TRAIL DOGS

Scott Regberg
Mirror contributing writer

   In writing about trail dogs, you might think that I’m taking some poetic license to simply describe dedicated hikers. But no, I’m using the phrase very literally -- canines who love to run the trails.
   Everyone knows that dogs love to go for walks. However, it’s a very special dog that loves to go for hours up and down steep hills without pooping out in paduko.
   Simba, a cocker spaniel I’ve known for some years, is a lazy girlie-dog. He’ll get all excited for a few minutes and then just sort of give up. He’ll sit down and whine, hang his head and sniff around and then, maybe, walk so slow that it’s a relief to head back at a reasonable pace. He also tends to get so dirty it’s too much of an ordeal to take him at all.
   Our Aussie contingent occasionally brings its two dogs on our Monday and Wednesday night hikes, and there is literally no holding them back. They run ahead a few hundred yards, run back and then do it again. We figure that they can cover about three times as much ground as we do, plus expend huge amounts of energy wagging their tails.
   The dogs apparently know when their masters are going hiking and go loco if they’re left behind. They put up such a fuss that it’s easier to bring them than not, even on the rockier climbing trails. You wouldn’t think dogs would do well on some of the vertical passages, but they scamper up like seasoned mountain goats, loop back and do it again just for the fun of it. By comparison, Simba would be in the Trail Dog of Hall of Shame if he were out there at all.
   Not all trails welcome dogs, with the city, county and state administered lands having varying policies. Occasionally, we see Rangers giving tickets but I don’t know if it’s for the lack of a leash or being out there at all. A few of the trails, like Capri or Kenter can get pretty littered, but the off-trails are seldom spoiled by more than coyote, deer or rabbit scat. (We’ve gotten pretty good at calling-out "Scat!" as we go along, more for horses than other animals).
   If the dogs are well-mannered and up for the challenge it can be fun to have them along. However, the last thing a troop wants is any element that slows us down or complicates the hike. When novices ask if they can bring their dogs, I always advise against it. I figure let’s make sure the hiker is up for the challenge before we worry about baby-sitting another Simba.
   Fearless readers who are interested in free Monday and Wednesday night hikes should contact Scott Regberg at (310) 475-5735.