ABOUT THE PARKS:
Patriots' Path - Morris County Parks Commission
Lewis Morris County Park - Morris County Parks Commission - Morris County Parks Commission
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.80088, -74.53052
 |
| Whitehead Road Parking at the Patriot's Path |
TRAIL MAP:
Lewis Morris County Park Map - Morris County Parks Commission
Patriots' Path East - Morris County Parks Commissio (lower left corner)
Powered by Wikiloc
HIKE DISTANCE: 6.3 miles
THE HIKE:
I probably should not have taken Rocky on this hike. Some aggression issues have surfaced this week. He bit a vet tech and almost bit two other people, completely unprovoked. He can be so wonderful but he has also shown he can be unpredictable and that is dangerous. Now I see why he was surrendered to the shelter. This did not happen overnight. There is no doubt in my mind that his former owners knew, did not disclose and were hoping someone else would take care of it. Looks like that someone is going to be me. I won't wimp out on him and put him back in the shelter. That would be irresponsible. I have two choices. I deal with it or I have my vet put him down. I went ahead on the hike today hoping the trails would be empty early in the morning and they were for the most part but whenever someone would approach I took Rocky well off of the trail and had contact with nobody. It's stressful and it is no way to hike.
 |
| Fall colors starting along the trail. |
 |
| Balloon #43 of the year. |
 |
| The Patriots' Path goes left; un unmarked trail right. We would be returning from the right. |
 |
| This is shown as a yellow-blazed trail on the map but it is not blazed at all. It's a very easy trail to follow, though. |
 |
| On the northern loop. |
 |
| Coming back to the Patriots' Path. |
 |
| Whippany River |
 |
| Crossing Tingley Road. |
 |
| It's along this stretch that there we encountered more people. |
 |
| The Patriots' Path goes right but also left as a blue-blazed spur; we went right. |
 |
| Because this stretch had been busier and more stressful, I opted to avoid retracing and road walk back to avoid that section. |
 |
| The Patriots' Path turns left into Dismal Harmony Natural Area; we kept straight on East Main Street. |
 |
| Right on Tingley Road at the end of East Main, |
 |
| Coming up on the Patriots' Path where we had crossed over Tingley Road earlier. Turning left. |
 |
| We took a break at the bench at the Whippany River crossing. |
 |
| This stretch had far fewer people to run into. |
 |
| Back at the car. |
I'm so sorry that Rocky has aggression issues. I hope you will be able to help him overcome them, but either way you are being a responsible owner.
ReplyDeleteI wish it were something that could be overcome but it is just too dangerous of a situation to risk it.
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear that these issues have surfaced. Our dogs love people but are not good with other dogs. We have not had any problems, but I do take them off the trail if we see other dogs coming, and it certainly takes some of the joy out of walking with them. I hope you are able to work through this with him. It's terrible that his original owners just surrendered him instead of doing one of the responsible things. What a tough situation :(
ReplyDeleteYes, I am sick over it. He is so perfect otherwise but he is a big, strong dog and can do some damage. I was willing to deal with the vet tech incident by having him sedated for vet visits but then after interacting happily with my adult son for a couple of hours, he went after my son for no reason. Just an all around bad situation due to the irresponsibility of people.
DeleteSorry you have aggression issues with Rocky. I adopted a dog 3 1/2 months ago. She is very good in the house and with people. However out on walks, she is aggressive towards other dogs. I have owned two full bred labs in my past and have never had to deal with aggression issues. I have tried many things. Today I am going to get a prong collar because people are saying it does not hurt them and it's just a training tool. My dog is 50 lbs of muscle. I have a really hard time holding her back when another dog approaches. I hope you can get through this with him. I have been on an emotional roller coaster since I adopted her. Best of luck. Joanne from NJ
ReplyDeleteLeash aggression is very common, Joanne. My granddog is very leash reactive. With him it helps to put him in a SIT off trail facing away from oncoming people. That way he never gets into full fixation mode when he isn't looking at them. They pass, we turn him around and continue on and all is well. Rocky was not lunging at anyone on leash but with his unpredictability and biting I just could not take a chance of him making contact with anyone.
DeleteMy dog also had problems with unpredictable aggression. One minute he'd be pleasant and wagging his tail, the next he'd be lunging at someone. Ended up taking him to a behavioral therapist where we were able to make significant strides. It also taught me a lot about his triggers (that I had been unaware of) and situations to avoid with him.
ReplyDeleteI am glad it worked for you with your dog in your situation.
DeleteMy heart hurts for both you and Rocky. Every situation and dog is unique, and I believe that you will do your best by him, even if that means the only safe option is having him put down. At least he will have known what it is to be loved.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Violet. I really do like him a lot and this is an extremely difficult situation.
DeleteOur heart goes out to you, prayers for strength.
ReplyDeleteNukNuk & Family
Thank you.
DeleteDaniela
My friend had a similar experience. Dog anti depressants or something like that helped them - Just in case you are looking for ideas.
ReplyDelete