
I take my dog with me everywhere I can and I clean up my dog’s poop all the time. But unfortunately, many dog owners are too irresponsible to do this. If nobody cleans up dog poop on the trail, it gets pretty disgusting pretty fast. If you want to let your dog poop all over the place in your back yard, go nuts. But don’t ruin the public trails and parks that others enjoy, as well as give all dog owners a bad reputation because you’re too irresponsible and thick-headed to clean up your dog’s poop! It’s a real shame how some people are so unaccountable for their own and their dog’s actions.
—Jason
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I was raised in Colorado,live in Utah, and travel widely throughout Western backcountry. I grew up with field trial champion dogs, who were obedience trained, not ‘whisperered’. IMO, backcountry dog problems have gotten way out of hand in the last several decades. It’s gotten to the point where every 20-something moves from Jersey or Ohio and buys a big designer dog as part of their mountain lifestyle wardrobe. Then they never train it.
In the last 20 years I’ve been bitten five times while trail running and hiking, three times in the southern Utah national park near my present home – where dogs are prohibited. I’ve had innumerable other dogs growl and lunge at me because owners don’t realize that dogs aren’t ‘family’ or ‘children’, they’re territorial animals that become insecure when in new surroundings and defend ‘their’ space against any outsider they don’t know. And no, I don’t need my crotch sniffed by Tao, or Ajax, or Rando, thank you. When you bring up canine misbehavior, owners invariably get cranky.
I’ve seen companions’ dogs kill wildlife on three separate occasions; two blue grouse in the LaSals above Moab, a marmot outside Crystal, CO, and a red squirrel in the Wind Rivers. These otherwise responsible hikers laughed off those incidents each time. I’ve seen plenty chase deer, birds and marmots.
In the Canadian national parks many trails are open to dogs on leashes. They’re rarely leashed beyond trailhead. The same is true on the Crater Lake Trail near Aspen’s Maroon Bells. I was hiking down from Pyramid Peak three days ago, on that ‘dogs must be leashed at all times’ track. None of the four dogs we encountered was being actively leashed, although two were dragging them. And I get really sick of listening to dogs bark all night in backpacking destinations like the Wind Rivers or Targhee National Forest.
I hear there are responsible dog owners who hike and backpack. But near as I can tell from 45 years of backcountry experience, dog problems are the norm, not the exception, and dogs on the trail are a growing environmental and conflict issue, not tradition.
I was raised in Colorado,live in Utah, and travel widely throughout Western backcountry. I grew up with field trial champion dogs, who were obedience trained, not ‘whisperered’. IMO, backcountry dog problems have gotten way out of hand in the last several decades. It’s gotten to the point where every 20-something moves from Jersey or Ohio and buys a big designer dog as part of their mountain lifestyle wardrobe. Then they never train it.
In the last 20 years I’ve been bitten five times while trail running and hiking, three times in the southern Utah national park near my present home – where dogs are prohibited. I’ve had innumerable other dogs growl and lunge at me because owners don’t realize that dogs aren’t ‘family’ or ‘children’, they’re territorial animals that become insecure when in new surroundings and defend ‘their’ space against any outsider they don’t know. And no, I don’t need my crotch sniffed by Tao, or Ajax, or Rando, thank you. When you bring up canine misbehavior, owners invariably get cranky.
I’ve seen companions’ dogs kill wildlife on three separate occasions; two blue grouse in the LaSals above Moab, a marmot outside Crystal, CO, and a red squirrel in the Wind Rivers. These otherwise responsible hikers laughed off those incidents each time. I’ve seen plenty chase deer, birds and marmots.
In the Canadian national parks many trails are open to dogs on leashes. They’re rarely leashed beyond trailhead. The same is true on the Crater Lake Trail near Aspen’s Maroon Bells. I was hiking down from Pyramid Peak three days ago, on that ‘dogs must be leashed at all times’ track. None of the four dogs we encountered was being actively leashed, although two were dragging them. And I get really sick of listening to dogs bark all night in backpacking destinations like the Wind Rivers or Targhee National Forest.
