tuesday oct 7

first, thanks to paula for her note below- but i would have given up long ago if there wasn't lots of involvement, so thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to help us retain access.

start of the new plan today- echo & i figured out a neighborhood loop we can do in the dark (lots more walking & huffing & puffing than running, but it will get better!). he's a great running partner- more so now that i don't have to worry about lunging at squirrels, other dogs, etc.

then i worked for 1/2 an hour, then halle & i headed for the hills. yet another wonderful sunrise.




at about 7:45, met 2 women, both with dark hair- one shoulder length & glasses, one in a ponytail, both medium height & weight, near the trash can at the top of the pond loop as you head down to red fox & the off leash area. also saw a bike rider heading out, and a black dog down in the weeds by the trees far away from either group. this after i had filled a bag with opp between camel's back entrance & that trash can.

one of the women turned around & called the dog (who was waaaaaaaaaaaay behind them- they had absolutely no clue what he/she was doing and were well into the on leash area). the dog appears to be a border collie/ lab mix- black, white patch on the chest- name something like kestler or hester. i asked if they knew the dog should be on leash, and she said "i'm going to do that now" to which i replied- as halle pulled toward him (because i was picking up poop & didn't have her lined out) "that doesn't help me much".

i would really like to be able to figure out the right way to start a conversation about having the dog in sight, picking up after it, being responsible in a way that people like this would actually listen to & hear what i have to say. unfortunately, all i wanted to do was say "i'll be sure to clean up any poop that your dog, who you aren't watching, left". probably not such a good way to get buy in.....

then again, this is the first time in quite a while i've had an incident like this. things are so much better, and i know there will always be boneheads. i just don't want all of our hard work to be jeopardized by them. makes me kind of..... militant.

so it was nice that it was a beautiful quiet morning & everyone was great from there on out!

these are the same 2 dogs i saw turned out last week. this time, they were making their way down to the reserve. if the people who own these dogs and just let them run were my neighbors, i would be pretty annoyed. (well, actually, i am anyway, b/c they are most certainly adding to the poop problem & possible other issues in the reserve too).



5 with, 3 without, as i mentioned, other than the two women, everyone was following rules & polite.

have a great day-

Thank You Marianne!

I wanted to write a quick post thanking Marianne for all of her hard work with Boise Trail Dog. Marianne....you, Margie, Tracy and others have truly made a HUGE difference for dog owners using Boise's trails. I wonder if you realize the huge positive impact you've made! Thank you for all your hard work and the work of those you've inspired to work to improve the situation on our trails. I hope next year will be even better!!!

I'll add that my experiences volunteering as a R2R ranger have been very positive on the trails this year. There are always a few out there that show little or no respect for others and the trails, but they are the minority and are in every user group.

Everyone keep up the good work!

Paula & the blueticks Jeb & Suzie

www.precisionk-9.com

http://otchbluetick.blogspot.com

monday oct 6

although i love fall and the cooler weather, i am not so crazy about it being this dark when it's nearly 7:30..... rats! might be time to readjust the schedule. one benefit is that there aren't many people out...but even with big dogs it doesn't seem too smart to be up here before sunrise.

and a beautiful sunrise it was....

the sage smelled great from this weekend's rain. the trails are sandy enough that they were pretty well drained.

we went through the scary trees to avoid stroller man with the black & yellow lab who i have never seen leashed. they may be good dogs, but i've seen the black one jumping around, and he was well in front of his people when halle & echo let me know there was a dog on the trail, so why deal with it? and, as a result, i got to see the Christmas show put on by the virginia creeper growing through the russian olive tree.

the dogs did very well- we had a runner coming in the park behind us with her leashed dog & they let me know she was there, but continued to heel as she came up behind us. yay! love those little victories!

5 with, one without, all leashed where they needed to be (that i saw).

weekend

it's been too wet & i've been sick, so it's neighborhood walks for us this weekend. be back monday.

more musings

another lovely sunrise, nice, quiet beautiful start to the day.





