Dogs face danger in the backcountry
By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
For people who love dogs and the Sierra Nevada backcountry it’s tough to imagine a better day than what Don and Polly Triplat planned for one Sunday.
The Truckee couple, two friends and their dog, Scarlet, would spend the day skiing, relaxing and enjoying solitude and views of Lake Tahoe in the Third Creek area near Incline Village.
For the Triplats, both 45-years-old and avid backcountry skiers trained in avalanche safety and wilderness first aid, ski outings with Scarlet and their other dog, Brodie, were rewarding for the whole family.
“It is absolutely a blast to watch your dog slide down a hill in front of you,” said Don Triplat, who is also the executive director of the Sierra Avalanche Center, a non-profit partner with the U.S. Forest Service that provides education on avalanche safety and information on snow conditions in the backcountry.
These are the same kind of people that run their dogs behind bicycles. Most dogs are not made to sustain those kind of speeds. The worst is a neighbor that gets in her truck and has the dogs run behind her, just lazy. The best activity is walking.
Animal control, that running an animal to death must surely count as ABUSE!
As a long time dog owner of various breeds in the mountains, I no longer take my dogs on backcountry powder days or big vert bike rides. They are not meant to withstand the punishment. This is more about the selfish pride of the owner.
Second dog I’ve heard of that suffered a cut like that on its leg from a ski edge. There’s not enough control over the motions of the dog and the motion of the skiers.
Also, as they found, first aid to the animal is very difficult under these circumstances. If he had been alone up there the dog may well have died. The other dog that was cut like that has spent his days limping around pathetically.
Me and a buddy were on an overnight backcountry ski trip in the Aloha basin last year. We accended to a point between Pyramid and Mt Price and dropped into a huge powder field. My friends Husky was chasing me through some steep terrain over wind buff, when the dog suddenly arced left and directly into my shins. The impact sent him tumbling out of control like wet noodle. Thankfully he was ok, but we were a full days tour from the car. Could have been much worse!
Robin smith French kisses her dog.