National Guide Dog Month on May, 2024: Are dogs allowed to climb Mt Warning?

May, 2024 is National Guide Dog Month 2024.

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Are dogs allowed to climb Mt Warning?

Dingoes can.

National parks and reserves are refuges for native animals. Dogs and other domestic pets (other than trained assistance animals such as guide dogs) must not be taken into national parks, state conservation areas, nature reserves, historic sites or Aboriginal areas, because:

Native animals see dogs as predators. The lasting scent left by dogs can easily scare small animals and birds away from their homes, often causing them to leave their young unprotected.

Dog faeces carry diseases which can be harmful to wildlife and people, and also add nutrients to the soil, increasing the spread of weeds.

If dogs and other domestic pets have frightened native animals away from popular visitor areas, there will be no wildlife for other visitors to see.

Dogs can interfere with the enjoyment of other park visitors.

Staff at this NPWS office can provide information on many of the regions parks.

Phone: 02 6670 8600

Fax: 02 6672 6678

Street address: 1/135 Main St Murwillumbah NSW 2484

Postal address: PO Box 724, Murwillumbah NSW 2484

Opening hours: 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday

Wollumbin-Mt Warning Summit Walk - 4.5km each way (one-way route)

Walking (hard, 2 hours 30 minutes each way)

Out of respect for Aboriginal law and culture, the Aboriginal people ask that you consider choosing not to climb Wollumbin-Mount Warning. If you do climb, be aware that it is a steep 9-km return trip, with a challenging final rock scramble. The return trip can take 4-5 hours, so be sure to leave enough time to get back before sunset.

In winter months it is not advisable to undertake the walk after 12 noon. Near the top you'll find a chain to help you up the last of the climb.

No overnight stays are permitted in the park, car-based and caravan camping are available at a privately run caravan park in the area.

what kind of dog is this?

what kind of dog is this?

That's a puppy. You cannot choose a breed based on a picture of a puppy. He'll only look like that for a month. Then what?

Here's how to find the best breed for you:

Look for books on choosing the right breed. A sample would be THE PERFECT MATCH: A DOG BUYER'S GUIDE by Chris Walkowicz & PAWS TO CONSIDER by Brian Kilcommons & Sarah Wilson. Get one for each family member. Everyone read their book, write down breeds that interest you & why. When you finish the first book, pass the books around & continue till everyone has read all the books. Have a family meeting & go through the lists everyone made & narrow the list till there’s at least one breed from each family member that everyone else also likes.

Go to www.akc.org & click through to the national breed clubs & read up on your breeds in more detail. Libraries & bookstores also carry single breed books, such as Paul Stang's COMPLETE BOOK OF THE GREAT PYRENEES, or THE NEW COMPLETE LHASA APSO by Norman & Carolyn Herbel. Read up on your breeds. Shorten your list more.

Go back to www.akc.org & search the events calendar for shows you can attend. There is no substitute for meeting dogs in person. Speak to the owners about their dogs. Asking a fancier to talk you out of their breed can be very fruitful, even if you both know it's just a conversational gimmick. ;)

Eventually, the right breed will be obvious. It may take a while; don’t be impatient: this is rather like adopting a baby. You’re choosing a family member who will be with you & a part of the family for the next decade. Take the time to make sure the choice is the right one. Don't pick a breed by how cute the puppies are; dogs grow up fast.

Now you have to pick a breeder.

Do your research: check out what the breeder(s) you are dealing with are breeding, & how: every breed has a medical challenge or two, & any conscientious breeder is trying to eliminate those challenges from the breed by screening the breeding stock & not using animals that are afflicted or carry the genes for affliction.

Each breed's parent club has a Code of Ethics, & most will have a list of breeders who have signed it. I would, personally, confine my puppy hunt to those on that list. There is also a new award at the AKC, the Breeder of Merit list, which is obviously a COE breeder who has excelled over a significant period of time, making tangible contributions to their breed. Puppies from a Merit breeder will be hard to get; one of the ways they earn that award is by spending time on planning & raising each litter.

Most breeds should have hip x-rays done at age two & sent to OFA for evaluation; only Good or Excellent are suitable for breeding.

Most breeds should have annual eye exams by a certified veterinary ophthamologist, results submitted to CERF for a certificate testifying that the dog is currently showing no signs of the congenital forms of blindness.

Some breeds have ongoing issues with hearing & so a BAER test by the veterinarian is a good idea for Dalmatians & white Boxers, for example.

Each breed's parent club website will have a health page where they discuss the work they are doing to make their dogs more healthy. Read it & make sure your breeder is working on those issues.

Have fun at the research; it can be a blast. Take some time making sure you're making the right decision. Also, once you've picked the breed you want, you don't have to commit to a puppy; sometimes purebred rescue is a great resource for young & mature adults who need homes. Most rescues don't have facilities & maintain their dogs in foster homes. The fosterers are a great resource for you: they'll know if the dog is a chicken killer, a couch potato, hates mailmen or kids, whatever, so you can match the dog with your personal circumstances.

After years of study I've determined that, in general, the very best dog for a household that has never had a dog before, or hasn’t had one for years, is a miniature Poodle:

They are small enough to be convenient, big enough to not be fragile.

The breed is physically not exaggerated & is basically healthy.

They can have any length coat you want. :)

They hardly shed.

They come in several colors: black, white, silver, apricot, red, brown, cafe-au-lait.

They are very smart & very trainable.

They are born retrievers.

They like water & often learn to swim very easily.

They are good alarm dogs; they will bark at the door or when something unusual happens, but they are useless as guard dogs: they simply don't have the aggression in them. Not to say they can't bite; pushed to self-defense, any dog can bite, & children need to be taught how to behave around a dog.

To find a reputable breeder, go here:

But you need to make your own decision.

Good luck!

Dogs on the Appalachian Trail...?

Dogs on the Appalachian Trail...?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - dogs are banned

have seen 3 Rangers spend several hours trying to find a hiker with a dog so they are very serious about it

I'm afraid I wasn't much help - much prefer dogs to horses

you might get permission for Guide Dog if you were blind but wouldn't count on it

you can go around the park but that defeats purpose of hiking the Trail

good luck

Also on this date Wednesday, May 1, 2024...