I hear there are responsible dog owners who hike and backpack. But near as I can tell from 45 years of backcountry experience, dog problems are the norm, not the exception, and dogs on the trail are a growing environmental and conflict issue, not tradition.
I was raised in Colorado,live in Utah, and travel widely throughout Western backcountry. I grew up with field trial champion dogs, who were obedience trained, not ‘whisperered’. IMO, backcountry dog problems have gotten way out of hand in the last several decades. It’s gotten to the point where every 20-something moves from Jersey or Ohio and buys a big designer dog as part of their mountain lifestyle wardrobe. Then they never train it.
In the last 20 years I’ve been bitten five times while trail running and hiking, three times in the southern Utah national park near my present home – where dogs are prohibited. I’ve had innumerable other dogs growl and lunge at me because owners don’t realize that dogs aren’t ‘family’ or ‘children’, they’re territorial animals that become insecure when in new surroundings and defend ‘their’ space against any outsider they don’t know. And no, I don’t need my crotch sniffed by Tao, or Ajax, or Rando, thank you. When you bring up canine misbehavior, owners invariably get cranky.
I’ve seen companions’ dogs kill wildlife on three separate occasions; two blue grouse in the LaSals above Moab, a marmot outside Crystal, CO, and a red squirrel in the Wind Rivers. These otherwise responsible hikers laughed off those incidents each time. I’ve seen plenty chase deer, birds and marmots.
In the Canadian national parks many trails are open to dogs on leashes. They’re rarely leashed beyond trailhead. The same is true on the Crater Lake Trail near Aspen’s Maroon Bells. I was hiking down from Pyramid Peak three days ago, on that ‘dogs must be leashed at all times’ track. None of the four dogs we encountered was being actively leashed, although two were dragging them. And I get really sick of listening to dogs bark all night in backpacking destinations like the Wind Rivers or Targhee National Forest.
I hear there are responsible dog owners who hike and backpack. But near as I can tell from 45 years of backcountry experience, dog problems are the norm, not the exception, and dogs on the trail are a growing environmental and conflict issue, not tradition.
It is absolutely true that dogs behave like dogs. Some bark at strangers. Many chase widllife. Even a well trained and supervised dog (and every dog should be both of these things) is still going to act like a dog. This can be inconvenient for people who don’t much care for dogs and even those who do. It is also true that dogs kill wildlife. My dog is responsible for one ground squirrel fatality so far. Possibly she will kill again over the course of her life. Not as many times as you and I will in that same span simply by living our lives, driving our cars, etc, but she’d definitely like to. We’d rather not.
BUT I have been far more impacted in the backcountry and frontcountry by: drunks, ORVers behaving irresponsibly, ORVers following every single rule they are supposed to abide by, children, cattle!!!!, sheep, RV generators, late night partiers with big bonfires, humans in large numbers, noisy humans in small numbers, hunters who don’t practice good gun safety, hunters who DO practice good gun safety, irresponsible firewood collectors, barbed wire, access restrictions, land damaged because there are no access restrictions, invasive noxious weeds, dammed rivers, an overabundance of Canada geese coating the shoreline with slick green goo, an overabundance of children feeding those same geese bread so they are guaranteed to try to winter over and keep on shitting up the shoreline…..
You get my drift. Yes, my dog is going to impact you. I regret that and I work hard to minimize her impact but I can’t prevent it. She’s a dog. We all impact each other and honestly, if you were going to make a list like I just did, would dogs really be at its top? If so, you are incredibly lucky. You must live in a far more isolated, quiet, well-cared-for part of the world than I do!
It is absolutely true that dogs behave like dogs. Some bark at strangers. Many chase widllife. Even a well trained and supervised dog (and every dog should be both of these things) is still going to act like a dog. This can be inconvenient for people who don’t much care for dogs and even those who do. It is also true that dogs kill wildlife. My dog is responsible for one ground squirrel fatality so far. Possibly she will kill again over the course of her life. Not as many times as you and I will in that same span simply by living our lives, driving our cars, etc, but she’d definitely like to. We’d rather not.
