I'm not going to waste time arguing against straw men, irrelevant tangents or ad hominem statements.
Of course I believe dogs should be exercised. That's not the topic. The topic is taking my dogs unleashed into public canoe camping places where they will inevitably interact with other people, most of whom want no part of my dog.
I'm not talking about walking my dog on a leash around the neighborhood. I'm talking about letting my dog run unleashed in public canoe, camping and portaging places.
I'm not talking about training a dog to sit, heel or come in the house or on the sidewalk. I'm talking about how to train a dog how to behave in a crowd of humans, or with a bunch of farm animals, or in the presence of surprise visits by wild animals. I've rarely seen any town dog or town owner who has that level of training experience. City dogs don't belong on the farm or in the woods.
It should be plainly obvious that almost every organized town and incorporated area has rules about unleashed pets, or the mere presence of any pets, in public areas. Many campgrounds don't allow dogs at all. Why? Because dogs crap all over the place, snuffle around tents, beg for food, take other people's property in their mouths, scare small children, lavish unwanted affection on strangers who don't want any part of them, and not infrequently act overprotective and bite or attack people. That's why dogs annoy and are affirmatively disliked my many people--even other dog owners--and why there are rules against their presence in virtually all public places. And that's why I respect other people's feelings and don't take my dogs in public places--whether canoeing or non-canoeing places.
Oh, the horror . . . the horror . . . the horror . . . of leaving a dog in a kennel (EGAD!!! - how cruel) or with a family neighbor or friend when one is on vacation, a business trip or a canoe trip. People suffused with such mental horrors perhaps shouldn't be pet owners. They certainly shouldn't be farmers, who slaughter their livestock, sale reps or other frequent business travelers, or retired people who like to travel the world. (Yet all theose people do manage to own happy dogs, who are often left behind. How can that be?)
I can't think of any words to describe dog owners who, knowing of the dislike, disapproval and outright fear of dogs by the majority of other people in public places nevertheless foist their animals on those other people in those public places -- other than the words selfish, self-absorbed and inconsiderate. In my opinion as a dog owner for 68 years, those are precisely the appropriate English adjectives to describe that kind of dog owner behavior.
Now, if one is out in truly remote wilderness where are no public campgrounds, no contrary rules, and very little likelihood of meeting another human being, then I think natural rights of man should allow one to bring a dog as a companion. However, very few canoeists I know, including myself, canoe in such actual wilderness more than a very few times in their lives.
Finally, anyone who reads a simple but strong opinion on a subject and attributes it to "anger" must not be used to reading strong opinions. I may think your paddle, canoe, spouse, kid or boombox stinks, but that doesn't at all mean I'm angry at them or you. It just means I have an opinion. Which I may change next week. I'm opinionated but open minded, and too old to harbor corrosive emotions such as anger.
