Leashing dogs can prevent conflicts

I love walking in the woods with our dog. All of us who do, however, must acknowledge that dog/wildlife encounters are often not pleasant for one side or the other.

I gather from the article about the bear mauling a hiker in August [“Hiker mauled by bear,” September/October 2015], Eric Spinner’s dog, Pippy, was off leash when the encounter with the bear occurred. It is not always what we want for our dogs, but keeping them on leash in the woods usually is the best thing for them and for us. All the “how to avoid bear encounters” advice should include the suggestion to leash our dogs, for their protection and ours.

Hopefully both dog and owner are recovering well.

Mary A. Brown, Saranac Lake