BUT I have been far more impacted in the backcountry and frontcountry by: drunks, ORVers behaving irresponsibly, ORVers following every single rule they are supposed to abide by, children, cattle!!!!, sheep, RV generators, late night partiers with big bonfires, humans in large numbers, noisy humans in small numbers, hunters who don’t practice good gun safety, hunters who DO practice good gun safety, irresponsible firewood collectors, barbed wire, access restrictions, land damaged because there are no access restrictions, invasive noxious weeds, dammed rivers, an overabundance of Canada geese coating the shoreline with slick green goo, an overabundance of children feeding those same geese bread so they are guaranteed to try to winter over and keep on shitting up the shoreline…..
You get my drift. Yes, my dog is going to impact you. I regret that and I work hard to minimize her impact but I can’t prevent it. She’s a dog. We all impact each other and honestly, if you were going to make a list like I just did, would dogs really be at its top? If so, you are incredibly lucky. You must live in a far more isolated, quiet, well-cared-for part of the world than I do!
It is absolutely true that dogs behave like dogs. Some bark at strangers. Many chase widllife. Even a well trained and supervised dog (and every dog should be both of these things) is still going to act like a dog. This can be inconvenient for people who don’t much care for dogs and even those who do. It is also true that dogs kill wildlife. My dog is responsible for one ground squirrel fatality so far. Possibly she will kill again over the course of her life. Not as many times as you and I will in that same span simply by living our lives, driving our cars, etc, but she’d definitely like to. We’d rather not.
BUT I have been far more impacted in the backcountry and frontcountry by: drunks, ORVers behaving irresponsibly, ORVers following every single rule they are supposed to abide by, children, cattle!!!!, sheep, RV generators, late night partiers with big bonfires, humans in large numbers, noisy humans in small numbers, hunters who don’t practice good gun safety, hunters who DO practice good gun safety, irresponsible firewood collectors, barbed wire, access restrictions, land damaged because there are no access restrictions, invasive noxious weeds, dammed rivers, an overabundance of Canada geese coating the shoreline with slick green goo, an overabundance of children feeding those same geese bread so they are guaranteed to try to winter over and keep on shitting up the shoreline…..
You get my drift. Yes, my dog is going to impact you. I regret that and I work hard to minimize her impact but I can’t prevent it. She’s a dog. We all impact each other and honestly, if you were going to make a list like I just did, would dogs really be at its top? If so, you are incredibly lucky. You must live in a far more isolated, quiet, well-cared-for part of the world than I do!
Is it me or is the real issue here just good ol’ fashioned courtesy? As a runner, I make sure I take up no more of the trail than is physically required by my tiny frame when approaching others. If they can’t see me I just open my yapper to announce that I, and often others, are coming through. This is where a dog guardian – whether hiking or running with a canine – should control their pet. No one wants a wet nose, friendly or not, crammed into God knows where.
On the days I’m the slower one on the trail, hiking instead of running, I follow the same logic. If hiking in a group, everyone simply falls in line, Fido and all. It’s not a big deal. I make sure to give room to those that are enjoying the trail at a faster pace. Especially, those 60-year old Boulder Grannies who kick my butt when hiking.
I think it’s that simple. All you have to do is be courteous, whether you have a dog or not.
Oh, and, leave no trace. You know what I’m talking about.
Is it me or is the real issue here just good ol’ fashioned courtesy? As a runner, I make sure I take up no more of the trail than is physically required by my tiny frame when approaching others. If they can’t see me I just open my yapper to announce that I, and often others, are coming through. This is where a dog guardian – whether hiking or running with a canine – should control their pet. No one wants a wet nose, friendly or not, crammed into God knows where.
On the days I’m the slower one on the trail, hiking instead of running, I follow the same logic. If hiking in a group, everyone simply falls in line, Fido and all. It’s not a big deal. I make sure to give room to those that are enjoying the trail at a faster pace. Especially, those 60-year old Boulder Grannies who kick my butt when hiking.
I think it’s that simple. All you have to do is be courteous, whether you have a dog or not.
