*bringing awareness into all our inner dog circles Due to continued run ins with wildlife, I made the decision to walk in two-packs until further notice. Some hikes are now leashed depending on each dogs outdoor behaviors. ie, recall, reactivity, hunter, herder etc. While others continue running off leash. There's so many factors to consider when forming a pack to due to the season we are in. I am certain things will calm down as the salmon run nears- I have been back to Jubilee since the cat attack, but found all the dogs to be quite reactive revisiting the scene and LOOKING for the cougar. There are some mighty defenders in the pack, but the hikes are about running and getting all that pent up energy out, socializing & reducing stress. Returning to the scene showed me that I needed to help desensitize the dogs from that encounter by going elsewhere for now before hiking one of our most favorite trails maybe in the fall. At the same time, I am still armed with my outdoor gear when hiking trails and woods. I would rather have it and not need than to need it and not have it. Even though there are rocks and sticks-you just don't know if you will have any reaction time to respond with looking for a natural defense in nature. An example was a dog with great recall got ahead of me and flushed out a deer herd. I could only stand still and let them pass me-this sort of brush with wildlife can still be frightening because they are spooked too and now in flight or fight. The idea is always maintaining safety of the pack and myself included-however some days the unexpected can happen. It goes with the territory. This trail is no longer walked as the wildlife are still in the newly developed neighborhood. This dog is run down by the river now until such time as we return to Jubilee. Like I mentioned a few dogs are walked by leash at the Sea Walk. More cougar sightings were reported in Beaver Lodge Lands. Followed by bears on multiple days last month and this month. Plus, I frequent a trail in Oyster River where off leash is permitted and of course, the beach runs are pack favorites. I look forward to revisiting our local happy trails once again this fall as wildlife will begin winding down therefore reducing our chances of our paths further crossing to disrupt our outdoor adventures together. Keeping all posted of what happens next. Cheers, Lori's pack
0 Comments
|
AuthorHi, my name is Lori and I want to personally welcome you to Making Tracks Dog Hiking Blog. This is where I will begin blogging posts about current adventures in the outback as well as, important topics regarding our furry companion(s), as Making Tracks leaves paw prints all over the web and I hope your heart and mine. Archives
April 2024
Categories
|