Hiking With Dogs is free and open to every dog-lover. This group is for anyone who wants to be outdoors in the company of dogs. Hikes will be setup in the Eastern part of CT.   Since the current leadership has no sense of direction, we often get lost, but that adds to the fun.  Consider yourselves warned! :-)

I would like everyone to add at least one picture of themselves and/or their dog(s). Also please put your pup's name. Thanks!!

Anyone who has sugestions of hikes that are in out of the way places so we don't irritate people with our off leash walks please let me know!! There is a link below to suggest a meetup.

Anyone who would like to organize a hike/gathering at a favorite location or at a special time is welcome to send me a note and I will post the details.

Operating Principles - please read.

We really want to keep this dog hike group fun and loosely-structured.  Here is a "charter" of sorts that we operate under:

• Every human hiker is responsible for their own dog.  It is not the responsibility of the organizers or the other hiker to find your dog for you if he/she gets lost.  That said, we have always - and will continue to - help search for any wanderers.  But the final responsibility is yours;  please keep your dog on a leash if they tend to run off and not come back.
• We try to be an off-leash hike meetup;  any fines for not being on-leash in a state park are the responsibility of the dog's owner, not the organizers.
• Hiking with Dogs Meetup is mainly for our four-legged friends to socialize with other dogs.  Although many human friendships and bonds are often formed among the owners, that's not the purpose of the meetup - just a nice by-product (I know, sounds a bit clinical, doesn't it... :-) )
• We usually wait up to 10 minutes after the start time to accommodate newcomers or those who get lost on their way to the hike.  It is up to the organizers and the group to decide whether to wait the full 10 minutes or not;  it is just fair to those who are on time, dogs waiting around in a pack tend to get jittery and at times boisterous, so plan your trip accordingly.

Donations:
We have added a Paypal button/link for people to donate to this group to help cover the yearly expenses of running this site.  We have added some affiliate programs that will help sponsor this site if you click on the links on the right side to purchase your items we will receive a small percentage. Thanks for helping!!

Links of importance for dog lovers:
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com - I would like to ask everyone who is a member of this group to please Click the Purple button on this rescue site.  Every Click (once a day) provides free food for animal rescues. It is free and easy and a huge help!!

If anyone is interested in helping animals during an emergency here is the website to register.
http://www.ctsart.org/

Ruff Wear's Emergency Manual for your pup!

http://ruffwear.com/site/pdf/Ruff_Wear_Guide_to_Animal_Em...

Pet Airline!!!!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1040...

Advice for the Trail: Things to look out for:

* Dogs that wander off
* Hunters during hunting season
* Physical Exhaustion
* Heat Exhaustion
* Hypothermia
* Hurt or cut paws from sharp rocks and terrain
* Torn paw pads from excessive exercise
* Fleas, ticks and other parasites
* Embedded plant life in dog fur such as stinging nettles, foxtails and crabgrass

Contact Fred at 860-227-4027 (voice or SMS) with any questions, concerns, or other silliness.