Happy Easter!
It was a glorious spring morning, since the family was coming to dinner for 1:00 pm, I wanted to hit the trail early. We left the house shortly around 9:15 am and found ourselves alone in the woods.
I wanted the dogs to be really tired, so we chose a trail that would challenge us with hills. Chet decided to stay home, so it was just Sampson, Delilah and me and truthfully I almost like it better that way. Chet doesn’t like the dogs to get too far away from him and is constantly calling them back. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t let the dogs get really far away, but there are many times on our walks that I cannot see them. I am confident that they will find me and I continue on my way without them. There are certain areas of the trails where I let them run ahead and there are others where I keep them close, it just depends where we are.
When we get close to a place I know Delilah likes to run, I clip her. I also clip her as we get closer to the car because we are near a road and there are lots of houses around and she will certainly go exploring.
I am also cautious when we approach the field, some kids have been going up to the field and building a bonfire and sometimes they leave junk lying around, Delilah of course has to check it out and has actually eaten stuff off the ground before I can stop her.
We don’t mind sharing our trails with people, but would request they be respectful and not be doing things they shouldn’t be up there.
Remember:
Only YOU can prevent forest fires!
There are people who actually poop in the woods near me… right near the trail! GAH. I don’t like Gwynn eating goose-poop, but at least he doesnt’ seek out people-poop like one of his doggy friends does! That is one of the many human things I wish people wouldn’t leave in the woods. Also, be careful of letting your dogs around firepits like that, they can keep their heat for hours and hours after the fire was put out (especially if it was just abandoned with the hope of it dying out, which is likely, in illegal campfires) – burnt paws would be a bad ending to a hike!
Good point! I never thought of that. Thank you!!
Also, I’ve noticed that wherever people make camp fires, there is often drinking involved [gee, really?] and often broken beer bottles. I had a beloved spaniel/retriever mix who happened upon the remnants of a camp fire in the woods, I wasn’t close enough to stop her running toward it and cut her paw Wide open. The bleeding was unreal – terrifying! It was a weekend, we had to get Bolton Vets to open for an emergency – it cost me a fortune and the poor dog was pretty miserable. She healed but I never let her run loose again.
There is glass up there Kathy, I pick it up whenever I can. These “campfire” people have left a big rubbermaid bin up there where they are throwing some of their trash. I like to use it for dog poop.