(thanks to Pete & The Idaho Statesman for letting us post this
article;
thanks to Katie &
Storm, Pete’s Golden Retrievers for helping him with the research)
Katie and Storm bounced through the sagebrush, bitterbrush and grass burning
up tons of canine calories. Energy was busting out all over the place. It’s nice to let your
dogs run. Dogs were meant to run. Really run—like run so much that their tongues drag
on the ground. It’s good to see.
We made our way up one of the trails near Table Rock when something caught my eye.
It was an instant flash. A mule deer was feeding on the hillside above us about a hundred
yards away.
I wasn’t going to take any chances.
"Storm. Katie." I let out a bone-chilling yell. The dogs stopped
immediately and came back
to me. I leashed them up for the next hundred yards or so until we were away from the deer.
The deer went about its business of browsing
on mountain brush.
Hikers and mountain bikers who like to run their dogs need to be more responsible when it comes to conflicts with wildlife, other dog owners and
other trail users. If not, dog owners are going to get a bad name and when it
comes to land-use planning. They may find themselves banned from a lot more
areas. This is a sad fact because dog owners are some of the best proponents of
the Boise Foothills and saving open space. The cooperation of dog owners and
other trail users is important if we are going to save the Foothills for future
generations.
OK, right now we’re pretty lucky. There are more off-leash trails in the Boise Foothills than most dog owners think. State of Idaho, Fish and Game, U.S.
Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands don’t have leash laws.
I took a look at the Ridge to Rivers Trail System Map and discovered that parts of a lot of trails are on public lands that don’t have leash laws.
The main areas where there are leash laws are trails within the city limits, such as Hulls Gulch Reserve, Military Reserve and the Greenbelt. The trails
around Table Rock are on state lands, which means dogs can run off leash.
From what I can decipher from the map, parts of the following trails are on public lands and leashes aren’t required: Freestone Ridge, Curlew Connector,
Eighth Street Motorcycle Trail, Sidewinder, Bob’s Trail, Corrals Trail, Shane’s Trail, Curlew Ridge/Curlew Gulch Trail, Rocky Canyon Road, the
Eighth Street Extension, Squaw Creek Trail, Squaw Creek Ridge, Cobbs Trail and
the West Highland Valley Trails.
These areas aren’t right off the pavement. Dog owners have to hike a little farther to get to these parts of the trails, but they are areas where your
dogs can run free. Some of these trails are in hunting areas where dogs are
supposed to run loose and flush quail, chukars and grouse.
But even though dogs are allowed to run free in these areas, it doesn’t mean dog owners don’t have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control.
Dog owners have the responsibility to be aware of everything that’s going on. They need to keep an eye out for deer and approaching mountain bikers and
trail users with dogs.
Here are some easy rules to follow:
*If you are running your dog off leash, don’t let him range too far out
to a point where you don’t have control if he sees a deer. This is the time of
the year when deer have low energy reserves. Any extra activity, such as running
from a dog, could kill them.
* Don’t let your dogs chase livestock, and leash them up when you see riders
on horses approaching.
* Pick up after your dog, especially at trailheads, which are now looking like canine sewage-disposal areas. It’s easy. Carry a plastic grocery bag.
* Keep your leash ready at all times. Even if you are in an off-leash area, be ready to control your dog when bicyclists or other dogs approach.
* Don’t let your dog get in a fight with other dogs or let it have the opportunity to injure smaller dogs.
* It is really important to control your dog when mountain bikers approach.
Both the cyclist and the dog can be injured in a bike-dog collision.
Mountain bikers shouldn’t be speeding on a trail if they see a person running
a dog.
* Don’t let your dog run free in areas that require leashed dogs. It just gives all dog owners, including those who are responsible, a bad name.
* Get a Ridge to Rivers Trail System Map so that you know what agency manages the land on which you are hiking. Also, leash your dog up on private
land.
Katie! Storm! Glad you got a good tongue-dragging workout. My dogs and I
sure enjoy the Foothills. I hope that through the responsible efforts of dog
owners, this is possible for years to come.
Pete is an outdoors writer with The Idaho Statesman. His column appears in
Idaho Outdoors magazine on Thursday and on the outdoors page on Sunday.