Canine conflicts.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

Hiking is always more fun with a friend - even if that friend sometimes steals food off your plate, scratches himself in public, has doggy breath, and answers to "Fido."

Once regarded simply as "Man's best friend," the dog now - in many households, at least - has risen to the status of "family member." And it's tough to leave one member of the family at home when everyone else is having fun in the woods.

So paw prints and boot tracks are overlapping on Oregon trails more than ever, according to national forest rangers.

"We've been seeing an increase in the number of families that have dogs, and they want to take Fido with them and they usually want to let him run free," says Marv Lang, a recreation specialist for the Deschutes National Forest.

"That leads to conflicts with other dogs - dog fights - dog-livestock conflicts, dog-people conflicts, and dogs chasing wildlife," said Lang, who says dog-related incidents reported by wilderness rangers "are too numerous to mention."

"Negative dog interactions are becoming an increasing and significant problem," Lang wrote in a recent report on the situation. "Sanitation is also an issue along trails and near water."

In an attempt to reduce the canine conflicts in the woods, the Deschutes National Forest this week implemented a leash law in a portion of the Three Sisters Wilderness west of Bend.

The regulation is in effect July 1 through Sept. 1 in the Green/Moraine lakes area northwest of Mount Bachelor, and on trails leading into that area.

While leash laws and "no-dogs-allowed" regulations are common on forests in other states, this is believed to be the first formally adopted leash law in an Oregon wilderness. (Dogs have long been required to be on leashes while in national forest campgrounds or other "developed sites.")

Deschutes officials announced the leash rule last summer and began "educational" enforcement - including a lend-leash program for dog owners who showed up at the trailhead without one. This year, they took the additional step of getting the rule listed in the Code of Federal Regulations, which means it can be enforced in court, if need be.

The effectiveness of the regulation will be reviewed after two years. If compliance is good and education efforts pay off, the leash law will become permanent. If not, Lang says, dogs may be banned in the area served by the Green Lake, Soda Creek, Broken Top, Todd Lake and Devil's Lake trailheads.

The problem is most serious on those trails simply because of the sheer numbers of people and animals using them.

"We get probably 60 to 70 percent of our use through those trailheads," Lang said, adding that 20-25,000 people visit the area each year.

And many of them bring their four-footed friends. Based on the wilderness permits filled out by visitors, 26 percent of the groups entering the Green/Moraine lakes area in 2001 were accompanied by one or more dogs.

Dogs are included in an even higher percentage of groups hiking to the popular Erma Bell Lakes area on the west slope of the Cascades, according to Judy Mitchell of Eugene, a Willamette National Forest wilderness manager with 17 years' experience in the woods.

"In the Erma Bell area, the amount of dogs we see has almost doubled," she said. "Easily 50 percent of the people have dogs."

On trails in that area, the only regulation regarding dogs is the same one that applies to the vast majority of public lands in Oregon - the dog must be "under the owner's control." That is interpreted to mean a leash is not required if the animal is trained to respond to voice or hand-signal commands.

"But you and I both know that probably one percent of the people really have voice control over their dogs," Mitchell said.

She has traumatic, firsthand experience of what can happen when excited, off-leash dogs fail to respond to their owners' shouted "commands."

Three summers ago, Mitchell was headed up the Erma Bell Lakes trail with her two llamas used to pack gear needed for her back-country duties. They encountered a group of six people with three dogs.

"The dogs saw us and came dashing down, as dogs will do when they're not on a leash," Mitchell said.

The llamas - frightened by the rapidly approaching pack - pulled away from Mitchell's grasp, and got entangled in their ropes. The next thing Mitchell knew, both animals had tumbled over the edge of the trail and were rolling down the hill.

One of them, Camas, broke a leg.

"He got up with one of his legs just swinging around 360 degrees," Mitchell said.

It took three hours for Mitchell - with the help of the other party - to carry Camas back to the trailhead so she could transport him to an animal hospital. Camas survived but can't walk without dragging his feet, and his packing career is probably over.

Jim Leep, a wilderness ranger/packer for the Bend Fort Rock Ranger District who owns two dogs himself, says he's been knocked to the ground and other hikers have narrowly escaped injury in the rearing, whirling commotions that ensued when dogs came after his pack animals. Leep said he knows of one forest visitor being bitten "seriously enough to require medical attention" by a dog running loose at a trailhead.

Keeping your dog leashed while hiking also can protect your pet from injury - or worse - in a trailside encounter with others.

Leep says several dogs have been kicked while snapping at the heels of his mules. One of those dogs, he said, "appeared to have a fractured skull...I doubt it survived."

Leep says his mules "paid no attention to dogs" before they began their Forest Service careers, but "after nine seasons of being harassed and bitten, they're nervous about any dog that is in their space" and will now kick at any dog that approaches within range.

Dogs are like children to some people - right down to the "parents" ability to overlook ill-mannered, excitable and mischievous behavior.

Leep tells of one woman's response when he told her to get control of a dog headed for his packstring: "It's okay," she said, "he just wants to herd your mules."

Another woman wrote a product endorsement letter to the manufacturer of a dog back-pack, bragging about how well the pack had stood up under all manner of tough conditions - including "several high-speed deer chases" through dense brush.

The woman either didn't realize or didn't care that it is illegal to allow a dog to chase wildlife.

"All this nonsense simply evaporates if dogs are left at home or leashed," Leep said.

The public reaction to the new leash law has been "split," so far, Lang said.

"The people who are responsible dog owners, most of them use a leash already. Those who actually have command of their dogs with voice or hand controls, they feel like they're getting a raw deal. But there's plenty of not-quite-as-responsible owners out there who couldn't control their dog if they had to. They're the ones that are really the problem."

RUFF & READY TO HIKE?

Here's a checklist of trail tips and etiquette for dog owners who hike with their pet:

Keep your dog on a leash. It is your responsibility to keep your dog under control at all times.

Be sure you are physically able to prevent your dog from lunging at other hikers, dogs or livestock encountered on a narrow pathway.

Yield the right of way to most other trail users - especially horses and pack animals. Step to the side of the trail and put your dog at heel while the other party passes.

Make sure an ID tag is attached to your dog's collar.

Check the rules before you go. Most National Parks, for example, do not allow dogs on trails.

Train first. Like people, dogs must be in shape before undertaking a strenuous hike. If unsure about your dog's fitness level, start out with shorter hikes and work your way up to longer ones.

Bring plenty of water and a bowl for your dog. Dogs have higher body temperatures than humans and are quicker to overheat.

Hike in the early morning or evening to avoid overheating.

Healthy dogs can carry up to one-third of their own weight in special doggy packs. However, be aware that on hot, sunny days such packs can cause your dog to overheat faster.

To avoid sickness, feed your dog after you hike, when it's rested - not right before you exercise

Pack out dog droppings rather then leaving them alongside the trail.

Take along a first aid kit; most injuries to dogs occur on the pads of dogs' feet. If hiking in rough terrain, consider dog booties to protect tender paws.

Do a careful post-hike check of your dog for ticks or burrs that can lead to illness or infection.

- The Sierra Club and "Hiking With Dogs"

CAPTION(S):

Chris Pietsch / The Register-Guard Judy Mitchell, a Willamette National Forest wilderness manager, often goes into the forest with her llamas and her dog, Ranger. Ranger the dog waits for her owner, Judy Mitchell, next to outdoor gear. Mitchell says many dog owners take their pets to Erma Bell Lakes.