Dogs in the park

Hey I’m in from ou of town and trying to climb lumpy ridge next week and I’ll have a dog with me. I’ve been reading that dogs are not allowed in parts of national parks. Any advice? Can/should I bring my do or get a sitter? 

Your dog can not go to Lumpy.  It is against the rules for sure and there are rangers all over the place up there. You will not make it out of the parking lot with a four-legged pet.

My understanding with pets in national parks is that they cannot leave pavement. And there are probably some pavement areas that are off limits as well.

Yeah that’s what I was afraid of. Any ideas of where we could go that’s dog friendly and also has multipitch? Worst case scenario is our third party member take the dog elsewhere. 

Don't bring your dog if you are climbing multipitch. Then the people on the ground have to deal with it while you're up on the climb.

I ordered a service dog vest on Amazon. Rangers have left us alone since. Best $18.00 I spent 

Jon Banks wrote: Don't bring your dog if you are climbing multipitch. Then the people on the ground have to deal with it while you're up on the climb.

I second this.  I have ran into many many people that do this and it is rude to other climbers and terrible for your dog.  I am a pet owner and love taking my dog out climbing ... if it single pitch where I can make sure I am not effecting anyone's climbing experience.  My wife and I were up climbing at a popular multi-pitch area in WA and one dog was leashed up by a cam at the base of one of the most popular routes on the wall.  Not only rude and selfish but the dog was showing his teeth, shaking and scared out of his mind.  Look into Rover.com for a pet sitter or reach out locally.  

Another voice here for please don't take your dog with you multi-pitch climbing. In addition to being annoying / troubling for other climbers, there are all kinds of hazards that can impact your dog if they are tied at the base of a climb...other people's dogs, wild animals, weather, sun exposure, hanging themselves or damaging limbs tangled in their own tether, etc. Just yesterday here in Colorado it rained down buckets and hailed for about 60 hot seconds. Would not have wanted anyone's pet to be tied up outside in that. 

trailridge wrote: I ordered a service dog vest on Amazon. Rangers have left us alone since. Best $18.00 I spent 

... and this is why I don't trust anyone that has a "service" dog which is a bummer because some people actually need them ... 

Jacob Weyenberg wrote: Yeah that’s what I was afraid of. Any ideas of where we could go that’s dog friendly and also has multipitch? Worst case scenario is our third party member take the dog elsewhere. 

Here's an idea for you if you don't want to get a dog sitter. Park your dog in an underground garage in Boulder if they're okay left in a car for 4ish hours. There's one for the Pearl Street Whole Foods, another in the shopping center that has our best Thai restaurant, Aloy Thai, another at the 29th Street Mall. It will be cool enough underground that your dog will be fine. Crack the windows and put a sign in the car window with your return time if you're worried people will be concerned for your dog.

Take a 2nd car to go climb some short multi-pitch in Boulder Canyon in the morning, or if you're fast, do a Flatiron. Come back to your dog and get some lunch. Maybe repeat in the afternoon if your dog is okay being in a car that long. One thing that's awesome about Boulder is that we have an abundance of climbing (sport, trad, bouldering, multi-pitch) within 10-30 minutes drive of town. 

IT DEPENDS ON THE DOG!

Along time ago I had a really smart dog trained really well. He understood about rockfall and would find a nice spot to wait off to the side. He didn't bite, chase wildlife, bother other people, howl or mess with other dogs. Everybody loved this dog.

So much so that somebody stole him.

Estes Park has several dogsitters/doggy-day cares that I would recommend. Even outside of RMNP, many of the areas around Estes Park don't allow dogs (i.e. Lumpy).

trailridge wrote: I ordered a service dog vest on Amazon. Rangers have left us alone since. Best $18.00 I spent 

Way to be a real piece of garbage. Your mom must be proud.

I've used the Estes Park vet's doggy daycare in the past, we had a good experience with them. Relatively cheap too...

Andrew Mertens wrote: Estes Park has several dogsitters/doggy-day cares that I would recommend. Even outside of RMNP, many of the areas around Estes Park don't allow dogs (i.e. Lumpy).

Lumpy Ridge is fully within RMNP.

Marc H wrote: My understanding with pets in national parks is that they cannot leave pavement. And there are probably some pavement areas that are off limits as well.

Here's the pets page for RMNP: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/pets.htm

In short, the regulation for ALL national parks is
Leashed pets may accompany you only in the following areas:

• Along established roads or in parking areas
• Some paved trails
• In established campgrounds and picnic areas
• Pets must be kept on leashes no longer than six feet.

 Pets may not make noise that impacts visitors or wildlife. Pet owners must pick up and dispose of pet excrement in trash receptacles.

Marc801 C wrote:

Here's the pets page for RMNP: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/pets.htm

In short, the regulation for ALL national parks is
Leashed pets may accompany you only in the following areas:

• Along established roads or in parking areas
• Some paved trails
• In established campgrounds and picnic areas
• Pets must be kept on leashes no longer than six feet.

 Pets may not make noise that impacts visitors or wildlife. Pet owners must pick up and dispose of pet excrement in trash receptacles.

Good call...there are a couple of NP's that allow dogs (Sand Dunes, Cuyahoga, etc, pretty much nowhere that climbers are interested in)...but if you are planning on going to a national park, plan on finding alternative accommodations for the pups

trailridge wrote: I ordered a service dog vest on Amazon. Rangers have left us alone since. Best $18.00 I spent 

Its actually illegal in Colorado to misrepresent a service animal (HB 16-1426). 

Bona fide service animals are allowed in the Park, not phonies.

Andy Nelson wrote:

Its actually illegal in Colorado to misrepresent a service animal (HB 16-1426). 

And in 22 other states (at the time of this article, Jun 5 2018):
https://www.propertyware.com/blog/states-fake-service-dog-laws/

Jesus Christ some mother rulers are ruthless on MP these days. I’d never leave my dog tied up while I climbed and there would always be someone with my pup. Anyone who does orerwise should re-evaluate their ability to raise and care for an animal, and maybe kids. Are the canyons pretty laxed about dogs? Boulder and CCC? I haven’t seen any restrictions on MP anyway. 

trailridge wrote: I ordered a service dog vest on Amazon. Rangers have left us alone since. Best $18.00 I spent 

Poor form because (1) that sucks and (2) you don't publicize ways to game the system. Land managers lurk on forums and sharing ways to cheat can lead to crackdowns or policy changes that impact everyone.

Jacob Weyenberg wrote: Are the canyons pretty laxed about dogs? Boulder and CCC? I haven’t seen any restrictions on MP anyway. 

People bring their dogs cragging in BC and CCC all the time.

This is morbid, but at least one dog was seriously injured (possibly died) because it was tied to a pack that got accidentally kicked off the edge at the Doghouse in CCC and tumbled down to the creek. I am sure the dog's family was horrified and heartbroken. I mention it because it's a situation that some folks might not foresee and a lesson to take to heart: Don't tie your dog to a moveable object on a ledge.