For those of you with dogs on climbing trips

Please DO shave your dog. It makes it so much easier to prep for the BBQ. I can't stand dealing with the fur.

We are carnivores and hunters after all!!!!

CJC wrote:they need their fur. it insulates them from the sun and heat.

I'm not sure that makes any sense. If that's how it works, why don't we all wear down jackets all summer to insulate us FROM the sun and heat?

It's true panting helps dogs regulate their body temperature through respiratory evaporative heat loss, but that doesn't mean their tongue is the only factor in their body temperature. I'm pretty sure if you wrapped your dog in a comforter on a hot day, even with their head uncovered so they are free to pant, they will overheat faster than without the comforter.

The Larry wrote: Some dogs are good crag dogs some aren't.

Ummmmm.... your dog is standing on the ROPE! WTF??!!! This is the PROBLEM OF DOG OWNERS AT THE CRAG!!!! THEY THINK THAT THEIR DOG IS GREAT...etc etc, foaming mouth etc etc....

Just kidding-- sweet looking healer!

Em Cos wrote: I'm not sure that makes any sense. If that's how it works, why don't we all wear down jackets all summer to insulate us FROM the sun and heat?

See that was my thought, but what my vet said was think of it more like housing insulation in the summer time. Still doesn't make complete sense, but my vet knows better than I do about animals so I'll listen.

MattThomas wrote: Pretty much this. Shockingly enough, people get way more butthurt on the internet about dogs at crags than they do in real life. Though I have heard of at least one fistfight taking place at the Red when some dick climber kicked another climber's dog.

Yeah because no one at the crag wants to speak up and say they dont like your dog. No one wants to look like a jerk in real life for saying your dog sucks so they bite their toungue and get to put up with YOUR dog pooping all over, walking across ropes and gear, eating our lunches... and my favorite is when an unleased dog decides to take a piss on someones pack.

Dogs at the crag are an imposition on EVERYONE else at the crag, its rather selfish of the dog owner(for the dog and everyone else there).

Em Cos wrote: I'm not sure that makes any sense. If that's how it works, why don't we all wear down jackets all summer to insulate us FROM the sun and heat?.

Ever seen a Latino roofing crew during the summer, hoodies all around bro...

Em Cos wrote: I'm not sure that makes any sense. If that's how it works, why don't we all wear down jackets all summer to insulate us FROM the sun and heat?

Bingo! You've got the right idea. Generally, dogs that originated in colder climes have thicker fur (not to keep them cooler!) and short-haired dogs, such as Chihuahuas, come from warmer venues.

BurtMachlan wrote: Yeah because no one at the crag wants to speak up and say they dont like your dog. No one wants to look like a jerk in real life for saying your dog sucks so they bite their toungue and get to put up with YOUR dog pooping all over, walking across ropes and gear, eating our lunches... and my favorite is when an unleased dog decides to take a piss on someones pack. Dogs at the crag are an imposition on EVERYONE else at the crag, its rather selfish of the dog owner(for the dog and everyone else there).

Everyone at the crag is an imposition on the land, walking all over the place, trampling the plants. And they are selfish for climbing a popular route, and thus preventing others from enjoying it. And don't even get me started on the inevitable cost when one of these thrill-seeking monkeys needs a taxpayer funded rescue.

Evan Sanders wrote: See that was my thought, but what my vet said was think of it more like housing insulation in the summer time. Still doesn't make complete sense, but my vet knows better than I do about animals so I'll listen.

Right, but the point of insulation is to prevent heat transfer. So in the case of your house in the summer, you want it insulated because (ideally) the inside of your house is cooler than the outside and you'd like to keep it that way. I don't know what the normal body temp. is of a dog, but the outside would have to be hotter than that for the idea of insulation from heat to even begin to make sense. Even then I'm not so sure. Animals generate their own heat, so in the house analogy it'd be like having your furnace cranked all the way up on a hot summer day - in which case you'd probably want to open all the doors and windows and have as little insulation as possible.

I've heard this thing about not shaving dogs before, and there may be a valid reason for it which I'd be very interested to hear. I'm pretty sure insulation from heat can't be it, though.

CJC wrote: dogs don't sweat. they pant. so shaving them just makes YOU feel better. their skin is delicate so exposing it to sun can give them problems including sunburn or even cancer. they need their fur. it insulates them from the sun and heat. just give them lots of water and shade and keep them well-groomed. peace

I never said I shave a husky, but I haven't. I have shaved terriers. Is that any different? I am a stupid, stupid person and you are the dog master.

