What dog doesn’t like going for a W-A-L-K?
According to the American Pet Products Association, approximately 62 percent of households in the United States have pets, which include about 78 million dogs. Many people include their dogs in their travel plans, since placing a dog in a kennel for an extended period of time can be quite expensive, as well as stressful for the dog.
Many national park sites allow dogs on specified trails, and some national park concessioners allow dogs in some lodging facilities, like Xanterra Parks and Resorts at Yellowstone National Park and Delaware North Companies at Shenandoah National Park.
If you plan to bring your dog with you on a visit to a national park, you should be prepared. An important thing to remember is that heat can kill. Be sure to carry enough water for you and your pet. If you travel to a park where dogs are allowed only in specific areas, don’t leave your dog in a hot vehicle or RV while you explore parts of the park that restrict dogs. This practice is generally prohibited at national park sites, and your pet could be impounded.
Hot sand and rocky terrain can injure the sensitive pads on a dog’s feet, so be sure that Fido’s precious paws are protected. Hiking through wooded areas in parks can pose a danger of ticks, which can spread diseases to you and your pet. Wear appropriate clothing to protect yourself, and check your dog thoroughly after a visit to a park to prevent any ticks from latching on to your dog. Don’t deviate from trails while visiting a park with your dog, since harmful insects and reptiles such as poisonous snakes and spiders can hide in tall grasses and shrubbery.
Some national park sites do not allow dogs, and there are very good reasons for these restrictions:
* Dogs can potentially carry diseases that could affect the park’s wildlife. Unvaccinated dogs could spread diseases to park wildlife. Unfortunately, not all pet owners are responsible about keeping their dog’s vaccinations up to date.
* Dogs can unknowingly threaten wildlife, scaring birds and other animals away from nesting, feeding, and resting sites. The scent left by a dog can signal the presence of a predator, disrupting or altering the behavior of park wildlife. Small animals may hide in their burrow the entire day after smelling a dog and may not venture out to feed.
Clover showing off her Bark Service bandana.
* Unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells can disturb even the calmest, friendliest, and best-trained dogs, causing them to behave unpredictably or bark excessively. Domesticated dogs are descended from wolves, and their instincts can take over in a situation where they feel threatened or frightened.
* Pets may become prey for larger predators such as coyotes, mountain lions, and bears in some of the larger wilderness parks. Additionally, if a dog disturbs and enrages a bear, it may lead the angry bear directly to the owner. Dogs can also encounter insects that bite and transmit disease, and plants that are poisonous or full of thorns and burrs.
* Historic structures, archaeological sites, and sacred grounds are no places for dogs. Fido could unknowingly damage historic buildings or artifacts, disturb important archaeological sites, and walk over or relieve themselves in places that are sacred to Native Americans and other groups.
* Not everyone is a “dog person.” In fact, some people are afraid of dogs, and it is the responsibility of park officials to provide a safe, enjoyable environment for all visitors, even if they aren’t “dog people.” These rules are in place not only to protect your dog, but to protect you and other visitors as well as the environs of the park.
Failure to adhere to a park’s pet policy may result in a citation (minimum fine is $75). 36 CFR 2.15 (Code of Federal Regulations) provides more details concerning pets in National Park Service areas.
Here is a list of a few national park sites that allow dogs, and their specific rules. Check the National Park Service’s website or contact a park directly for individual rules regarding dogs in parks before visiting-- each park may have different stipulations based on the location, resources, and environment of the park.
Saratoga National Historical Park, with its rolling hills and gorgeous scenery of the Hudson Valley in New York, is a wonderful place for leashed dogs and their owners to explore. Although dogs are not allowed in the visitor center or inside park buildings, the park offers a tie-up area adjacent to the visitor center entrance, and provides water and waste bags in certain areas.
Dogs are welcome at Cape Hatteras National Seashore! Horses are allowed at Cape Hatteras as well, and can travel anywhere vehicles are permitted to drive except in campgrounds. Horses are required to use ORV (Off Road Vehicle) ramps when crossing dunes. There are some understandable restrictions at Cape Hatteras: Pets are not allowed on designated swim beaches or in buildings, nor are they allowed in protected resource areas such as sea bird and sea turtle nesting areas.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, situated between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, is a great place to take your dog. It has more than 100 miles of multi-use trails! Dogs must be restrained on a leash that is six feet or shorter in length on park lands at all times, and they are not permitted in park buildings or on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (exception for service animals).
At Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in Kentucky, leashed dogs are welcomed throughout the park’s 24,000 acres. Horses are permitted on designated trails and at the Hensley Camp, White Rocks, and Martins Fork backcountry campsites.
Devils Postpile National Monument in California is so dog-friendly that it includes dogs in its volunteer program, called the “Paw Patrol.” Volunteers patrol the park with their canine companions to help keep visitors educated on the rules associated with dogs at the monument, and to serve as ambassadors on the trails, sharing information with visitors and answering questions.
