A Dog Owner’s Shreek
by Kathleen Meyer
June 2011
June 2011
In the northern Rockies, we’re headed full swing into the delights of summer—creeks booming beneath snow-capped peaks, carpets of wildflowers, and, should you be especially lucky, a glimpse of moose or bear. No worries, right? Beyond a too-close encounter with wildlife, only a couple. If you’re planning to cover territory near the snow line, be vigilant about your tick inspections. The hordes of little buggers must be wired on caffeine. And then, also get educated about poop disposal—yours, of course, but also your dog’s. The only thing worse than a dog getting into human shit is a human getting into dog (or human) shit, not to mention the ruination of a lovely day, and a beloved trail. This next will plunge me into deep doo-doo with all my women friends who like to hike with their dogs: I’d personally rather see the dogs stay home! Unless their owners bring along Pooper Scoopers. As for the human poo, pack-it-out. Cat holes behind the bushes are no longer appropriate on heavily used trails.
The following is a reprint of a “Letter to the Editor” that showed up in our local paper exactly a year ago:
The following is a reprint of a “Letter to the Editor” that showed up in our local paper exactly a year ago:
PET PEEVES
Sunday afternoon I took my dogs for a hike to the Blodgett Overlook, accessed from the Canyon Creek Trailhead. It was a pleasant day, the skies were threatening rain that never came. We started up the switchbacks on our way to the overlook happy to be outside. I wasn’t too surprised to find a pile of dog poop in the middle of the trail, and I took a moment to push it off the trail with a rock out of courtesy to other hikers. I have done my best to teach my dogs wilderness ethics…i.e. No Pooping on the Trail. We continued on our way, enjoying the day, the dogs happily running through the woods chasing squirrels. About half way up the trail, one of my dogs turned right to sniff in between two large fallen trees. As I came along I noticed two large piles of toilet paper and called him to me. However, the damage was done and his muzzle was covered with human poop! I did my best to scrub his chin with handfuls of dirt and moss, stuffing it into his mouth to get rid of the stink. There are no streams on the overlook trail so I couldn’t wash the filth off any other way. Needless to say the mood of the day was altered drastically after that. How could some moron take a dump in the woods less than 10 feet off the trail, and about 15 minutes from the trailhead where there is a perfectly nice and very clean forest service outhouse?!?! Couldn’t they have at least buried it properly? They used enough toilet paper for five people! How GROSS!!! The really sad thing is this is happening on all our forest trails. What is wrong with people?! It’s bad enough when they won’t clean up after their dogs….worse yet when they act so thoughtlessly themselves. My dogs got a bath when we returned home, and the young one got his mouth washed out as well….Now I challenge all forest users to “Clean up their Act” and keep the forest free of feces!
Hear! Hear! All Solo Poop Packers, it’s not so difficult anymore. See Chapter 4 in How to Shit in the Woods. And Check out these products:
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A Dog Owner’s Shreek
by Kathleen Meyer
June 2011
June 2011
In the northern Rockies, we’re headed full swing into the delights of summer—creeks booming beneath snow-capped peaks, carpets of wildflowers, and, should you be especially lucky, a glimpse of moose or bear. No worries, right? Beyond a too-close encounter with wildlife, only a couple. If you’re planning to cover territory near the snow line, be vigilant about your tick inspections. The hordes of little buggers must be wired on caffeine. And then, also get educated about poop disposal—yours, of course, but also your dog’s. The only thing worse than a dog getting into human shit is a human getting into dog (or human) shit, not to mention the ruination of a lovely day, and a beloved trail. This next will plunge me into deep doo-doo with all my women friends who like to hike with their dogs: I’d personally rather see the dogs stay home! Unless their owners bring along Pooper Scoopers. As for human poo, PACK-IT-OUT. Cat holes behind the bushes are no longer appropriate on heavily used trails.
The following is a reprint of a “Letter to the Editor” that showed up in our local paper exactly a year ago:
The following is a reprint of a “Letter to the Editor” that showed up in our local paper exactly a year ago:
PET PEEVES
Sunday afternoon I took my dogs for a hike to the Blodgett Overlook, accessed from the Canyon Creek Trailhead. It was a pleasant day, the skies were threatening rain that never came. We started up the switchbacks on our way to the overlook happy to be outside. I wasn’t too surprised to find a pile of dog poop in the middle of the trail, and I took a moment to push it off the trail with a rock out of courtesy to other hikers. I have done my best to teach my dogs wilderness ethics…i.e. No Pooping on the Trail. We continued on our way, enjoying the day, the dogs happily running through the woods chasing squirrels. About half way up the trail, one of my dogs turned right to sniff in between two large fallen trees. As I came along I noticed two large piles of toilet paper and called him to me. However, the damage was done and his muzzle was covered with human poop! I did my best to scrub his chin with handfuls of dirt and moss, stuffing it into his mouth to get rid of the stink. There are no streams on the overlook trail so I couldn’t wash the filth off any other way. Needless to say the mood of the day was altered drastically after that. How could some moron take a dump in the woods less than 10 feet off the trail, and about 15 minutes from the trailhead where there is a perfectly nice and very clean forest service outhouse?!?! Couldn’t they have at least buried it properly? They used enough toilet paper for five people! How GROSS!!! The really sad thing is this is happening on all our forest trails. What is wrong with people?! It’s bad enough when they won’t clean up after their dogs….worse yet when they act so thoughtlessly themselves. My dogs got a bath when we returned home, and the young one got his mouth washed out as well….Now I challenge all forest users to “Clean up their Act” and keep the forest free of feces!
Hear! Hear! All Solo Poop Packers, it’s not so difficult anymore. See Chapter 4 in How to Shit in the Woods. And Check out these products:
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© 2011 by Author Kathleen Meyer • All Rights Reserved
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© 2011 by Author Kathleen Meyer • All Rights Reserved
Web site design by RapidRiver.us