Fall Foliage and Dogs

Everybody loves the colorful fall foliage and this leads to many impromptu day hikes. For most people this means traveling out of their immediate area to a place with trails, perhaps in the same county or even a few hundred miles away.  Trails can be short loops on easy terrain or long and strenuous sojourns up and down mountains.  

Most dogs love the opportunity to get away too and enjoy the smells in the woods.  However, the woods present a number of risks to our dogs that pet parents must be aware.  (Note: I'll leave issues of ticks and giardia to another post.)

KNOW YOUR DOG

Before setting paw in the woods, pet parents must have a good idea of just how much stress and strain their dog can handle. Does your dog only go for very short walks on manicured grass? Does it get hours of exercise running around natural land every day? 

Trails may be the beaten path through the woods but that does not mean they are free of pebbles, sticks, prickers and other impediments that may either get caught in your pet's peds or just become uncomfortable after a few miles. Trails can also involve frequent steps over drainage ditches and narrow streams.  If your dog is unable to navigate those, you may quickly tire of having to pick up and put back down.  Likewise, if your dog's paws hurt or it simply does not have the stamina, are you prepared to carry it? Will you end your hike early? Remember, it may be dangerous to leave your dog in an unattended car for all the usual reasons as well as trail head theft. 

A larger impediment can be stream crossings - rocks are frequently slippery and it is not a good idea to cross such obstacles while carrying a dog.  The increased chance of the human losing their balance can lead to the dog being dropped or even tossed out into moving water or onto rocks. Drowning or other trauma can result for the dog (and human!) 

However, pet parents must also be certain their dog is sufficiently strong and nimble to cross moving water over a rock crossing and that they can swim if  necessary.  Also keep in mind that while a leash may be useful in keeping a dog close should it end up in the water, a restraining leash may also cause the dog to loose its balance while moving over rocks. Catch-22. 

Pet parents should also be prepared to stop when they encounter rock scrambles, often found at or above tree line elevations.  Clearly, some dogs have legs that are just too short to overcome these types of obstacles.  Those that can overcome will still be subject to injury if they slip or a paw lands in the wrong place.  Pet parents should be extra cautious on wet rocks.   

Unfortunately, hikers sometimes do not consider the path back down.  For humans this can result in some unnerving moments pondering what path is safest or just some embarrassing butt shimmying.  Pet parents need to be more aware of the dangers of descent for their dogs. Excess momentum generally is not a factor while ascending; it can be extremely dangerous descending.  Pet parents may also find themselves in a situation where a dog becomes frightened and will not come down on its own.  Always know and evaluate the difficulties of the planned descent before ascending with your dog. 

Pet parents should have at least a passing understanding of urgent care of injured dogs, especially sprains and breaks.  Taking a canine first-aid course is a great idea but failing that, please review pages 29-31 of the First Aid and Emergency Care for Dogs and Cats PDF created by the Sunshine Rescue Group   Consider keeping a printed copy of those pages in your back pocket or pack. 

Finally, though they are less frequent, thunderstorms do still happen in the fall.  A cold front running into some unseasonably warm weather is often a trigger. Ignoring for a moment the various dangers of being caught out of doors during a thunderstorm, pet parents with sound phobic dogs must be certain of the forecast before going into the woods. Even a harnessed and leashed dog may become nearly impossible to control or guide as thunder approaches.  And any dog over 10 or 15 lbs will be a heavy, squirmy burden to try to carry potentially miles out of the woods. 

LEASHES

To leash or not to leash, that is the question asked by many a pet parent as they enter the woods.  In some cases, the answer is clear - there is a sign with a requirement to do so.  Some states, counties and municipalities have laws concerning dogs 'roaming' or 'running' at large and Animal Law is a good place to check for specifics.  As explained there, what is meant by a restrained dog is some what open to interpretation and many feel that a dog that obeys voice commands is well restrained.  So an actual leash may or may not be legally necessary in all cases. 

Even so, is the use of a leash by pet parents a good idea?  If there are no prevailing legal restrictions, IMPS recommends the use of a leash under most circumstances.  Exceptions are where the use of the leash could create a safety hazard for the pet parent.  In addition to the previously mentioned stream crossings and rock scrambles, uneven terrain and narrow paths are situations where pet parents may wish to put the lead in their back pocket. However, be especially careful unleashing dogs who are:

• sound phobic,
• prone to chasing animals,
• prone to wandering,
• not highly responsive to verbal "come" and "stay" commands.

and do avoid situations that would require you to unleash such a dog.