4 with, 2 without, all good and polite. met a gentleman with a lab who was working, as are we, on not letting his dog run up to everyone. and all dogs & people did really well!

thinking more about why people are so passionate about letting their dogs off leash. as you have probably guessed, i do not subscribe to the theory that dogs need to be free to roam and do as they please or they are somehow "unfulfilled" (for lack of a better word). i worry about my dogs' safety too much to ever allow them to roam freely. i am also concerned about their impact on other people who may not find them as wonderful as i do.

that said, i do want to allow them to be dogs. that's part of what the off leash walks/hikes/runs are about- they can go at their own pace, they can sniff and play and run within my sight but are not bound to my pace. and watching them gives me joy and reminds me to appreciate my life.

yesterday, leashed walk through neighborhood- steve, carolyn, me, both dogs. carolyn had echo, i had halle, steve was behind us. 3 people with 3 leashed dogs across the street. dogs at ends of leashes, pulling the people this way and that. midsized- 40 to 60 lb dogs.

we're all thinking stay far far away. next thing we know, they are running up behind us in the crosswalk. steve actually grabbed one dogs' leash (its owner still had a hold too) as the dog prepared to charge into echo. when he said "control your dogs" they actually replied "we can't help it". and we, in unison, said "yes, you can". both halle & echo were very good- we kept walking and so did they.

same walk, 2 loose dogs trotting thru hyde park, down alleys across streets, ending up in the playing field at north jr. high. where i hope they didn't feel the need to poop. if i hadn't had our dogs, i would have checked collars & called the humane society.

we have lots of opportunity for education- hopefully we get some carryover from our trails efforts.

anyway- happy friday!

don't want to lose it

finally back on track with the early morning outings. just echo this am, will take halle at lunch. he is making great strides- walked by barking lunging fence fighting dogs easy as pie, and good by other good dogs in the reserve today. it just takes time and effort.

which many of us have put in over the past several months to preserve our off leash access. things have improved considerably. there are still some boneheads who just don't get it, as is true with every user group.

i am fortunate enough to be able to walk from my door to a trail where i can start the day in a beautiful setting with my dogs. it is hard to describe why it's important to me to be able to let them off leash. a practical reason is that it would be difficult to run with both on leash on the narrow trails. and when an off leash dog comes running up (which is inevitable) it becomes a rodeo where i get the worst of it for obeying the rules.

harder to explain, but equally important to me is the joy i get from watching the dogs enjoy the sights & smells of the trail. sometimes they just take off running- not something that would happen if leashed. sometimes they putter along the edges of the trail sniffing & leaving messages- probably not going to happen if leashed- i don't have that much patience. they can play, which they can't do tethered. it also makes me feel good to know that i have dogs with recall. we train on our walks- sit stay come. it's a process, but one worth engaging in, and i want to be able to enjoy the place we've gotten to.

two loose dogs, no person in sight cruising the trail below these homes. otherwise, all was good.



3 with (2 off leash in the on leash area, both got their dogs when they saw us leashed), 4 without, poop sitch looked good.

have a great day!

Foothills Leash Update

FCAC Meeting Wed, Oct 1-

Enforcement Update-
Jeff Rosenthal of the Idaho Humane Society reported- first month of enforcement 158 warnings and 15 citations were written by the PET patrol. This includes parks outside of R2R.

Military Reserve- 35 warnings; 5 citations, constistently pretty poopy, esp. near the dog park
Hull's Gulch Area- 13 warnings; 2 citations, consistently pretty clean
Quarry View- 3 warnings

It was generally agreed that efforts and peer pressure in the Hull's area appear to be working. We still have opportunity in other areas.

Table Rock was called out as an area in need of special attention.

We need to figure out a way to make more impact in Military Reserve, particularly in the area around the dog park. Also needed is more education as to what under control off leash means. There are people who still think that anything goes once in an off leash area.

Ideas for how to approach these issues are welcome.

David Gordon is sticking with his June recommendation which suggests making all of lower Hull's Gulch (basically below the learning center) and all of lower Military Reserve (with the exception of an off leash trail from the dog park at military reserve to connect with off leash trails higher up) 100% on leash.

For a copy of the full recommendations, contact Julia Grant at jgrant@cityofboise.org

BTD editorial comment- Since conditions in Lower Hull's are acknowledged to be improved, we are not in agreement that the area needs to be made 100% on leash. We would be OK with extending the on leash area from parking lots to provide more of a poop buffer & reduce confusion, but would prefer to keep off leash trails available lower for a) exercisers b) elderly or handicapped people c) elderly or handicapped dogs.
Polecat-

FCAC approved Ridge to Rivers staff suggestion to make Polecat on leash only. Although there is no impact to Aase's Onion population from June- January when the plants are dormant the recommendation was made to be on leash all of the time to reduce social interaction conflicts and preserve wildlife values.

Thanks! Our hard work is making a difference-