The murder of a helpless fawn by someone’s pet dog highlights what I have said for years: dogs do not belong in the wild, and certainly not unleashed dogs.
I have noticed for years that you will never see any wildlife in the woods if some tourist has brought a dog along.
I know that dogs love running freely in the mountains, but that is not the point. As far as the native wildlife is concerned, your pet is some sort of deformed wolf.
Sure, your dog is sweet and friendly, but wild animals do not know that. And many lovely pets have bitten, harassed and killed wild animals.
Please, leave your dog at home or in a kennel. Let what the locals have striven so hard to set aside as wilderness remain just that. If you cannot spend a day or two without your pet with you, perhaps you need a little professional help.
I do not believe dogs should be allowed on trails or in campgrounds, since they detract from everyone else’s wilderness experience.
Just the scent or sound of your dog is enough to alter wild animals’ behavior. Loud voices do the same thing. Save your conversations for when you are sitting quietly together, rather than while you are hiking.
Colorado values its wildlife, and often that means curtailing our and our pets’ behavior.
The world does not revolve around your pet!
Leave room for other creatures as well.
Paula Dahlke
Durango
