Methownet BB

Does anyone know who the owners are of two dogs who were wandering around near the main entrance station at Pearrygin Lake State Park this afternoon? I was taking my two dogs for a walk when suddenly a husky and German Shepherd appeared. No human was in sight.

One of my dogs is reactive to other dogs and is recovering from leg surgery (and was on leash). The husky saw us (several hundred yards away) and ran right up to my leashed dog. Needless to say, that interaction didn't go well. No one got bit, but my dog was not happy, and the husky didn't want to leave him alone.

I have a photo of the husky - light colored, seemed like a young dog, pink collar. (but no way to attach it here)

I found a State Parks staff person and asked if she knew anything about the dogs, but she was not a regular Pearrygin staff person - she has been coming over from Conconully to work on some bathroom repairs. But she did say she has heard from the Pearrygin staff that these two dogs are often seen running around the park, in all seasons, so I'm guessing they live nearby.

If the owners (or someone who knows them) are on this BB, please keep your dogs in their own yard. They should not have the run of the state park. And if you are out walking them, they should be on leash or should be trained to recall to you without hesitation.

Amen. Thank you for detailing the problem. Dog owners, police yourselves please.

I'm sorry that happened to you. I also have reactive dogs, and it’s incredibly frustrating how many people let their dogs free roam, often without solid recall. It disrupts daily walks and creates unnecessary stress for both dogs and their owners.

Dogs are required to be on leash in all state parks, and even on other trails, they should be leashed if the area is busy or if they don’t have perfect recall. I’ve encountered so many people who say, ‘Oh, my dog is friendly,’ while their dog ignores recall commands. Even if your dog is friendly, not all other dogs are, and you never know how an interaction will go.

Off-leash dogs should remain within eyesight of their owner at all times and have flawless recall 100% of the time. If your dog doesn’t meet that standard and approaches others uninvited, it should be leashed, especially on busy trails.

They belong to the house on the high ground to the east and the owners apparently find it quite difficult to contain them.

It sounds like quite a scuffle, sorry to hear your dog got bit. Maybe the owners of the German Shepard and Husky need to possibly, spend some money on an appropriate fenced in area for their dogs and spend more time with them. I too have had problems with other dogs while walking my dogs on leash at Pearrygin. They were not the two dogs you have described but sporting pointers. The incident happened quickly after the owner just simply opened her car door to let her dogs out. She did not immediately collect them. One dog ran off while the other bolted toward us from behind. I didn't see the dog coming but Lila my Queensland X did and turned sharply, I slipped and fell. Luckily, we avoided other issues, but the owner had no leashes.
I mentioned that the dogs needed to be leashed, that it was posted, she responded, "no they don't". They proceeded down the trail unleashed. Please reign in your triumphant egos and recognize leashes (and fences) are for your own dog's safety as well. All dogs at the park should have collars, leashes and be accompanied by their, hopefully, considerate and educated owners. Nobody wants to go out for a beautiful sunshiny walk and end up getting hurt and/or get stuck with a vet bill.

- Shelley Block