If your dog is "leash aggressive" and not obedient, consider leaving your dog at home.  Dogs are common on hiking trails during peak season so it is quite likely you will encounter other dogs, leashed and unleashed.  These encounters can become tedious or worse for the pet parent of a leash aggressive dog. Consider, too, that families with small children may also be part of the situation - children who may be knocked down or scared to tears as a result of the barking, lunging and general running about that can be part of a leash agressive event.

Even though the woods may seem wide open, being in unfamiliar territory may make your dog slightly on edge, even if it is usually friendly.  For this reason, IMPS recommends limiting interactions with other pets where possible and suggests all pet parents review "meet and greet" procedures.  

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Keeping your dog on a lead is a very good way to avoid a runaway/lost dog situation. Making sure your pet has passed obedience training is another.  Even so, bad things sometimes do happen.  

IMPS recommends that all pets have an implanted microchip. The cost is low and a microchip can help get a found pet back to its owner. Pet parents need to make sure they keep the primary and alternate contact details up to date. See our article about microchips for more details.

A recent trend in outdoor pet safety is the use of GPS trackers on pet collars.  IMPS has mixed feelings on these devices as they may give pet parents a false, and potentially life threatening, sense of security.  It is true that by virtue of satellites GPS is available at virtually any location - but only if there is a clear view of the sky.  Trying to get a GPS signal from within a forest or deep woods is hit and miss, if not impossible.  This is because in addition to needing to be able to see the sky, multiple satellite contacts are required to get a location "fix."  

Some GPS trackers also make use of "assisted" GPS which uses GSM cell phone towers to estimate location. Certainly, a tracker that has both is more likely to establish your lost pet's whereabouts.  But there is a big catch.

All of the tracking devices IMPS is aware of require contact with a cell phone network to relay the location from the GPS device on the collar to the pet parent's phone or a central service.  This serves to limit the device's effectiveness.  As an example, your pet could be lost in an area where it has a GPS lock but not a cell network. This could be because you are in a large designated wilderness area, but often these devices are locked to a specific cell company and there may be no local service.  Conversely, your pet may have "coverage" but the pet parent's phone may not.  In this case, even though your pet's location is available, you have no immediate way of getting that information. 

Some devices allow multiple users to track the pet's location. That can help but is no panacea as the location still must be conveyed to the owner (or searchers) in the area. Ultimately, somebody must be found with a phone on the proper network and able to get at least a phone call with the location. 

So while IMPS is not adverse to the use of these GPS trackers, pet parents must be very familiar with the potential limitations of the devices, especially as it pertains to the area they will be visiting. 

MY DOG IS LOST... HELP!

If your dog is lost in the woods, the first thing not to do is panic.  Unless you have reason to believe the dog was spooked, say by thunder, try to keep at least one member of your party in the same area the dog was last seen. To the extent that it is possible, spread out along the trail and any off shoots.  If your dog is a water loving breed and there is a nearby lake or stream it may be worthwhile to check those areas. When there is coverage, you should also alert the local authorities and park rangers by cell phone.  Keep in mind your own safety as well and leave the area by nightfall if you do not have the equipment to stay out in the dark or overnight. If you do leave the area, make use of the photo you keep in the car glove box to make up a lost dog poster and put them up at areas other hikers are likely to pass (trail heads, parking lots, etc) in a perimeter at least a few miles from the dog's last known location.  

Pet parents can also engage the services of dogs who track other dogs. And you thought this was just for missing humans!  For instance, in the mid-Atlantic area there is Pure Gold Pet Trackers and Dogs Finding Dogs   In Maine, Lost Pet Tracking Dogs.  The local police may be able to put you in contact with a local tracker who uses Blood hounds.  In addition to a photo or pre-made lost/found poster, keep an old collar, ball, toy or anything else with your dog's scent on it that you can give to the tracker. Note: most trackers work on an hourly rate and also charge for their transport to the lost pet area, their service is not cheap; beware too of Craigslist scams.   (Note: IMPS has no personal knowledge of any of the trackers mentioned here)

HAVE FUN!

At the end of the day, almost all hikes with pets end up just fine and pet parents should not get so caught up in the risks that they avoid the event all together.  Be certain of how obedient your dog is, know its limitations, know the terrain and all involved should have a very fun day.