I think some that have never lived in the northern rockies also disregard the cultural aspects of the region.  It's almost a cultural acceptance to hike and have dogs in the wilderness, many times unleashed.  This is seen as "absurd" in many other places, but is sort of the norm in places like Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. I have numerous photos of my two huskies in great mountainous places as we trekked around the great wilderness areas there.  There were a few times where we got into trouble over thousands of miles of adventure, but many times they were great in being the eyes-nose-and-ears of possible dangers.  They also were awesome in avalanche terrain and had this keen sense on where to go and where to avoid.   It's all in the owners training though. But seriously, montana ain't new york or connecticut, so quit trying to apply the rules to those areas, when you don't have wild terrain like that in your own backyard.  Not that dogs should be in national parks, but I have no problem with dogs unleashed in wilderness areas if they are trained and overall under good obedience with their owners.  Most dogs that go into the wilderness and backpack LIVE for it.

Is it possible to express an opinion on this site without people resorting to name calling(Monday  morning quarterback)?? and jumping to incorrect assumptions-- I'm from "back East" so I must not know nuthin about the mountains?? As a matter of fact I've never been to New York or Conn. I lived in Nebraska and Wyoming for 16 years before moving to Florida--- because I don't live in Montana I can't have an opinion?? Give me a break.

If the descriptive term 'monday morning quarterback' is the worst you ever get called, you're living an untroubled life. It was describing - without mentioning you in specific - those who jump in with opinionated commentary based on a minimum of actual knowledge about situations.

What gave you the impression they were saying it was the worst they had been called?

Rick, what do you expect to see in the "comments" section of the website? Comments, but not opinions? You should probably have not scrolled down so far.

Dogs off leash are a problem everywhere most notably Golden Gate NRA. In US Forest Service wilderness dogs off leash are seldom under adequate voice control. But all of that aside a mountain lion habituated to people and hanging around developed areas needs to be killed. That reminds me that Yosemite used to and may still relocate problem bears in the Valley to the backcountry where they can terrorize backpackers. Bears have an exceptional ability to train other bears to do bad things. For every problem bear removed from the population several other bears are probably saved from becoming a problem in my opinion.

Thank you, Roger. I hate seeing these beautiful animals put down, but you're right - the word 'habituated' jumped out at me. Living here in bear country myself, it is a condition to be avoided.

Dittos RickB, I agree with Roger's post also. 

Proability of injuries by DOGS much greater than injuries from cougars:






http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks.html

Do not take your dog with you into the wilderness, if you want to reduce your chances of a cougar attack. According to Banff National Park Chief Warden Ian Syme, "Many people like to take a dog along in the wilderness because it gives them a sense of security. They feel they will be protected from cougars. But that's not the case. Dogs are an attractant in most cases."

However, you may not have to worry about taking action to prevent an attack, since mountain lions ordinarily either lie hidden, waiting for prey to approach beneath them, or approach unseen, and then attack and kill by a bite to the back of the neck that severs the spinal cord. This was the modus operandi for the attack on Barbara Schoener.

Also see:

• GORP's Safe Travel in Mountain Lion Country: How to Handle an Encounter
• Linda Lewis' DOs and DON'Ts To Survive A Cougar Encounter.

Statistics of Attacks

The current reported attack rate in the U.S. and Canada is ~6 attacks per year, with just under 1 death per year. This number has been constant since at least 1991, with no evidence at all that the rate has changed.

 

YearU.S.A. and CanadaCalifornia# of Attacks# of Deaths# of Attacks# of Deaths19914200199241101993302019949232199530101996610019977100199890001999610020008000200171002002500020032100     total731072Average per year5.60.80.50.2
http://enhs.umn.edu/current/6120/bites/dogbiteinjuries.html

Summary

• An estimated 4.7 million dog bites occur annually in the US.
• An estimated 368,245 persons are treated in emergency departments for nonfatal dog bites annually.
• Approximately 42% of dog bites occurred in children aged less than 14 years.
• Dog bite rates were significantly higher for boys (293.2 per 100,000) than for girls (216.7 per 100,000).
• Work-related dog bites are also a significant injury problem, 16,476 dog bites, or 7.9% of total dog bite injuries were work-related.
• Children sustained 3.2 times higher bite rates that required medical attention than adults (6.4 per 1000 v. 2 per 1000).
• Young children were more likely than adults to be bitten on the head, neck or face.
• In 1986 there were 585,000 dog bite injuries that required medical attention. By 1995 there were 800,000, a 36% increase from 1986 to 1995.