Canine thru-hike of CDT

[Sharon J.]

Saw this on facebook, thought it was pretty cool. Her blog is linked. Only read a few entries so far, but am enjoying

http://dogblog.ruffwear.net/2014/01/08/grizby-and-bethany-complete-a-thru-hike-of-the-continental-divide-trail/

edited to make more linky.

[MFR]

I'm really curious as to how she was able to get around the regulations about dogs in the national parks. They're illegal on all trails. Yet she clearly has her dog on several of Glacier's major passes and trails.

[Dave T]

Perhaps it's the oft-employed "the rules don't apply to me and my dog" approach?

[Anonymous]

" "the rules don't apply to me and my dog" approach?""

For which reason Allah, in His infinite wisdom, created grizzlies, particularly sows with cubs.

[Paul Magnanti]

If you look at the red pack the dog is wearing, looks like there is a service dog patch on the pack. (Can't tell 100%..but fairly certain)

http://www.workingservicedog.com/Service_dog_vest_Therapy_dog.aspx?gclid=CO3y5NH377sCFa9cMgodhTIAEg

Without going too far down the rabbit hole, I'll just say it is easy to get a service dog patch. This information is often shared on various long distance hiking resource lists, forums and Face Book lists.
http://www.freemypaws.com/?gclid=CO39s-n377sCFawRMwodZl4AMw
https://www.usservicedogregistry.org/shop.php

The NPS recognizes this certification for various reasons that, again, I won't hazard to guess/state as that could start a flame war. :) I will say most agencies tread lightly when it comes to possible ADA conflicts.

Check out the ADA website: http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
"
When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task."

[Greg Mihalik]

Tom,
Maybe you don't want to ask those questions…

Bethany and Grizby

[Anonymous]

"Maybe you don't want to ask those questions…"

OUCH! Where's that sow, now that I need her? No, not the sow in the picture.

[Dave T]

It's most likely the "I bought a Service Dog patch on Ebay because the rules don't apply to me and my dog" approach.

[J-L]

I can't see thru-hiking such a long trail being very healthy for a dog, especially if made to wear a pack. I imagine the hike aged him several years.

[MFR]

If Grizby is a service dog, then I gladly withdraw my complaint.

EDIT: Yikes! The comments on Ruffwear's site are quickly getting nasty.

[Paul Magnanti]

The dog may be a service dog by paper….

---

READ BETWEEN. :)

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[Ian]

I agree that this looks suspicious but there are service dogs out there for epileptics (seizure dogs) and other disorders which may not be visible to the eye.

I agree with the comments that this isn't one of those issues that NPS would likely get too aggressive with. It's a losing battle and if you're wrong, the horrible PR fallout would likely end someone's career.

Edit to add: Belgian Malinois are amazing police dogs. If you get a chance, do a search on YouTube. There are some awesome videos of these dogs jumping over cars and other amazing feats.

[David Thomas]

>"Yikes! The comments on Ruffwear's site are quickly getting nasty."

Maybe, like me, they're tired of all the abuses of the "service dog" concept. Just 20 years ago, if someone tried to take a lapdog into a restaurant or grocery store, they would have been told to leave. Now little yappy dogs are in stores all the time, sometimes peeing in the aisles. And airlines have been such wimps about distinguishing actually trained service dogs from "I clicked my heels and declared my pet to be an emotional-support animal" that it is a rare domestic flight that doesn't have at least one pet outside of a carrier and with a lot less training and control than my family's pet dog. (it doesn't help that checking them as baggage costs $100 or more, vet certification, early arrival, and weather constraints, while "service" animals breeze on through at no cost).

Medical privacy, blah, blah, blah, is great and all, but in other cases when society makes accommodations for an actual medical condition, you DON'T self-certify and you DO have to disclose. Handicap parking, carrying oxygen tanks onto a airplane, needing corrective lenses to drive, etc.

And then there are all the reasons dogs aren't allowed in the backcountry – killing and harassing wildlife, defecation, worrying other hikers. To which EVERY owner says, "oh, but my dog doesn't do that."

And what's a Belgian Malinois? I totally get that chocolates and lace doilies are a nicer heritage than gassing 6 million Jews, but still, a German Shepard by any other name. . . .

[Ian]

"And what's a Belgian Malinois? I totally get that chocolates and lace doilies are a nicer heritage than gassing 6 million Jews, but still, a German Shepard by any other name. . . ."

Just spit coffee on my keyboard. Wonderful.

