A valid point depending upon the dog, you can take your dog on the trail if you know how it will act or keep it on leash.  Our Danes will not roam away from us nor chase animals and lead them back to us.  Other dogs will and it does not have to be a bear, an angry moose is just as dangerous.  Earlier this year some hikers on Bird Ridge a popular trail just south of town had their dog killed by a bear because it got to close.  I think the ridge is misnamed as I have seen more bears than birds there.  A couple years ago in late June I ran into a grizzly sow with two cubs atop the ridge at 11:00PM while I was on a training run.  Standing there in running shorts and a t-shirt 100 yards from three grizzlies renews your feelings of mortality very quickly.  Note to self, carry bearspray on training runs, a cell phone will not even slow the bear down.  Bear bells are not effective, singing, and talking loud are more likely to work though in some cases nothing does.

Mark in AK

----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Tipton <uther@DRAGONHOME.ORG>
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009 7:44 pm
Subject: Re: Ultimate Camping List; Bears
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM

> a couple of years ago while hiking in the smokies i caught up with a
> group which
> had a dog off leash.  dogs are not allowed on the trail and these
> folks were making
> lots of noise and going verrrry slooowly.  i passed them and then
> their dog passed
> me.
>
> about the time i was getting away from all their racket the dog came
> running by me
> just as i got to a very tight corner with a long dropoff on one side
> and a vertical rock
> face on the other.  i stepped into the corner just as mr. bear,
> chasing the dog, came
> into the same corner coming the other way.
>
> now i don't know who was the more frightened, me or the bear.  we both
> jumped
> back and some sort of yelp.  he turned tail and ran while i stood and
> shook... and
> then went back and had a heart to heart with the dog owner.
>
> so while a dog might warn you about a bear in your camp don't take
> them on the
> trail!
>
> r
>
>
>