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Responsible Geopet owners


kh54s10

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I hope that what I have been seeing recently is not something that cachers with dogs are doing....

 

I have been on several trails recently and have seen plastic bags with dog dooty in them thrown into the bushes or just dropped on the ground near the trailhead. The weirdest was one that was placed in the crook of a tree at chest level that was 2 ft off the trail and about 100ft from the parking area.

 

What is amazing is that they took the time to bag the poop but could not carry it out :)

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at least was bagged, on some trails we went they don't even bother to pick up

 

and what's worse, the bylaw here states that dogs should be in a leash, well some owners let them run free

and while i love all animals i can't help to feel some anger towards the owner that just blankly looks on and smiles as the dog charges towards me barking furiously, you never know if they are excited and wanna play or just want a piece of you

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on some trails we went they don't even bother to pick up

 

There was plenty of that too, but for some reason that does not pother me as much as seeing the blue plastic bag hanging in the branches.

 

I came up on quite a few dogs off leash, fortunately all those were well behaved. Some that were on the leash growled. I don't have a problem with dogs off leash if they are well behaved ones. I hope that the owners of bad ones are responsible enough to leash them, but I won't count on it.

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I am a dog owner who takes my Golden Retriever with me most of the time I cache. I always carry bags with me to pick up after her. I have also seen this trend of bagging the poop but leaving the bag on the trail. I do not understand what is so difficult about carrying it out. If needed, I place it in a second bag and put it in her portable soft water bowl that keep attached to her leash via a carabiner. This way I don't carry it in my hand, it won't break, and it doesn't fall out.

 

I also will, at times, let her off leash but she stays close to me. When I see or hear people coming, I call her over and either re-leash her or hold her collar until they pass. Owning a dog is a responsibility that I chose to take on and I try to do the best I can. I just wish others did the same.

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Its possible that the owner is still out on the trails and placed the bag where they would see it on the way back out so they can pick it up. Maybe they just didn't want to carry it for an hour.

Not likely in the cases that I saw. There were no people on the trail I was on the day with the one in the crook of the tree and the other ones were in the middle of sticker bushes. It seems people were bagging the poop but would not carry it out - just toss it into the woods and leave it to someone else to take care of.

 

Also there were way to many for it to be someone not wanting to carry it for an hour. Some were partly covered with snow which fell 3 days prior.

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I also will, at times, let her off leash but she stays close to me. When I see or hear people coming, I call her over and either re-leash her or hold her collar until they pass. Owning a dog is a responsibility that I chose to take on and I try to do the best I can. I just wish others did the same.

 

I wish more dog owners took the same view. I'm heartily sick of encountering totally unrestrained dogs while out on a bike, where despite dropping my speed right back to share the path with a dog walker I still have to take evasive action when it darts into my wheels. In comparison it's truly a pleasure to pass people who take your approach, keep the dog under control, and then proceed.

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at least was bagged, on some trails we went they don't even bother to pick up

Nope... better not bagged than bagged but not picked up. Unbagged poop is biodegradable. Bagged poop is not. Oh... and what do you suppose happens to that bagged poop when it is dropped into the trash and eventually delivered to the landfill? Millions and millions of plastic bags full of undecomposed poop. Or, should the bags get punctured, millions upon millions of plastic bags in the ground that leach a concentrated amount of doggie poop into the water table.

 

and what's worse, the bylaw here states that dogs should be in a leash, well some owners let them run free

and while i love all animals i can't help to feel some anger towards the owner that just blankly looks on and smiles as the dog charges towards me barking furiously, you never know if they are excited and wanna play or just want a piece of you

 

 

Not letting [good, controlled] dogs run free is cruel and inhumane treatment of the animals. They need to run. Walking everywhere on a leash is not sufficient. I'm glad to see more and more dog parks where you are allowed to let them run.

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Not letting [good, controlled] dogs run free is cruel and inhumane treatment of the animals. They need to run. Walking everywhere on a leash is not sufficient. I'm glad to see more and more dog parks where you are allowed to let them run.

I do most of my geocaching on hiking trails with my geopuppy, and we always remove her leash once we're 1/2km or so from the entrance. With her it's fine, she'll come when she's called if we have a big enough treat in our hands, and she's never attacked, except playfully with me. The only problem with dogs off-leash are those people who own dogs who actually will attack you and try to hurt you, but then leave them off-leash and don't call them off of somebody.

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Not letting [good, controlled] dogs run free is cruel and inhumane treatment of the animals. They need to run. Walking everywhere on a leash is not sufficient. I'm glad to see more and more dog parks where you are allowed to let them run.

I do most of my geocaching on hiking trails with my geopuppy, and we always remove her leash once we're 1/2km or so from the entrance. With her it's fine, she'll come when she's called if we have a big enough treat in our hands, and she's never attacked, except playfully with me. The only problem with dogs off-leash are those people who own dogs who actually will attack you and try to hurt you, but then leave them off-leash and don't call them off of somebody.

