Thank you to Ruffner visitors, J'lah and Khloe, for keeping Sam on a leash while hiking the trails.
Ruffner Mountain welcomes all dogs to enjoy the trails! However, it is important to make sure they are leashed at all times.
Why does my dog need to be on a leash?
1.) Keeping your dog on a leash keeps your pup safe from hidden dangers in the woods. Dogs like to sniff and investigate things on the sides of trails. However, there may be wildlife that isn’t too happy about getting a dog nose in the face, poisonous mushrooms, ticks, or even poison ivy – which can get on your dog’s coat and then get on you.
2.) It keeps other visitors safe. Not all people are dog people. We want everyone to have an enjoyable experience on the trails. Keeping your dog on a leash keeps unwanted human interaction to a minimum.
3.) Wildlife displacement. When we walk in the woods, wildlife is disturbed and generally moves away from us. When we walk in the woods with a dog, wildlife will move away almost double what they would move when it’s just a human alone, and when a dog is off of a leash, wildlife tends to scatter from the area in a panic, creating unnecessary stress. We aim to keep Ruffner as a sanctuary for native wildlife species that don’t have anywhere else to go. Continually walking dogs off-leash may disperse them into places where they aren’t welcome – like roads.
4.) And, finally, it’s the law. The city of Birmingham has a leash law for animals in public spaces.