Responsible Idaho Dog Owners Make The Outdoors More Enjoyable
With spring looming, many Idahoans are soon going to be planning weekend outings to beloved statewide sites. Stanley Lake has been a favorite spot of mine for years, but sometimes oblivious dog owners are known to ruin a good time for others.
The spring season begins Sunday, March 20. This is the time of year my wife and I begin reserving sites at some of our favorite Idaho destinations. This will be our first season of travel and camping without a dog. We lost our family hound in 2021 after 12 years of hauling her around on various family outings.
When camping, we always had our dog leashed up. We also tend to pick locations that are somewhat off-the-grid, as encountering other humans is something we try to avoid when spending time in nature. No disrespect intended, we just prefer to not have to deal with other people's BS when camping, and that includes pet owners letting their dogs run loose into other people's sites.
There's nothing more frustrating than a clueless dog owner, and it's even worse when you encounter one after you've put time, money, and energy into getting out of town with friends and family. We actually had a neighbor's dog crap within a couple feet of our tent while camping in the Stanley area in 2021. I relocated the poop back to the pet owner's site while they were enjoying time away on the lake.
I'm not trying to be the camping police over here, but remember this spring and summer when you're out spending time at one of Idaho's incredible natural destinations to control your pets and pick up after them. You'll potentially avoid a confrontation that way.