Oh, and, leave no trace. You know what I’m talking about.
Is it me or is the real issue here just good ol’ fashioned courtesy? As a runner, I make sure I take up no more of the trail than is physically required by my tiny frame when approaching others. If they can’t see me I just open my yapper to announce that I, and often others, are coming through. This is where a dog guardian – whether hiking or running with a canine – should control their pet. No one wants a wet nose, friendly or not, crammed into God knows where.
On the days I’m the slower one on the trail, hiking instead of running, I follow the same logic. If hiking in a group, everyone simply falls in line, Fido and all. It’s not a big deal. I make sure to give room to those that are enjoying the trail at a faster pace. Especially, those 60-year old Boulder Grannies who kick my butt when hiking.
I think it’s that simple. All you have to do is be courteous, whether you have a dog or not.
Oh, and, leave no trace. You know what I’m talking about.
WRT Ms Moye.
Well excuse me for living here long before you ever lived here. WTF,
“If you don’t like dogs on trails, don’t move to Boulder.” Is that
supposed to be an reasoned argument. Even more galling is her “If
you were born and raised here…….consider leaving and moving
to……” slash. Hmm, somehow just because see has arrived she gets
to determine what is right and wrong.
She then proceeds to say dogs only bother toddlers, old people and
prairie dogs. So let me see those of us who are not kids or old folks
who enjoy a run or walk on the local trails must be immune to dogs who
chase, jump up upon or bite (and all three have occurred to me) while
on the trails. It is also always someone else’s dog that is the
malefactor. “My dog would never do that,” i have been told, even
after i was bitten by the dog in front of the owner as i passed them
walking not even running. Under voice control is even more of a
farce, i can not count how many times i have been chased or seen
wildlife along the trail being chased by dogs while the owner yells
and yells and yells to no avail. My favorite is, “Don’t worry
he’s/she’s harmless” as they rip after or towards you barking madly.
Runners and walkers have to treat dogs on trails and in parks as women
treat men in bars, you never know which one will bite you. Caution is
always advised, especially as any folks blithely walk their dogs on 20
ft leashes. Dogs owners think their animals are always kind,
friendly, loving and playful. Sorry but that is not immediately
obvious to anyone running along and watching the dog wander back and
forth, barking, chasing etc. Once bit, twice shy.
As to her “statistics”, it is as Mark Twain said, there are liars,
damn liars and statisticians. Though what she presents does not
qualify as even the basics of good statistical evaluation. Following
her example she should also say our trails are all safe for women as
only a very small percentage are ever bothered, assaulted or raped on
the trails. Thus she belittles any events because they are too
infrequent to matter. Tell that to someone who has been chased or
bitten or assaulted on the trails. BTW i am also sure there are also
enough dog to another dog or dog’s owner to merit note as problems
with dogs on the trails.
She also conflates dog ownership with high rankings in various
publications as best places to live. Now that is real statistics!
Can you say spurious correlation. I guess i could claim that the
great ranking come as a correlation with continued growth and sprawl
which have also increased as the citations of being a great place to
live have occurred. Or traffic congestion or ….or…. or……
Someplace i am sure she thought there was an rational discussion in
there but heck if i can find it. She is like all too many folks who
finally move to the front range, then decide they can say what should
pertain or not in “Their” town. The saddest part of her contentions
is to demean others; e.g., “as for competitive athletes like Chase,
who can’t bother being slowed down by man’s best friend……” This
so graphically illustrates her preoccupation with me myself and i
(which by extensions includes her dogs as a representation of
herself). That is not how true community develops. It is not how a
caring ethic for the shared commons comes into being. We have to
think more broadly about what we do and our responsibilities towards
the greater good.
So is it more than serendipity that in the same edition your
commentary is “Develop the Ethic”. Do dogs belong in the wilderness?