Eastern National, a cooperating association at more than 150 national park sites, has introduced the “National Bark Ranger” product line for dogs, which will allow them to show their national park pride. There are several items available in multiple colors, including a leash, collars, bandanas, a poo bag dispenser, a pull toy, and a collapsible water bowl, all emblazoned with the fun “Bark Ranger” logo. These items are available at some national park sites and on eParks.com. Click here to see the full product line.
So get out there and take your dog for a W-A-L-K in a park—it will be great fun for both of you!
Comments
Be Respectful. Be Mindful. Be Considerate.
Our National Parks are special places we preserve for past and future generations to experience, appreciate and enjoy. Pictures can't fully capture them. Words don't do them justice. There is majesty, awe, gloriousness in their untouched beauty that our hands could not create.
When a National Park posts no dogs on trails, they do not do it lightly. They do not do it to punish dog owners. (You'd have to be a pretty spoiled, self-centered, entitled brat to think so.) Careful consideration is put into this rule to keep our parks pristine and keep their ecosystems balanced.
There are plenty of other places that allow dogs on trails. For example, Sequoia National Park doesn't allow dogs on trails, but neighboring Sequoia National Forest does. Just be respectful. Plan your hikes accordingly. It's not all about you.
Yes! My husband and I worked hard and raised our family. Now we volunteer at national parks to help care for these amazing treasures for future generations.
We are also dog lovers and have always treated our pets as part of our family.
It is absolutely astounding the many dog owners we encounter that refuse to comply with rules established for greater good and safety.
We don't take our pet to the restricted beach, where the sun and sand are too hot for her, anyway. We keep our dog on a 6 foot leash and pick up after her. We have met many dog owners that blatantly ignore these rules and even express outrage and hostility when asked to observe them.
In June, a woman refusing to leash her dog on a state park trail was mawled by a black bear, trying to defend her dog with a stick after her dog charged the bear. Several trails were closed for weeks while authorities searched and killed the bear. Many hikers that traveled many miles to hike those trails were disappointed they were closed. An innocent wild bear died because one arrogant woman felt she was entitled to flaunt the law.
It's happening across America, folks. So, if you feel the national and state parks are too costly to your budget and sensitivities and your personal demands; then, we dearly hope to NOT meet you along the way.
EASY!..Don't be one of the poepole who spoils it for others!
"People who enjoy the outdoors, wildlife and parks are very often pet owners. The majority of which are responsible."
Sadly that has not been my experience. Not only in National parks but everywhere. First and foremost are what seems to be the majority of dog owners ignoring the leash laws and secondly not picking up after their dogs. Don't give me the "my dog is well behaved" excuse. I know dogs that are and many more that are not and the truth is nearly every dog acts up from time to time. Everyone who lets their dog off leash where it is clearly prohibited and refuses to pick up after them gives the rest a bad name. I wish more responsible dog owners would speak up.
Y'all, I love my dog as much as any other dog owner. My hound dog has the run of our land and our house, sleeps in our bed, and her wellbeing factors into every decision I make. She is the love of my life. But I also understand that National Parks don't just exist for *my* enjoyment -- they are crucial habitat preserves for wildlife, and it's important for all of us to practice "leave no trace" to the extent of our capability when visiting national parks.
All of the reasons given in the original article are valid, well-justified reasons not to bring dogs to national parks. To you, your dog might be the sweetest and most harmless creature. Mine is to me! But I've also seen her dismember a rabbit, shake a skunk to death, and chase the neighbor's chickens like nothing else in the world mattered. Dogs are predators, no matter how domesticated, and their presence in national parks can be incredibly disruptive to the ecosystem of the park. And they leave their scent everywhere! Many wild animals are very sensitive to scent, especially the scent of a predator. Didn't you learn as a kid that you should never touch a bird's eggs or chicks, because the mother bird will abandon the nest if she smells your scent?
Human presence and development in the parks is already disruptive enough, and plenty of arguments can be made for letting fewer humans into many/all of the most popular national parks. There's a good argument for making national parks less accessible and comfortable for humans as well. More development in the form of "doggy daycare" within national parks would do nothing to preserve the beauty and integrity of the ecosystems that parks are meant to protect.
Many national parks already allow leashed dogs on trails, and the ones that don't have very good reasons for it, should you care to investigate them. I wouldn't want to have my dog anywhere near a canyon rim in Grand Canyon, nor anywhere we could run into moose or bears in Yellowstone or Glacier. And I wouldn't want my dog's presence to disrupt ground-nesting birds, or to cause endangered bighorn sheep to waste valuable energy fleeing her scent.
I hate to leave my dog home, but when I'm planning my national park visits, I make certain that I've done my research so I know whether or not I can bring my dog, where exactly within the park I can have her on leash, and when I should find a pet sitter and leave her at home all together.
Please, be responsible and respectful: to other people, to wildlife, and to your dog's safety!
Hope - have you thought about buying a leash? Would prevent all your imagined perils.
Seriously? You think every where you go you are going to be attacked by a domesticated, leashed animal, most of which are less than half your size? And you're safe in a forest full of bears and other predators? Seriously?
I understand alot of the regulations for pets in national parks and respect them.......but please tell me why the National Park is allowed to KILL MY DOG AFTER 72 HOURS SINCE CAPTURE.....why is that even necessary