High Sierra Topix

I almost always hike with my dogs, but we're just day hikers.

My 30 pound old lady dog only goes on hikes of 5 miles or less and is always on leash as she doesn't hear so well anymore.

The chihuahua goes on longer hikes and is almost always off leash. She likes to travel about 3-6 feet behind me and it's just easier that way. She has no interest in meeting other hikers, dog, or animals and never leaves the path. I've never had a bad reaction to her from other hikers, mostly people just laugh when they see her.

On a related note, does anyone know of anyplace that makes dog boots for a tiny dog? She's got about a 3/4 inch paw width and I can't find any boots in her size.

I hiked for several years with a small dog, we called her Beans, and she weighed around six pounds. Beans was a great hiker and even dictated one of my reports at: http://www.sierrahiker.com/IndianLakes/index.html

She hiked off the leash much of the time. She stuck pretty close when off the leash. I remember only one unusual encounter with other people. We were taking a rest stop in Long Meadow when Alan Clyde brought through a pack train. She was startled and started running but I was able to grab her. I'm not sure where she would have ended up if I hadn't caught her. She died this past summer at age 16, pretty old for a Yorkie.

For Beans bio, visit: http://www.sierrahiker.com/IndianLakes/beans.html

Check with your local community college for classes on canine first aid. Or talk to your vet. Several books on the topic available.

I just got back from a backpacking trip with a dog. While it was cool to have that element there, it wasn't cool when the dog ate my last 3 nights of dinner. I was close to making dog stew!

Even if it does break the rules I could care less if I see a dog in a NP or if it is leashed as long as it is pleasant.

Touchy subject because it's hard to separate dogs from their owners. I don't have a dog, so I can't answer the original question. But when I see a dog off leash, I check it out to see if it is a threat. I must admit, if it comes up to me I wonder if it has good intentions. If the owner is around, usually they will signal that it's all good. At Muir Pass last summer I met a dog off leash, and not a happy dog, though she seemed to be a smart dog, sitting in her master's lap. She growled at me as I approached the door to the hut. Her master tried to distract her. I later met another hiker who got growled at by the same dog. No big deal, there are lots of hazards in the wilderness, and it's easy, maybe too easy, to resent the ones that are intentionally brought in by other humans. Even when they aren't hazardous!