If you want an modern dog as a companion, understand that they are not
wilderness animals. They have as much place in the wilderness as a
cow, another human bred animal. What are the effects of dogs in the
wilderness, or on trails? Besides the annoyances cited above, has
anyone doing any hikes in the alpine areas seen any marmots near any
trails recently. Not me. seems these folks consider their human bred,
reared and raised animals wild and they need to exercise their wild
rights by running free any where in the mountains. In doing so they
ignore the long wilderness ethic of leave no trace. Sometimes the
traces we leave are not even those that can be immediately seen or
heard but the effects of our presence or that of those we bring with
us. Take your dog into the wilderness as you take yourself with
limits and respect for the place you travel as well as the other
people who travel in those same places.
Mr Chase does mention some concrete options, alternate days, better
enforcement. Now that is development of discussion which is much
needed.
WRT Ms Moye.
Well excuse me for living here long before you ever lived here. WTF,
“If you don’t like dogs on trails, don’t move to Boulder.” Is that
supposed to be an reasoned argument. Even more galling is her “If
you were born and raised here…….consider leaving and moving
to……” slash. Hmm, somehow just because see has arrived she gets
to determine what is right and wrong.
She then proceeds to say dogs only bother toddlers, old people and
prairie dogs. So let me see those of us who are not kids or old folks
who enjoy a run or walk on the local trails must be immune to dogs who
chase, jump up upon or bite (and all three have occurred to me) while
on the trails. It is also always someone else’s dog that is the
malefactor. “My dog would never do that,” i have been told, even
after i was bitten by the dog in front of the owner as i passed them
walking not even running. Under voice control is even more of a
farce, i can not count how many times i have been chased or seen
wildlife along the trail being chased by dogs while the owner yells
and yells and yells to no avail. My favorite is, “Don’t worry
he’s/she’s harmless” as they rip after or towards you barking madly.
Runners and walkers have to treat dogs on trails and in parks as women
treat men in bars, you never know which one will bite you. Caution is
always advised, especially as any folks blithely walk their dogs on 20
ft leashes. Dogs owners think their animals are always kind,
friendly, loving and playful. Sorry but that is not immediately
obvious to anyone running along and watching the dog wander back and
forth, barking, chasing etc. Once bit, twice shy.
As to her “statistics”, it is as Mark Twain said, there are liars,
damn liars and statisticians. Though what she presents does not
qualify as even the basics of good statistical evaluation. Following
her example she should also say our trails are all safe for women as
only a very small percentage are ever bothered, assaulted or raped on
the trails. Thus she belittles any events because they are too
infrequent to matter. Tell that to someone who has been chased or
bitten or assaulted on the trails. BTW i am also sure there are also
enough dog to another dog or dog’s owner to merit note as problems
with dogs on the trails.
She also conflates dog ownership with high rankings in various
publications as best places to live. Now that is real statistics!
Can you say spurious correlation. I guess i could claim that the
great ranking come as a correlation with continued growth and sprawl
which have also increased as the citations of being a great place to
live have occurred. Or traffic congestion or ….or…. or……
Someplace i am sure she thought there was an rational discussion in
there but heck if i can find it. She is like all too many folks who
finally move to the front range, then decide they can say what should
pertain or not in “Their” town. The saddest part of her contentions
is to demean others; e.g., “as for competitive athletes like Chase,
who can’t bother being slowed down by man’s best friend……” This
so graphically illustrates her preoccupation with me myself and i
(which by extensions includes her dogs as a representation of
herself). That is not how true community develops. It is not how a
caring ethic for the shared commons comes into being. We have to
think more broadly about what we do and our responsibilities towards
the greater good.
So is it more than serendipity that in the same edition your
commentary is “Develop the Ethic”. Do dogs belong in the wilderness?
If you want an modern dog as a companion, understand that they are not
wilderness animals. They have as much place in the wilderness as a
cow, another human bred animal. What are the effects of dogs in the
wilderness, or on trails? Besides the annoyances cited above, has
anyone doing any hikes in the alpine areas seen any marmots near any
trails recently. Not me. seems these folks consider their human bred,
reared and raised animals wild and they need to exercise their wild
rights by running free any where in the mountains. In doing so they
ignore the long wilderness ethic of leave no trace. Sometimes the
traces we leave are not even those that can be immediately seen or
heard but the effects of our presence or that of those we bring with
us. Take your dog into the wilderness as you take yourself with
limits and respect for the place you travel as well as the other
people who travel in those same places.
