Hi, welcome and some dog trail stuff

Bozeman MT

Description

Hi there new folks to Bozeman, Many of you moved here for our awesome trail access. Here are a few tips from a local. These are posted with humility not judgement. - most forest service trails are off-leash for dogs. It's allowed! Say hello, get a sniff, make small talk with the owner. Our dogs are mostly friendly and have their own language. Lets let them do it. - say Hi! We always say hi to people we pass and hope you keep this tradition going. It is part of the reason our town feels friendly to you. Same goes for a little wave on the access roads while driving. - sometimes dog owners pick up poop and leave in a bag on the side of the trail. We will pick it up (and maybe yours) on the way back down. - If your dog must be on a leash and you don't want a dog hello, stick to a leashed, in-town trail. It is not our job to keep our friendly dog away from you in the forest. Appropriate hellos are reasonable to expect from any dog, but strict voice recall is a bit much on our chill town trails. People that have aggressive dogs carry leashes and use them! My lab isn't a threat - he's just saying hi. - If we pull over on the trail for you on your bike, say thanks! Regardless of the right of way. Lets all be kind and overly friendly and keep our trails nice community gathering spots. This seems dumb as I write it out but after a lot of bad trail interactions recently I felt compelled. Let's keep it good here!