But you never really said why this is husky-specific.

How about shaving a beaver?????? Sorry........
:-D

Mia Tucholke wrote:How about

You are the funniest literate woman on this site.

Not that it matters, but I'm a fan of dogs, just not at the crag.
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Andrew Gram wrote:Don't bring your dog on climbing trips. I love my Irish Wolfhound, but he goes on dog trips and not climbing trips.

I have been chased, bitten and barked at by somebody elses dog friend. Each time the owner of the dog said the dog would be OK. I am apprehensive about any dog, any where. Keep em home or most definitely keep em tied up! My opinion!

Dogs at climbing areas is a subject of particular interest to me, having been bitten twice and attacked another time by climbers' dogs. Both bites left a permanent mark, and both dogs were in the presence of the owner, one on a leash held by the owner. In that case, the dog had growled with bared teeth, and then walked up, while I was holding a climber about twenty feet up on belay with a tube device, and bit my leg. In no case did the owner do anything of punishment or other discipline to the dog. One owner did apologize, but only to ensure no consequences for himself; and later ordered me to avoid him and his dog, which he said he would bring again, as he has.

The bite that should have had stitches would by law not have been treated without also starting rabies shots or presentation of papers by the owner. The only legal recourse would be to come back on a weekday, find a magistrate, and request a hearing for a civil suit for monetary compensation based on certifications, but only with full identification of the owner, which I could not demand of the owner. Even in a state park, with rangers fully authorized for law enforcement, they would have to witness the attack to be able to do anything.

There certainly are nice dogs encountered at climbing areas, but there is no way to know, even with assurances from the owner, until it might be too late. The dog that bit my hand was wagging its tail. The owner that did apologize assured me that he had never seen his dog do any such thing. The dog that attacked had been behind a tree so I could not see it before it lunged. Then, there are the dogs that bark at you or any dog, which those dogs do because there never was any training or restraint of the precious dog, especially by women who only coo and sing to the dog to change its mood, rewarding it.

Why are dogs ever brought to a climbing area? The trip may be exciting and some needed exercise. But once there, there is only boredom and the torment of strange sights, smells, sounds, dogs, activities, and people. Some older dogs can just lie there -- but why there? Dogs have only two necessary interests: hunting for food, and hunting for sex, which can't be done legally or effectively at a climbing area. They piss everywhere they go, and rake up the ground if they shit. They dig holes that remain as further erosion. Dogs will violently defend against peple who are not going to rape or steal, but who will have to tolerate the attack. No part of a climbing area becomes your territory, with or without your hammock and your "music" and your dog.

Why do people even have dogs? We are told that until we do have a dog, we do not have a complete life or home. That if we are good people, we will save a dog from an animal shelter. We ignore the confinement and boredom that dogs endure, their unnatural food, and lack of natural social involvement, redirected to ourselves which we accept as the affection we need. We choose a dog as a fashion statement, for which they are manufactured like shoes in endless variations extending to deformity. We choose and use a dog as an avatar to live through vicariously. We pretend that a domesticated predator -- every one of which could rip your face off before you could scream -- is our child that everyone must accept and adore. We find human emotions in a dog's face and postures to support the fantasy. And especially in America, where selfishness is epidemic, people own dogs only somewhat behind the rates for televisions.

Taking your dog to a climbing area is another indulgence of your self, and a demand on others that no one deserves on either side. Your dog will be a distraction from the concentration that is a part of climbing. If there is an accident requiring evacuation, what happens with your dog? A dog is no part of climbing, and should not be a part of any climbing area, ever. Love your more or less domesticated, but not likely well trained, predator all you want. And when you go climbing, leave the damned thing at home.

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I find people have way more impact on the crags than dogs.

Dogs, please leave your human at home.

Greg D wrote:Dogs, please leave your human at home.

Dogs should never be allowed in the wilderness, as they are not indigenous to these areas. These areas should only be visited by humans, and we should make every effort to erradicate all non-human animal life in the wild.

The Larry wrote: Some dogs are good crag dogs some aren't.

I can't believe you're calling Steph Davis a dog.

danulu wrote: Dogs should never be allowed in the wilderness, as they are not indigenous to these areas. These areas should only be visited by humans, and we should make every effort to erradicate all non-human animal life in the wild.

This is funny on many levels.

Rmsyll wrote:Dogs have only two necessary interests: hunting for food, and hunting for sex, which can't be done legally or effectively at a climbing area. They piss everywhere they go, and rake up the ground if they shit. They dig holes that remain as further erosion..

You could say the same thing about humans.