 

I keep my dog leashed most of the time. He's not aggressive, loves people and other animals. However, my pet peeve is when people decide to let their pets off leash and then don't control them. My dog likes to "make friends." I spent many years training and working with dogs and recognize that even the nicest dog might not like to "make friends." Many owners of these dogs that prefer their human companion and certain animal companions will keep their dogs leashed but then you get all those people with friendly puppies or dogs that insist that their dog needs ot make friends with the leashed dog instead of calling their dog back and controlling it. This creates a hairy situation.

 

My other issue here and why my dog is on a leash A LOT is that we have a plethora of wild animals and even more people that trap them. You don't know where these traps are in the woods as they are not necessarily marked and every year a few dogs are killed by these traps. Because of that anywhere I am in the woods includes my dog on a leash because I know that I'm lacking in skill to quickly get my dog out of the more deadly traps.

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In areas where it is require that dogs be on leash. then dogs should be on leash. Seems fairly simple? "Oh. She's friendly. She won't bite" Snarl. Bark. Bark. Lunge.

What amazes me are the good citizens of the nearby gigantic city who do clean up after their dogs. They must love their pets dearly.

So, my question is: Who cleans up after the bears? There's a awful lot of bear poop in the woods nearby. Especially messy when blueberries are ripe. Who is supposed to clean up after them???

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So, my question is: Who cleans up after the bears? There's a awful lot of bear poop in the woods nearby. Especially messy when blueberries are ripe. Who is supposed to clean up after them???

 

Are you SERIOUS? How many bears are out there WALKING and crapping on the trails, parking areas and other high use areas on a routine basis? How many bears are even out there compared to dogs in the first place? Here's a hint for ya... Bears, by and large, generally AVOID humans. Where exactly are you finding all this "bear poop"? :unsure:

 

Were you *trying* to be funny, facetious or something? :lol:

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Were you *trying* to be funny, facetious or something

 

I met Harry once, he is neither funny or facetious--he is something, but that is not the topic. On Bearfort Mountain, in New Jersey there is a location that has been referred to as the Bears Toilet Bowl, I believe that is what he is talking about.

 

Now back to Dogs--leash them in parks because if they bolt off after a deer, you might not ever see your pet again. I am a dog person, I like them, but they will come to defend their owner from a perceived threat--I have had that happen to me-- Dog poop in the woods is a non issue, the pick up the poop thing is an urban courtesy, so people are not traipsing across their new wall to wall--simply a civilized way to be respectful of others.

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Shoot our bears don't avoid humans. They congregate anywhere human might be looking for some left overs and leave their poops and all on trails, sidwalks, cars, porches etc. Just a fact of life here. Normal insurance calls always include the bear ate any of various pieces of the car, door, garage, etc.

 

For dog poops and dog poops alone if the owners of the dog would at least kick the poops off the trails there would probably be a lot less discussion about who pooped where and why it wasn't cleaned up.

 

But just keep your unleashed dog away from my leashed dog and watch out for traps.

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Its possible that the owner is still out on the trails and placed the bag where they would see it on the way back out so they can pick it up. Maybe they just didn't want to carry it for an hour.

I will admit we've done this once. There is a trail here with a trashcan in the parking lot and nowhere else. The dog pooped early on in the journey. Instead of doubling back or carrying a turd for the rest of the journey we hid the little "poo cache" to be recovered on the way back to the car.

Only happened to me once, but I'm assuming it happens often to others.

 

as for leashes, I always have my dog leashed except at dog parks. More caches should be hidden in dog parks btw...

Edited by d+n.shults
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Our GeoPuppy does go caching with us but she is ALWAYS on a leash (except at a dog park and mostly because she'd lick to death anyone she saw) and we have a little baggie dispenser right on the leash. Like someone else said, we do sometimes double bag it, but always clean up after her as well as throw the baggie in first trashcan we come across. There's nothing more than I hate to accidentally step in someone else's doggy poo, so I will not allow my dog to leave something for others to step in.

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Its possible that the owner is still out on the trails and placed the bag where they would see it on the way back out so they can pick it up. Maybe they just didn't want to carry it for an hour.

 

Well I sometimes do that. Especially if my dog did his business early in the walk (so that I won't have to throw it in neighbor's trash) I will place it in the crook of tree root & pick it up on the way back.

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Its possible that the owner is still out on the trails and placed the bag where they would see it on the way back out so they can pick it up. Maybe they just didn't want to carry it for an hour.

 

That may explain 1 or 2 blue bags of poop, but not the dozens I've seen on my journeys.

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So, my question is: Who cleans up after the bears? There's a awful lot of bear poop in the woods nearby. Especially messy when blueberries are ripe. Who is supposed to clean up after them???

 

we, humans invaded the wild life space for a very long time

 

nobody needs to clean after them, they are in their natural habitat

 

pets, its a different ball game

 

what amazes me is how many people walk along the trails with steep crevices, caves etc and allow the dog to run freely...are they so stupid not to realize that if that dog sees something that they want to chase they will fall and hurt themselves, not to mention plunge to their death? :)

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when in urban areas (my neighborhood, city parks, places with sidewalks, lol) I clean up after the dog.

