Clarifications on dog regulations in Inyo NF

[erutan]

I contacted Inyo NFS and got an official clarification of the rules by someone in the Supervisor's Office - it turns out that the 6 foot leash rule mentioned on the back of permits (where space is limited) is only around people and stock, but that in all other areas an animal must be under voice control. However according to the LEO they reached out for confirmation from, voice control is essentially a 6 foot invisible leash, and dogs are not allowed at any time to be more than 6 feet from their owner unless they're on a retractable leash. So no dogs running up to strangers, no dogs running wild through meadows, no dogs running through the redds in inlet streams, no dogs out of line of sight of the owners, etc. This may seem "cruel" as it keeps dogs at a human pace, but those are the rules, and it is a choice to bring a dog into the wilderness.

Here's the official response on regulations gathered after some back and forth. I thanked them for the clarifications and asked them to update the 2015 PDF when they can find the time to do so as it seems a lot of people think voice control just means your dog can hear you yell its name.

* Dogs must be on a 6 foot leash in campgrounds, developed recreation sites, and on trails near people, horses, or mules.
* Under strict leash control, or at your heel at your command in other areas.
* Don't leave dog unattended or barking excessively.
* Pick up or bury waste 6-8 inches deep and 100 feet away from water, trails, and other campsites.
* Store dog food in bear canisters.
* Keep dog in your tent or car at night.
* Prohibited on trails in the National Parks.
* No dogs Whitney Portal trail past Trail Crest because in National Park.
* $150/violation.

Our law enforcement officers describe a dog under voice control looks exactly like an invisible 6 foot leash. If the dog is farther than 6 feet from the owner, does not respond to a voice command immediately the first time command is given, the dog is not under control.

Most likely you will not have a law enforcement officer handy when you pass by someone with a dog, so you will need to relay to the owner that you are concerned about safely passing and ask them to restrain the dog.

We do give some latitude for people using a retractable leash that is longer than 6 feet because they still have physical control of the dog and can reel them in to less than 6 feet when passing other groups or stock.

I had sent a further email before I got a response from a previous one (which included a query if the 6 foot rule was just for trails or also included off-trail travel), which prompted this exchange:

Me: That actually answers all my other questions if I’m reading it right - dogs have to be within 6 feet of their owners at all times.

NFS: You are correct. [then comment on retractable leashes]

[cgundersen]

Erutan,

So, I've never seen the dogs that accompany horse/mule trains on leashes. I presume they are exempt? Or they are just setting a bad example? Anyway, I'm guessing the vast majority of folk will continue to flout these rules and part of the argument will be that there are plenty of humans who are far more-ill-behaved than their dog(s). But it does give me some comfort to be able to cite the rules when I do encounter misbehaving pooches (and their owners). Cameron

[c9h13no3]

What do you call a dog under voice control? Lost.

[erutan]

That's actually a great point on the packer's dogs. I guess they're known to work well with stock and can just be on 6 foot voice control?

Someone reached out to me privately and said they'd be printing out the rules to show to people on trail, though unless it's an official document I'm not sure how effective it'll be. It's a shame that the fine isn't larger, as the risk is probably something that people will just eat.

Yeah I got the "well some people are bad, so dogs should be able to do what they want and they're not disrupting the ENTIRE basin" argument in another thread by a member here. It's interesting to apply some of the same logic to other regulations - I bet they wouldn't cheer people leaving used TP by trails, trying to burn plastic/foil trash, shitting on the ground near water sources, etc despite the ability to make arguments that they're only affecting small areas.

re: the dogs under voice control being lost, it's pretty common to encounter dogs under voice control that don't have a line of sight to their owner. :/

[BillyBobBurro]

In terms of the packer's dogs, these are working dogs and every encounter I've had with them they acted exactly as a working dog would. So unless you are an errant cow or sheep I think they will just ignore you.

Unfortunately, it just takes a few bad dog owners to bring about the need for regulations. I've hiked many miles with dogs off leash and I've also had aggressive off leash dogs become confrontational towards me. It is really unpleasant to have that kind of energy directed at you when you are just hiking along a trail. Maybe if the regulations could be a bit more pointed that would be nice. Sadly most owners think their critter is so well behaved even when they are charging up to people in an aggressive manner.

[erutan]

I'm personally not concerned about packer's dogs (if they can not get stomped on by a pack animal they're probably ok heh), but it's an interesting point. I imagine packers are extremely tired of people's dogs given the relief some of them show when I simply step off the trail for them to pass and give their animals room.

From a report elsewhere in the past week:

One crazy thing was I chatted with a lady getting water starting off to Tuolumne Meadows. After she got on the trail heard a scream and a loud WTF! Apparently a dog had bit into her leg and was bleeding. I had walked by the couple with this dog and he was growling at me. But they had him leashed so I could make a wide arc. She was on a section where there really wasn’t any room to go around. [...] A lot of dogs I’ve come across have been off leash but super friendly. And all owners will say their dogs are friendly (like this one was telling the lady he’s never done that before)

I'd personally prefer it if everyone grabbed their dog's collar or choked up on the leash within ~6in whenever someone was within x feet. I thank people that do that on the trail as they're going out of their way to be considerate to others.

In regards to responding to aggressive dogs, this is what I’ve come up with:

At this point if I see a dog coming towards me I’ll either step a bit off trail or turn my back to the upslope side with my poles in front me, tips pointing down but a few inches above the ground. I’ll spin keeping them between me and the dog until it passes. Ideally if it does become aggressive pulling the poles up to create a defensible space gives the owner time to restrain it. Asking for a dog to be restrained (or put on leash as regulations require) can lead to poor reactions from dog owners but is an obvious option and recommended by Inyo.

I've actually worked out a protocol with my partner after the recent attacks - we'll initially use our trekking poles to create a defensible space, then if necessary depending on the level of threat and distance of owner I'll counter attack with either my poking with my pole tips, dropping/throwing rocks at the dog, or swinging an ice axe if early season from within the space she creates. It's ironic I've never felt the need to come up with something like that for actual wildlife.

[erutan]

I'm sending the following to Inyo as a recommended change to the rules. It gives dog owners a little more room for their dogs to negotiate terrain while protecting hikers from dog owners that are overly optimistic about their dogs capabilities.

Dogs must always be under control:

* Dogs must be on a 6 foot leash in campgrounds and developed recreation sites.
* On trail or in wilderness, dogs must be within 10 feet of their owners if there are no other people, horses, or mules nearby. They must be on a leash (retractable or fixed 6 foot) or under strict voice control with a trained at heel command.
* When another person starts approaching (around 150 feet), dogs under voice control should be pulled back to within 3 feet to indicate control.
* Once a person and or stock is within 30 feet dogs should be pulled to the side and restrained whether on leash or under voice control.
* A dog under voice control looks exactly like it's on invisible leash. If the dog is farther than 10 feet from the owner, does not respond to a voice command immediately the first time command is given, the dog is not under control.

Other regulations:

* Don't leave dog unattended or barking excessively.
* Pick up or bury waste 6-8 inches deep and 100 feet away from water, trails, and other campsites.
* Store dog food in bear canisters.
* Keep dog in your tent or car at night.
* Prohibited on trails in the National Parks (e.g. no dogs Whitney Portal trail past Trail Crest, past Bishop Pass, etc).
* $150/violation.