Re: Dogs

Hey everyone;

i am camping in Hodgdon Meadows next month with my son's family... they have two medium size unruly dogs (at least untrained). my son's wife is the kind that just cannot leave her dogs at home for any time other than a few hours, so camping overnight won't work for her, she insists on bringing them to Yosemite.

from what i have read, it appears that dogs are allowed in the campsite, but they have to be on leash at all times..... i'm concerned about bears at night, and their dogs barking and making noise that will irritate other campers. besides, won't dogs attract bears? i've never camped with dogs, so i don't know.

i'd rather they not bring them, but i'm sure they will... also... they wanted to walk to Lower Yosemite Falls (where the bridge is) to see the waterfalls with their young children... it appears from reading the parks website, that dogs are allowed on " fully paved trails and roads", so i assume this would apply to these falls in particular.

any recommendations?

Dogs don't necessary attract bears but their food will so you will have to store their food like you will yours. National Parks are not pet friendly and there are limitations to where they are allowed. You are not allowed to leave the dogs in camp or in vehicles by themselves so you will be limited to go where they are allowed to go or someone will have to stay behind with them. Dogs are allowed only in developed areas or FULLY paved areas and not off the valley floor and even though the trail to Vernal Falls is paved in places you can not take dogs there, nor can you go all the way to Mirror Lake. You can take dogs on the paved trail to Glacier Point. The only unpaved trail that dogs are allowed on is the Wawona Meadow Loop. Only service dogs are allowed in buildings and on the shuttles. However, if your group or part of your group is willing to limit their activities then having a dog is not an issue.

My biggest concern is the fact that you said that the dogs are untrained and unruly. If the dogs are not behaving, lunging at other people, barking or harassing wildlife and a ranger sees it, then you might get a citation or be asked to remove the dogs. Well trained dogs are a pleasure to be around but there is nothing like a unruly dog to ruin a trip for you and anyone around you. In your case, I would leave the dogs at home so everyone can have a fun and relaxing trip.

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parklover

Well trained dogs are a pleasure to be around but there is nothing like a unruly dog to ruin a trip for you and anyone around you. In your case, I would leave the dogs at home so everyone can have a fun and relaxing trip.

Or have the unruly dog's go to obedience school so they and their master can be properly trained. Dogs are very domesticated animals. There's no reason (and no excuse) to have unruly dogs. All dogs can be trained to behave well if their owners take the necessary time and make the necessary effort to do so.

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thanks parklover..... now that you mention it, my major concern would be them barking at other people and other dogs... it would be a shame if my son got a citation etc....

hmmm .... would it be the person who owns the dog that gets the citation? or the person who paid for the campsite i wonder?

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forrestranger
thanks parklover..... now that you mention it, my major concern would be them barking at other people and other dogs... it would be a shame if my son got a citation etc....

hmmm .... would it be the person who owns the dog that gets the citation? or the person who paid for the campsite i wonder?

I don't know but why take the chance of finding out and ruining the trip for everyone.

I would ask them whether they prefer to pay the fines and risk being thrown out of the campground, or pay for a doggie day care/kennel that will entertain and love on their pooches (feed them, anyway, and let them run around in a contained space every day).

If the guy in the camp site next door is a nuisance, you bet I'd complain. Not that I am often in the campgrounds in the valley, but there are plenty of campers and any percentage will be of the same nature... and an unruly dog = a justified complaint.