Mr Chase does mention some concrete options, alternate days, better
enforcement. Now that is development of discussion which is much
needed.
WRT Ms Moye.
Well excuse me for living here long before you ever lived here. WTF,
“If you don’t like dogs on trails, don’t move to Boulder.” Is that
supposed to be an reasoned argument. Even more galling is her “If
you were born and raised here…….consider leaving and moving
to……” slash. Hmm, somehow just because see has arrived she gets
to determine what is right and wrong.
She then proceeds to say dogs only bother toddlers, old people and
prairie dogs. So let me see those of us who are not kids or old folks
who enjoy a run or walk on the local trails must be immune to dogs who
chase, jump up upon or bite (and all three have occurred to me) while
on the trails. It is also always someone else’s dog that is the
malefactor. “My dog would never do that,” i have been told, even
after i was bitten by the dog in front of the owner as i passed them
walking not even running. Under voice control is even more of a
farce, i can not count how many times i have been chased or seen
wildlife along the trail being chased by dogs while the owner yells
and yells and yells to no avail. My favorite is, “Don’t worry
he’s/she’s harmless” as they rip after or towards you barking madly.
Runners and walkers have to treat dogs on trails and in parks as women
treat men in bars, you never know which one will bite you. Caution is
always advised, especially as any folks blithely walk their dogs on 20
ft leashes. Dogs owners think their animals are always kind,
friendly, loving and playful. Sorry but that is not immediately
obvious to anyone running along and watching the dog wander back and
forth, barking, chasing etc. Once bit, twice shy.
As to her “statistics”, it is as Mark Twain said, there are liars,
damn liars and statisticians. Though what she presents does not
qualify as even the basics of good statistical evaluation. Following
her example she should also say our trails are all safe for women as
only a very small percentage are ever bothered, assaulted or raped on
the trails. Thus she belittles any events because they are too
infrequent to matter. Tell that to someone who has been chased or
bitten or assaulted on the trails. BTW i am also sure there are also
enough dog to another dog or dog’s owner to merit note as problems
with dogs on the trails.
She also conflates dog ownership with high rankings in various
publications as best places to live. Now that is real statistics!
Can you say spurious correlation. I guess i could claim that the
great ranking come as a correlation with continued growth and sprawl
which have also increased as the citations of being a great place to
live have occurred. Or traffic congestion or ….or…. or……
Someplace i am sure she thought there was an rational discussion in
there but heck if i can find it. She is like all too many folks who
finally move to the front range, then decide they can say what should
pertain or not in “Their” town. The saddest part of her contentions
is to demean others; e.g., “as for competitive athletes like Chase,
who can’t bother being slowed down by man’s best friend……” This
so graphically illustrates her preoccupation with me myself and i
(which by extensions includes her dogs as a representation of
herself). That is not how true community develops. It is not how a
caring ethic for the shared commons comes into being. We have to
think more broadly about what we do and our responsibilities towards
the greater good.
So is it more than serendipity that in the same edition your
commentary is “Develop the Ethic”. Do dogs belong in the wilderness?
If you want an modern dog as a companion, understand that they are not
wilderness animals. They have as much place in the wilderness as a
cow, another human bred animal. What are the effects of dogs in the
wilderness, or on trails? Besides the annoyances cited above, has
anyone doing any hikes in the alpine areas seen any marmots near any
trails recently. Not me. seems these folks consider their human bred,
reared and raised animals wild and they need to exercise their wild
rights by running free any where in the mountains. In doing so they
ignore the long wilderness ethic of leave no trace. Sometimes the
traces we leave are not even those that can be immediately seen or
heard but the effects of our presence or that of those we bring with
us. Take your dog into the wilderness as you take yourself with
limits and respect for the place you travel as well as the other
people who travel in those same places.
Mr Chase does mention some concrete options, alternate days, better
enforcement. Now that is development of discussion which is much
needed.