ohmidog!

     Hiking a trail with a dog on a leash has always struck me as a little unfair.
    You go, at least in part, for the feeling of freedom it gives you, yet your dog remains tethered — in the midst of a wonderful new world of sights and smells, but unable to veer off the path and explore them.
    So any book that lists off-leash hiking areas for dogs — and how to safely and responsibly make the most of those rare opportunities — is a valuable tool.
   Author Jenna Ringelheim’s newly-released “Best Hikes with Dogs: Boston & Beyond,” is the latest in a series published by The Mountaineers Books of Seattle.  (The others are include New York City, Oregon, North Carolina, southern California, Arizona, New Jersey and more.)

    A 28-year-old conservationist and dog lover, Ringelheim highlights numerous opportunities for hiking with your dog in and around Boston – all of them sanctioned leash-free areas.

    Ringelheim lives in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she is the executive director of a nonprofit environmental organization, Wild Gift.  She has two Portuguese water dogs, Tasman and Millie.

    “People have strong feelings about dogs in natural areas. So one of the things that I explain in the book is that you have to be responsible,” Ringelheim said in an interview with the Boston Globe. “The entire first chapter explains how to have a responsible dog on the trail … It’s all about making the right decisions.”

    Immunizations, training, and getting your dog used to the woods are among the areas covered by the book– as well as more common sense reminders, such as always having a leash, water, and waste disposal bags, in reserve.

    Ringelheim spent a year researching dog behavior as well as area trails after completing her master’s degree in urban and environmental policy at Tufts University.

    “Dogs these days often find themselves pent up inside all day waiting for their owners to get home, so having a place where your dog can actually get out and be a dog is important,” she said. “But when dogs are on a leash, they pick up a lot of their owner’s fears. Often, you’ll see fights between dogs on leashes because they have a higher level of anxiety than when they are off leash. . . . Off-leash, in the woods, they relax. After all, that’s where they used to live.”

    Ringelheim got the go-ahead from her publisher to write the book the same day her first hiking companion, a Portugese water dog named Cobi, died.

    “I was hiking with him. He had cancer, and he had a major heart attack basically in the middle of the woods. I had to carry him out . . . and when I got home there was the e-mail from the Mountaineers  saying they wanted to talk to me.”

    Ringelheim puts a strong emphasis on dog care, and the importance of dog owners checking ahead to take stock of hunting seasons, dog drinking-water sources, “paw-friendliness,” and suitability of the terrain.

    “We have weekend warriors that work all week and then play hard on weekends, and their dogs may not appreciate that,” said Ringelheim. “Like people, they need to get in shape first before they take that 10-mile hike on Saturday, especially because dogs are really eager to please their owners. They’ll just keep going until they die. That’s partly why heatstroke is so common for dogs on the trail.”

A man and his girlfriend who were rushing their sick dog to an emergency veterinary clinic were pulled over by police in  San Marcos, Texas, and, despite their pleas, forced to wait 20 minutes for a ticket to be issued.

“Chill out,”  the officer reportedly told the speeder. “It’s just a dog. You can buy another one.”

Michael Gonzalez was allegedly driving 95 mph when he and girlfriend Krystal Hernandez were pulled over after midnight Aug. 5 as they headed south on Interstate 35 toward a clinic in New Braunfels. The teacup poodle, Missy, died while the pair said they waited 20 minutes for Officer Paul Stephens to issue a ticket, according to an Associated Press account.

“This was not our finest hour,” said San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams. Williams said the department began an investigation after Gonzalez filed a complaint over the incident.

Gonzalez and Hernandez said the dog started choking at home, then threw up and went limp. After they were stopped, they pleaded with Stephens to allow them to continue and later turn themselves in. They also said they offered for Gonzalez to stay behind while Hernandez drove with Missy to New Braunfels.

Gonzalez said Stephens then talked with two other officers on the scene and didn’t allow him to leave for 20 minutes. By then, Missy was dead.

“It was not handled right by our officer,” Chief Williams said, “but whether there was a violation of our policy that is subject to punishment, I don’t know.”

It seems to me if it’s not, it should be, and Stephens should get his walking papers. If you think taking his job away seems too severe, well, chill out, he can always get another one.

Reminder: The Maryland SPCA will hold its final  Wine & Wag Happy Hour of the summer from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today.  

Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $15. Dogs are admitted free, but only one per human, and they should be leashed.

Activities include a treasure hunt for dog prizes, obedience demonstrations, paw painting, tours of the adoption center and off-leash play in the fun runs. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served. There is a suggested donation of $3 for beer and wine and $1 for other beverages.

(Photo: Painting by Amy Reges, a former wildlife biologist and current Lab lover and artist whose Otter Tail Art studio is located in Burdett, New York.)