Re: RC: Dogs & Riding

[Jon.Linderman@notes.udayton.edu]

I have to agree with the following.  I ride occasionally with my wife's
black lab, but only when I know I'll be alone and only on rides that were
primarily walking.  Tooker her out Xmas & New Years for company on the
trail but 99% was walking.  I think it is rather rude when people bring
dogs to trail rides & assume we all want their dogs darting in and out of
our horses back hooves & having to listen to the owners holler at them to
come back from eating deer poop and misc dead animal parts out on the
trail.  I also beleive that the dogs are a much bigger problem than our
horses in terms of impact on the wild.  They harass animal nests, kill
small animals, terrorize deer, etc.  I love my labs and all of them are
rescues, some with infirmities that are expensive (cancer eplipsy, etc) but
I leave 'em home.  My horse needs a relatively calm environment & I too
will head the other way when I see people bring their dogs.

Jon K. Linderman, Ph.D., FACSM
Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Science
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-1210
Voice:(937) 229-4207
FAX: (937) 229-4244
jonlinderman@udayton.edu
http://www.udayton.edu/~linderma




                                                                                                                 
                    guest@enduranc                                                                               
                    e.net                To:     <ridecamp@endurance.net>                                        
                                         cc:                                                                     
                    02/07/2002           Subject:     RC:  Dogs & Riding                                         
                    11:12 PM                                                                                     
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 




M. C. A. mabbott@wizwire.com
Okay, I can't help myself here.  I have to comment.

I have four dogs (my usual average, though I have been up to five at a
time). I have three horses.  I have 17 sheep and two pygmy goats.  All of
these are kept on the 20 acres I own and live on.  I ride endurance.

That's my background.

My opinion:  Like somebody else said, don't mix these animals up!  (Unless
they are full fledged sheep herding dogs, doing their work, while attended
by humans.)

I have ridden on endurance "training rides" where people have shown up
with their dogs, while mine have stayed at home in their pens, (or in the
house, depending upon their age, etc.) They have thought their dogs were
having a "great time" while we were out doing 30+ miles.  They told me so!
I felt terrible.  I saw it differently.  I saw dogs (of all types)
dehydrated and ready to drop, and often, unwatched.  Because they made it
to the end of our ride they were considered okay--or, even "happy"!

I won't do it anymore.  If someone shows up with a dog, I am heading in
the opposite direction!  Just can't have any part of it.

Tell me your dog is different, but I won't believe you! :-)

Signed:  Seen enough of this!
(Though, you may know who I am by my email address!  Blaze away!  I'm
ready!  Though, your dogs probably aren't!)


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