The requirement to keep dogs on a leash is observed by most—but not all—visitors to national parks. A recent incident in Great Smoky Mountains National Park involving a pit bull and a deer offers a vivid example of one reason for the regulation.
"Leash laws" in national parks serve several functions: The regulation reduces the risk of conflicts when two or more dogs find themselves in the same vicinity; there's less chance that other visitors will be bitten when they try to pet a stranger's dog that doesn't want to be petted; children (or adults) aren't frightened or even knocked down by the enthusiastic but unwelcome approach of a large dog.
An additional concern for dogs running free in areas such as national parks is the potential for conflicts with wildlife. Every dog has its own personality and temperament, but more often than not, it's simply canine nature to chase another animal, and more than one owner has been caught off-guard when Fido behaved in a totally unexpected way when a wild animal arrives on the scene.
One of those situations had an unfortunate ending last week in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. According to information from park a spokesman, a pit bull attacked a deer in the park. The dog belonged to a man who was camped in the Elkmont area of the park when the incident occurred.
The deer was a mature eight-point buck that weighed about 130 pounds, and a wildlife biologist determined that its injuries were serious enough that attempts to treat it would be futile. The deer was euthanized.
The pit bull's owner was cited for failure to have his dog on a leash, and for destruction of wildlife. An appearance before a U.S. Magistrate on the charges is pending.
Another spokesman at the park said such incidents are fairly rare in the Smokies, and described another situation several years ago that illustrates the value in the "leash law" for protecting pets as well as wildlife. In that case the dog was riding in the bed of a pickup truck which was being driven through the Cades Cove area.
The dog spotted a black bear, jumped out of the truck, and headed for the bear, which was large enough that it wasn't intimidated by the dog. A chase ensured, and the dog became the prey, running back toward the owner, who had stopped his truck alongside the road. In this case, the pursuing bear reportedly broke off the chase when the dog ran into a group of people who had gathered to watch the action. That case fortunately ended without further incident for both the dog and the bear, but this one could have taken a nasty turn.
Finally, conflicts between dogs and skunks rarely end well for the dog—or the owners who are faced with the prospect of transporting their animal back home. That scenario shouldn't require any further discussion!
All of the above situations offer a good reminder: if you travel with a pet on your visits to a park, keep it under physical control. The regulation is for the mutual benefit of the dog, humans and wildlife.
Comments
For goodness sakes, Leash laws started being enacted over 30 years ago, because many dogs WILL CHASE and injure wildlife, other domestic animals and people if given the opportunity. 30 years ago literally thousands of farm animals and wildlife were injured or killed by loose roaming dogs EVERY year.
Stop, people, this isn't about Pit bulls or German Shepherds, it's about predatory behavior - which all dogs have.
Keep ALL dogs on leashes for the safety of ALL.
Any dog running at me will promptly be sprayed with Counter Assault! Not being a dog person the idea of taking my pet on vacation with me and the restrictions and limitations it would put on me wouldn't be worth it. I am sensitive however that others don't feel the same way. Regardless, be courteous and keep your dog on a leash!
I recall many years ago, a dog jumping into one of the hot pools in Yellowstone and the owner jumped in after him to save him. Needless to say, they both died.
Use that can of Counter Assault in most NPS areas (save areas where bear spray is specifically allowed), and you could be cited for illegal possession/use of a restricted weapon. Perhaps the dog owner gets charged with a violation of leash laws.
I have 2 Great Danes. I always keep them on leashes while hiking. Dogs can be unpredictable under the best of circumstances. Merlin (my 1 year old Blue Merle) is allowed off his leash ONLY while in my front yard or a camping spot after he knows the boundaries. He has been trained to stay within a perimeter (Good Citizen). Bella (my 9 mo. old Chocolate Merle) is NEVER allowed off a leash. Not even in my own front lawn. She will never be. She is incapable of being taught perimeter boundaries.
Having said that, I will acknowledge that the problem is not with the dogs themselves, but with the owner. As a responsible owner, we must know our dogs limitations and constantly supervise them whether or not they are on a leash. Dogs will be dogs. It is imperative to keep our dogs under control at all times.
Living in the area, I used to be visit Cades Cove early on Sunday mornings. The last 5 times I had done this, I left mad and frustrated. People are regularly letting their dogs run loose and chase the deer, turkeys, etc. I never see a ranger !
I am not mad at the rangers, I am made that America has saved some of the last great native/natural places in our lands but does not support them with the funding required to maintain and protect them !
IF you have to take your dogs into a National Park, PLEASE observe the LEASH LAW !!!
Why would the pit bull come after you? Why would you assume that would happen? Pit bulls were bred to be human-friendly. Any dog can be bad if not raised properly, just like people. American Pit Bull Terriers, however, are less likely than almost all other dog breeds to be aggressive toward humans, in many cases even after severe abuse. All dogs should be on a leash in public; the breed is irrelevant. Oh, and I guarantee there are countless more shooting deaths than pit bull attacks. And for the poster who mentioned headlines about pit bull attacks: When was the last time you saw a headline about any other dog attack besides a pit bull? I don't know that I've ever seen one. Do you really think that no other dog is attacking people? Of course they are; the media only reports dog attacks as "pit bull" attacks, whether it was a pit or not. "Pit bull" is a sensational buzz word that gets people's attention, and most of the time it's applied to a dog that has nothing to do with pit bulls. This article is a prime example. Why? American Pit Bull Terriers do not grow to be 100 pounds. They're not that big. If you see a gigantic scary-looking dog, it's not an American Pit Bull Terrier.
Paul -
Thanks for your comments. There's no question that pit bulls have both fans and detractors, and you're correct: the breed has the reputation of being more aggressive than many other types of dogs. Is that fair? I don't know. Perhaps it's deserved, or perhaps it's merely a combination of the belief that the breed is favored by those who raise dogs for fighting and of media coverage of incidents such as this one.
Anticipating that my story would raise the ire of pit bull fans, I intentionally omitted several details from the article, including specifics about the aggressive nature of the attack, the extent of the deer's injuries, and that fact that the dog involved in the second incident mentioned in the story was also a pit bull.
No doubt the short name "pit bull" lends itself to headlines; I suspect most writers would substitute "dog" in place of "German Shepherd" or "Doberman Pinscher" if that had been the breed in this case, although the fact remains – such incidents in park campgrounds are pretty rare, and the dog in this case was a pit bull.
You're correct that a pit bull would weigh less than the "about 100 pounds" cited in the information I received about the incident. Most people had a hard time accurately gauging the weight of a dog; the point of the reference to the weight was that the dog attacked another animal that outweighed the dog by a considerable margin. I've modified the text accordingly.
The key point of this story was the opportunity for a reminder about the reason that leash laws exist in parks—for the protection of wildlife, other visitors—and the dogs. Most readers who have made comments have picked up on that theme, so the article seems to have served its purpose.
samatha,you must be kidding....pit bulls are the worst dog a person can own,better have good insurance if they go after anyone,and a good lawyer....you are right about other dogs have maimed and mauled people and other animals,but the pit leads the group in attacks...