Safe Hiking with your Dog
The creek was swollen to monster proportions, fed by days of rain. I only caught a glimpse of Baha bobbing up and down as the torrent carried him around a bend and out of sight.
This time I wasn’t going to freak out. “Baha!” I called. Still no answer from my six-year-old Saluki. But how many times had he faded into the North Florida woods on previous hikes, just to pop back out when I reached maximum panic mode? Not this time. I’d seen him scuttle over the bank and down to a creek he liked to wade in. He was no doubt soaking there now, ignoring my calls, just waiting for me to come running. I’d show him. I moseyed over to the edge of the bank, determined not to give him the pleasure of my worry. And then I panicked.
The creek was swollen to monster proportions, fed by days of rain. I only caught a glimpse of Baha bobbing up and down as the torrent carried him around a bend and out of sight. I ran. I chased him around bend after bend, gaining and losing ground, until I finally saw him heave himself onto the opposite shore. I yelled for him to stay, scheming how to get to him, apologizing out loud for not realizing sooner that he was in real trouble. He looked at me with that glint in his eye. I swear he was laughing.
They say dogs make your heart healthier. They say that about hiking, too. I don’t see how. Hiking with Baha must have aged me ten years. Baha is long gone, having died, amazingly, of old age, but I’m still hiking with his great-great grandchildren, each of whom seems determined to teach me more about what can go wrong on the trail. Fortunately, they’ve also taught me a lot about how to prevent disasters.
Safety Precautions
Almost every misadventure I had on a hike could have been prevented had my dog been on a leash. As fun as it is to let your dog race back and forth along the trail, it’s against the rules in many places, can be rude to other hikers, and is often dangerous. But let’s assume it’s legal, you’re alone on the trail, and you don’t mind spending hours chasing after your dog. You can still take certain precautions for his safety, depending on where you’re hiking.
Off leash dogs can be a danger to wildlife, but wildlife can also be a danger to them. The combination of a curious canine and a skunk can ruin a hike for all of you, and an irate porcupine can cut your hike painfully short. Raccoons and badgers can more than hold their own against even large dogs and can be deadly to small ones. You surely know better than to antagonize a bear or a wild boar, but your dog might see them as his new playmates. Even those animals that run from your dog can be dangerous if he takes off with reckless abandon behind them. A fleeing deer could lead him across a road, over a cliff, or into a hunter’s sights.
There are also at least 15 species of rattlesnakes found across most of the United States. Most prefer dryer areas, retreating into burrows, dense vegetation, hollow logs, or rock outcroppings. Dogs are often bitten on the nose as they investigate the curious rattling noise. Some hunting dog clubs in rattlesnake-prone areas sponsor rattlesnake avoidance clinics, in which dogs are given a shock when they approach a rattler. The clinics work, and one little shock could save your dog’s life, or at least save you from a high veterinary bill.
There are a number of other reptiles and amphibians you don’t want your dog to meet, including the water moccasin, an aggressive snake that lives in and around water. Copperhead snakes prefer dry woodlands areas and are also dangerous, as is the snapping turtle, which can take a hunk out of a dog in one bite. Alligators consider dogs a delicacy, and the giant marine toad of south Florida secretes a toxic substance that can sicken a large dog and kill a small one. So can the poisonous Gila monster of the southwest.
Despite these numerous wild hazards, two dangers trump them all: being hit by a car and getting lost. Know the lay of the land where you’re hiking and never let a dog loose within running distance of a roadway. Keep a tag on your dog at all times, and have him microchipped for permanent identification.
Other Hiking Safety Concerns
If you’re planning to spend some time on the trail, consider a custom-fitted doggy backpack in which your dog can carry his own food, water, and collapsible bowl. It’s far safer for him to drink water from home than for him to drink pond or stream water. And certainly don’t allow him to drink salt water.
Even if he doesn’t wear a backpack, always have your dog wear a bright hunter-orange dog vest, available through hunting dog suppliers. Vest or no vest, never walk your dog during hunting season in an area that might attract hunters.
If you’re near the water, remember that not all dogs are strong swimmers, and even the strongest can be swept away in rapids or out to sea in riptides. If your dog is going to be around deep or running water, fit him with a doggy life vest.
If you’re in the mountains, remember that dog paws can’t grip like human hands. A running dog can fall off a cliff, slide down a rocky hill, or step into a mineshaft. Every dog, whether on or off a leash, should wear a harness when hiking in mountainous terrain in case you need to lift him out of trouble.
Remember that old dogs aren’t immune to straying. At age 13, Baha was still going for walks in the woods with me. After one such walk he soaked in a pond, and, knowing how he loved to extend a walk by running off at the end, I cleverly guarded the only path up the bank. So where was he? Gritting my teeth, I climbed down the bank, where I discovered a hidden drainage pipe half-filled with water and leading under a dirt roadway. Peering through it, I could see Baha romping in the field on the other side, no doubt laughing once again at the ease of his great escape.
Caroline Coile, Ph.D., is the award-winning author of 26 books about dogs. Her own dogs have been top ranked in show, obedience, agility, and coursing competitions, but she most enjoys the time she shares with them at home.