Loose Dog spotted on North Tripyramid

I was hiking the Tripyramid Slides loop yesterday 6/15/13.

Near the bottom of the North Slide I was passed by a large brown dog, a lab/hound with a grey/faded black collar that appeared to be made of rubber. I didn't look closely at the time. The dog continued on down the trail.

I heard the sound of rockfall above so I waited for the dogs owners to come by but after 20min no one ever came.

At the top of the slide I met a young couple, and they told me they had encountered someone looking for their dog.

I don't really not what to do - my guess is the hikers most likely approached from the Kanc side & might not know to look to the south. I called the USFS Ranger station, the person I spoke to couldn't care less.

Call the local PD's where the dog might exit and notify animal rescue/shelters also and let them know where you last saw him. His folks will most likely contact these people if they don't find the lad. Hopefully he is wearing a collar and/or microchipped. If he doens't turn up, his folks will most like look for him in these places. Hope he found his way back to them.

Did pit bull rescue about 2mo ago on a hike. He was lost, skinny, no collar, and it took a while to round him up. Several other caring folks helped. The police took him away and they brought him to the local shelter.

Sorry you got that kind of reception from the USFS Ranger Station.

As a dog owner, thank you for even trying!

I sent a link to this post to Granite State Dog Recovery in case they know of anyone missing a dog that matches that description. (their facebook page is here, fwiw: https://www.facebook.com/granitestatedogrecovery?fref=ts)

I believe the best thing you could do, aside from taking the dog out yourself, would be to mention it to every hiker that you pass as well as PDs and FS. Wether they care or not you can get the message out and hopefully the right people cross paths and the dog is returned safely. it's sad to see. If I lost my dog I would be searching frantically and leaving notes along the way.

I keep hearing people say " My dog is fine off-leash" then I read more then a few dog lost post every year. Am I missing something here? Your in the deep woods, why take the chance?

Why take the chance? Because of how happy dogs are when they are free to move on the trail. If you love a dog, seeing how they take to the trail - off leash is a great vicarious delight. And the sense of real partnership in hiking a trail together is not the same on leash.
This is not to say all dogs should be off leash. Some are too much of a nuisance to others, too aggressive, or too much a risk of getting lost. I try to be very careful about my dogs' preparation and readiness for the trail, but there are pleasures for the two legged and four legged companions, and even for many who meet the dogs on the trail to weigh against whatever risks are there.