Leash the hounds
Dogs are our companions, our friends, our family members. So for many of us, it’s only natural that our dogs join us on outdoor adventures. The effort to bring them along is rewarded with happy dog “grins,” a furry body curled next to our sleeping bags in the wilderness, and sometimes a soft head laid in our laps.
But even dog lovers may find themselves frustrated, annoyed, or even enraged by dogs they encounter on the trail.
There’s the dog that sneaks up behind you on a mountain summit and steals your sandwich.
The dog that rushes up to greet you and gets mud all over your pants.
The dog that lunges at your child, growling, as you pass on a narrow trail.
The dog that chases wildlife or, worse, kills it.
And, sometimes, the dog that bites.
Injury prevention
Wilton resident Bobbie Tompkins was hiking in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness in early June when an off-leash German shepherd attacked her dog, Claira, without warning. Claira was left