 

But when we are in the woods......as long as he does his business off the actual trail where people walk, it becomes fertilizer for the trees.

 

does a bear s*** in the woods...yep....and so does our geo-dog. When in Rome....

 

When he was just a pup and walking in our neighborhood, he would always go in the first 5-10 min of our walk and I would leave the bag o' poo along the edge of the street and on my return would pick it up. No fun carrying stinky labrador poo for an hour.

 

and if you are on frequently used trails, the leash is a must (even for the so called friendly dogs). I've been bit 3 times by "the sweetest dogs on earth that wouldn't hurt a fly" :yikes:

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If the law states dogs on a leash, it should be followed. Strange thing about finding my first cache yesterday. I was holding the container standing a distance away from its hide, and sitting on a fallen tree to sign the book. There, uncovered for the world to see, not one foot from my foot, was deer doodoo. I have an issue with people being irresponsible, and not cleaning up after themselves, and their dogs. However, Poop, being "natural" and biodegradable doesn't bother me much. Now for my own double standard: Deer doodie isn't very offensive to me as one doesn't usually smell it 25feet away downwind. Yeah, I know, bear ca-ca does stink. (how are all the excremental euphemisms working for ya?) If it were dog dung, I would have been irritated. As long as its nicely "off the trail" for usual walking and such, its not an issue for me.

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I am a dog owner who takes my Golden Retriever with me most of the time I cache ... When I see or hear people coming, I call her over and either re-leash her or hold her collar until they pass.

 

Plus, Goldens have that nasty reputation of licking people to death... :D

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at least was bagged, on some trails we went they don't even bother to pick up

 

and what's worse, the bylaw here states that dogs should be in a leash, well some owners let them run free

and while i love all animals i can't help to feel some anger towards the owner that just blankly looks on and smiles as the dog charges towards me barking furiously, you never know if they are excited and wanna play or just want a piece of you

 

I know what you mean a friend of mine when on a hiking trail had a large dog come running up and knock over his daughter breaking her arm!!

 

Needless to say he punched out the owner :-) It should be a Criminal offence to have a dog off a leash!

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at least was bagged, on some trails we went they don't even bother to pick up

 

and what's worse, the bylaw here states that dogs should be in a leash, well some owners let them run free

and while i love all animals i can't help to feel some anger towards the owner that just blankly looks on and smiles as the dog charges towards me barking furiously, you never know if they are excited and wanna play or just want a piece of you

 

I know what you mean a friend of mine when on a hiking trail had a large dog come running up and knock over his daughter breaking her arm!!

 

Needless to say he punched out the owner :-) It should be a Criminal offence to have a dog off a leash!

 

I pistol whipped a large dog that was off leash and attacking my family and our Dachsund in a public park. :anibad: We keep our dogs on a leash which is required by Law, and we use poo bags and properly dispose of them. The problem I have is with peoples children trying to pet my dogs because they will bite strangers. I also encounter children that are taught to ask first before attempting to pet the puppy, which is a good idea. Our Minie Doxie is not so bad, but my Mountain Fiest is quite different. Small dogs are normally family dogs and everyone else is a stranger.

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I would almost rather them leave it, at least it would return to nature, as for those bags... how many years are those petroleum byproducts going to prevent the decomposition of the animals' Business? Let alone the Littering caused by the improper disposal of them.... Well behaved animals off of a leash is ok, AS LONG AS THEY ARE TRAINED! I am an animal Lover but If i have a dog charging me acting hostile, I will not hesitate to defend myself. And I am sure I'm not the only one who feel this way. You have been warned.

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I am a dog owner who takes my Golden Retriever with me most of the time I cache. I always carry bags with me to pick up after her. I have also seen this trend of bagging the poop but leaving the bag on the trail. I do not understand what is so difficult about carrying it out. If needed, I place it in a second bag and put it in her portable soft water bowl that keep attached to her leash via a carabiner. This way I don't carry it in my hand, it won't break, and it doesn't fall out.

 

I also will, at times, let her off leash but she stays close to me. When I see or hear people coming, I call her over and either re-leash her or hold her collar until they pass. Owning a dog is a responsibility that I chose to take on and I try to do the best I can. I just wish others did the same.

good job button for you.

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So, my question is: Who cleans up after the bears? There's a awful lot of bear poop in the woods nearby. Especially messy when blueberries are ripe. Who is supposed to clean up after them???

 

Are you SERIOUS? How many bears are out there WALKING and crapping on the trails, parking areas and other high use areas on a routine basis? How many bears are even out there compared to dogs in the first place? Here's a hint for ya... Bears, by and large, generally AVOID humans. Where exactly are you finding all this "bear poop"? :unsure:

 

Were you *trying* to be funny, facetious or something? :lol:

Nah, he's trying to rattle your cage - which he did brilliantly! :P:laughing::D

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