Dogs at the New

I am going to be driving from Boston to Asheville next week and am planning on stopping at the NRG to climb for a day or two. I will have two dogs with me that are very well behaved and are never a problem while climbing. I was just wondering if dogs are well accepted or if they are expected to be leashed at all times. I dont mind either way, I just want to be respectful of the local rules and expectations. Also does anyone know if the American Alpine Club campground allows dogs?
Thanks

Photocodo

The AAC campground isn't fully operational yet, so there's no caretaker to enforce the ruling, whatever it is. No idea what the official policy is, but there were dozens of dogs there this weekend.

The official policy at the crags is that dogs remain leashed at all times. Some people obey it, some don't. Unsurprisingly, the people who choose not to leash their dogs frequently have the douchiest dogs and are fairly douchey themselves. Coincidence?

Word about dogs is that recently the rangers made a trip down to kaymoor and were handing out leash tickets like candy.

Jake Jones wrote: I'm the guy that said something to you. You were the party that was on something that was bolted and left of King of Swing. I would like to say again that you are fucking assholes just like your dog.

Uhhhh.... nope. I don't own a dog, nor did I have any dog-related confrontations with anyone, at any time. Mistaken identity, I'm afraid. I'll accept an apology if you feel like offering one.

I would also suggest not openly admitting throwing rocks at dogs on an open forum. Classy.

This past holiday weekend at Summersville, some dog owners actually caused a 20 minute traffic jam at the descent ladder, because they were trying to carry/lower their dog down. It was lame, but not as lame as the fuckwits last year who just tied their dog to a tree at the top of the ladder and left him there for the entire day.

If you are truly concerned about being a responsible dog owner, just go to the Meadow River area. No rangers, fewer crowds, no ladders to carry dogs down, you're good to go.

camhead wrote:This past holiday weekend at Summersville, some dog owners actually caused a 20 minute traffic jam at the descent ladder, because they were trying to carry/lower their dog down. It was lame, but not as lame as the fuckwits last year who just tied their dog to a tree at the top of the ladder and left him there for the entire day. If you are truly concerned about being a responsible dog owner, just go to the Meadow River area. No rangers, fewer crowds, no ladders to carry dogs down, you're good to go.

This was always pretty common when I used to live there. Not that it's the least bit acceptable, but people would leave their dogs tied up at the top of the ladders because it's shaded and on a stream. I'm not sure that these same dingdongs realize this time of year is pretty common for copperheads so if their dog gets popped someone is going to come back to a deadass dog. The other side is those dogs always scared the shit out of anyone that was heading over to the ladders.

camhead wrote:This past holiday weekend at Summersville, some dog owners actually caused a 20 minute traffic jam at the descent ladder, because they were trying to carry/lower their dog down. It was lame, but not as lame as the fuckwits last year who just tied their dog to a tree at the top of the ladder and left him there for the entire day. If you are truly concerned about being a responsible dog owner, just go to the Meadow River area. No rangers, fewer crowds, no ladders to carry dogs down, you're good to go.

To add to this, if you can't wear your dog like a scarf and go down the ladders, go somewhere else. There are plenty of places that don't have ladders.

I'm not sure what is more lame, a 20 minute wait at the Lake ladders or the gumbies that BLOCKED the trail with their hammocks...

Gif Zafred wrote: To add to this, if you can't wear your dog like a scarf and go down the ladders, go somewhere else. There are plenty of places that don't have ladders. I'm not sure what is more lame, a 20 minute wait at the Lake ladders or the gumbies that BLOCKED the trail with their hammocks...

You can also hike around the other side of orange oswald (and whatever that wall is past orange oswald). If someone is bringing a dog with them at summersville, it's a pretty safe bet they're headed there anyway, it seems like it's worth the extra few minute hike.

You can hike your dog into Summersville no problem via orange oswald. You can also hike to Endless from Fern. No ladders required. It's about 1hr to the HoneyMoon ladder from the parking and mostly flat. I've done both of these multiple times due to dog constraints. Don't tie them up above the ladders. That sounds like an access issue in the making. The OP didnt ask for any of this, but there ya go.

Well, most of this was good information. When do you ever have a post that stays on track ;) It is nice to know some of the areas that are easily accesible with dogs.

What really ticks me off are the idiots that let their dogs shit at the bottom of a route or in the trail. This happened at Leda on mothers day. Try cleaning that off the bottom of a climbing shoe. Gives a whole new meaning to smear.

Jake Jones wrote:As far as lacking class, well, guilty I suppose. It gave the docile dog a pretty good wound, and came very close to biting a friend of mine. And afterward, the owners still refused to leash it or even attempt to manage it at all. They just let it do whatever. That's when I got pissed off. When we packed up and walked past them, I had a few choice words and then kept moving. They looked at me with indignation as their dog followed us up the trail.

Watching out for your own and others' safety isn't lacking class at all. People like that shouldn't own dogs (or have kids because they often turn out like the dog). I keep my dog on a leash at all times. I know that she's nice and well-trained, but she is very friendly and not everyone feels comfortable with a dog bounding up to them to say hi. My leashed dog has been attacked twice by assholes just like the ones you confronted. I had a few choice words for them too. Seriously, just because a dog is all nice a docile when it's at home with you doesn't mean that it will be calm and well-behaved in a strange environment with a bunch of other people and animals around. Leash it up. /rant.

s.price wrote:I carry a water pistol with a 50/50 water to tabasco mix. Aim for the nose, couple of squirts, the asshole mongrel will not bother you the rest of the day. Works great from a bicycle as well.

This is brilliant!

huffingtonpost.com/cathy-ka…

haha, no worries. My dog is extremely friendly and has never been in a fight or bit anyone but he is an american bulldog mix so he is pretty intimidating and people stear clear of him for the most part. I try to leash him if there are a lot of people around, especially other dogs and kids but there are definitely times that I let him run free. If we are climbing multi-pitch in pisgah he always gets to run cause there is never anyone around. All in all though, a good dog makes a climbing day better.

Put your dogs in a kennel when you go on a trip. It's not fair to the dogs to keep them tied up while you're out of sight, and it certainly is not right to let them roam free (no matter how well behaved they are). Dogs running free intimidate other people, they shit allover, and they contribute to erosion on friable soil, because they don't stay on established trails.