Dogs at the range

[Jon Merricks]

Growing up hunting we had rtrievers and such all the time. Not too sure if the noise really bothers K9's.

[mpeltier]

Growing up hunting we had rtrievers and such all the time. Not too sure if the noise really bothers K9's.

My un-proffesional opinion is unless your holding the leash while you are shooting, he's probably far enough away that his ears won't be affected. I feel in some ways the flap of a dogs ear prevents the more serious presure damage from reaching the ear drum.

I have no problem with them at the range. We have some show up from time to time and all have been well behaved..the dog too.

[lynn jones]

dogs don't bother me at the range, but them cats just creep me out!

[RufDog]

I always like seeing dogs @ the range.

[Glockcomma]

I love dogs and don't mind them at matches. My Bearded Collie died April 1st, I took him to a couple of matches he didn't like the noise so I would put in ear plugs he liked that better.

[dbxdm9]

I would personally enjoy people bringing their dogs, but I like dogs. There are those, however, that just don't care for them.

So, as long as you are a "good" dog owner (i.e., keep the dog on leash so he/she doesn't approach others who might not appreciate it, clean up after it, provide water and shade, and protect its hearing) then bring it along. Most dogs would love the sights and sounds, and the socialization is great for them.

I think a few "bad" dog owners give the rest of us a bad rap, and lead to "No dogs allowed" signs.

[Graham Smith]

...but I do worry about the possible damage to their hearing.

That was my first reaction. I can't imagine that it would not be a problem for the dog unless they were well back away from the line.

[BigTinVA]

Last year at the Area 8 Championship there was a girl that brought a miniature Doberman pinscher puppy out to the range. That dog was obviously scared out of its wits and I'm sure its young ears were hurting as it was pulling on the leash to try to run away from the gunfire. That girl dragged that little puppy from bay to bay, but of course she was wearing hearing protection. I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I really wanted to say something to her, but I decided to keep the peace and bit my tongue. I felt so bad for that poor little puppy.

[Canuck223]

Update:

Well Muttzilla had a blast. The range is in the heart of cottage country in Ontario. We got there extra early,and he got to sniff around and meet the folks at the club for better than a hour before the shooting started.

He doesn't even flinch, but by the end of the first stage, he apparently learned range commands. We began to notice that as soon as he heard LAMR, he'd walk back 10 meters and lay down and watch.

When I'd finish shooting, he would stay put, more or less until I began walking back uprange.

[3quartertime]

Thanks for sharing!

Moved to make it easier to find.