[David Thomas]

From the link Paul posted to http://www.freemypaws.com where they sell ID cards for $99 to $199 (deluxe kit with vest):

Q: I have to fly this week, do you offer expedited shipping?

A. Yes we do, please select “expedited shipping” during the checkout process and a fee will be assessed before final checkout which delivers your Free My Paws ID Kit in as little as 2 business days!

[Ian]

Looks like there was another Malinois named Nuna on the trail also but I haven't read far enough into her blog to find out what his/her story is.

I skimmed through the blog and looked at her Blogger profile. I didn't see her mention why Grizby is a service dog but she is a dog trainer. It could be legit as easily as BS. Sounds like this is an on your honor system and if she wants to keep those details private, that's her prerogative.

Either way it looked like a wonderful adventure and I look forward to reading through her blog later this evening.

[Paul Magnanti]

A friend reminded me, Trauma and his dog Yoni hiked the calendar triple crown (plus Key West to Gaspe' !) in 2006.

Not sure if Yoni was in the national parks or not the whole way.

So the claim above may or may not be correct in any case. :)

[Greg Mihalik]

"Sounds like this is an on your honor system…"

Yep.

"… and if she wants to keep those details private, that's her prerogative."

Provided they are legit according to ADA.

[Ian]

"Provided they are legit according to ADA."

Agreed.

[Dave @ Oware]

http://fox13now.com/2013/07/06/hang-gliding-service-dog-sticks-by-owners-side/

[Greg Mihalik]

"A friend reminded me, Trauma and his dog Yoni hiked the calendar triple crown (plus Key West to Gaspe' !) in 2006. Not sure if Yoni was in the national parks or not the whole way."

Trail Tested: A Thru-Hiker's Guide to Ultralight Hiking and Backpacking
By Justin Lichter

From page 150 –

—I think I know where he stands on this.

[John Rowan]

There's also another section in the book (forget where, but it's probably pretty close to the part quoted above) where he mentions leaving the dog with friends/helpers for these sections.

[Paul Magnanti]

Well, that makes it easy then. :)

It any case, when talking about with the dog on the CDT thing with Mrs Mags (yes..what fun dinner conversation ;) ), she brought up the good point that the service dog tags are so easy to acquire now, with little real oversight, that it has made the news. She loves the dog whisperer fellow and even he mentioned it.

And, now that I think about it, a few years back my friends and I were climbing in RMNP. On the way down, we saw a young man with a dog. He loudly and repeatedly said "Service dog" to anyone who asked/made comments.

Again, a touchy subject that most people (myself included) tend to avoid conflict about with a person. I can only imagine the delicate situation in puts NPS officials in.

[USA Duane Hall]

Just like being 60 now, I don't ask for a discount because I don't think of myself as a Seasoned citizen yet, so when I was training my late dog Pooch for SAR, I never gave it a thought to try taking him into stores.
Duane

[Valerie E]

While I can't opine about the particular dog/woman in question (my gut says it's not a legitimate service dog, but I could be wrong – at least it's one of the right breeds)… I am seeing more and more cases of ignoring the rules, and the attitude of the owners is abhorrent if you dare to mention it (extremely aggressive and rude).

Some examples:

1. My neighbor's dog has a fake Service Dog patch. Her husband is severely disabled, and she originally intended to train the dog, but (let's face it) it was WAY too hard, so she abandoned the idea. But when she wants to take the dog somewhere (like Grand Canyon), she puts the service harness on him, and all problems go away!

2. Two days ago, in a part of the National Forest with a TOTAL ban on dogs, and a BIG new sign saying so at the trailhead, I met a guy with his pitbull mix (NOT a service dog breed, end of discussion!). At least he had the dog on a leash (which VERY few hikers bother with), but the dog was a nipper, so that's the least he could do!

3. A few years ago, in Adirondack State Park (must keep dogs on leash, per reg.s), I encountered an aggressive, growling dog NOT on a leash, who thought the trail belonged to him. When his owners arrived, I told them that he was being aggressive, and that the regulations required him to be leashed, at which point they basically "ripped me a new one". (BTW, rare case of karma — a ranger ticketed them about an hour later!)

I could go on and on… this happens every week. But what is off-putting about the example in question is that a commercial company (Ruffware) didn't even THINK about the example being set for other people. IMHO, if you're going to "go public" with a blog about your hiking dog, you should happily volunteer what ADA-covered disability you have that requires a service dog.

Like we need more over-entitled people in our wilderness areas…sigh…

[Author]

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