I recently hiked up to Tuckerman's ravine in NH about two weeks ago. If you have never heard of it Tuckermans is world reknown for its dangerous bowl that is as steep as 40 to 55 degrees that skiers from all over the world come to take the dangerous hike up and potentially deadly ride down. Over many years hundreds and thousands die from the steep fall, losing control and falling down the mountain, falling in crevices, getting trapped in avalanches etc. This place is beautiful but it is dangerous. Please look into the ravine, look at photos and you will understand the concern.
When I recently hiked up I was very appalled and disturbed by the fact that people were bringing and were ALLOWED to bring their dogs up to the top of the ridge. I am not just saying up to the bowl, the bottom of the bowl is fine, but actually making the dogs hike up with them to the top. Myself and many others around me witnessed a black lab dog fall down the ravine like a ragdoll. Apparently according to some of the people nearby me, this happens "all the time", and dogs die up there because their owners force them to climb to the top with them. It was so disturbing to me that this is allowed to happen.
Seeing that dog fall and tumble down the mountain was so horrific it took everything I had to not go beat the owner. When I see that image in my mind, my eyes still water.
I have been living out in British Columbia for the past 5 years now studying wildlife biology and animal welfare at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and you would NEVER see this happen out there. Apparently New England is still behind in the times and in the mindset that pets are our "property" and they have to do what "we say". This to me qualifies as animal cruelty because it is putting animals directly in danger. It's one thing if the person wants to risk their life to ski Tuckerman's but it's a whole other ballgame when you bring an animal into the picture who only wants to stay near its owner and has to "obey", and does not have a choice or say in the matter. Please help me to draw attention to this awful situation that clearly needs to be addressed.
