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currupt4130
Jul 29, 2009, 5:06 PM
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So anyone have any good advice for getting large dogs (mine is 70lbs) in and out of the Honeymooners ladders? I could always go down to Jacobs Ladder I guess but most of the stuff I tend to gravitate towards is down at the other end of the wall. Anyone have any good suggestions?
I bought one of those Rough Wear dog packs today thinking maybe I could just grab the handle and carry him in, but he's too heavy for that. I used to put him in my pack when he was a puppy but that doesn't work anymore.
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marc801
Jul 29, 2009, 5:45 PM
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currupt4130 wrote: So anyone have any good advice for getting large dogs (mine is 70lbs) in and out of the Honeymooners ladders? I could always go down to Jacobs Ladder I guess but most of the stuff I tend to gravitate towards is down at the other end of the wall. Anyone have any good suggestions? pony dog at home. Climbing areas are no place for dogs.
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adatesman
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Jul 29, 2009, 6:31 PM
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Missed VTG's Day 1 OR show writeup, didya? Apparently Ruffwear now makes a harness...
BTW, if you think 70# is large, you've obviously always been around small dogs... Our pup just broke 120# and seeing as her dad is 175# and aunts all ~140# (and 2" shorter) I think she's still got a ways to go yet. What's really fun is that she hates getting wet, so we have to carry her across streams when hiking. Annoyingly she starts doing the doggie-paddle the moment she's above the water (even if it's only a couple inches deep), which makes makes it even more fun. 
(This post was edited by adatesman on Jul 29, 2009, 6:32 PM)
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currupt4130
Jul 29, 2009, 6:55 PM
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Thanks for your opinion Marc.
(This post was edited by currupt4130 on Jul 29, 2009, 6:56 PM)
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rockandlice
Jul 29, 2009, 7:42 PM
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My Flattie is #85, and I just don't bother taking him to Endless. Stays home or with friends and comes along on days where access is easy for him.
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IsayAutumn
Jul 29, 2009, 8:16 PM
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currupt4130 wrote: So anyone have any good advice for getting large dogs (mine is 70lbs) in and out of the Honeymooners ladders?
Let me clue you in on something. Nearly every time your huge dog walks by a group of climbers at the crag and steps on their rope and they are like, "Oh, hey buddy. Good boy, nice fella" -- they are just patronizing you. What they are really thinking is, "Leave your crag dog at home, dude."
It's even worse when you have to plan out the logistics of how to get your dog down to the base of the cliff!
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stagg54
Jul 29, 2009, 9:27 PM
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currupt4130 wrote: Thanks for your opinion Marc.
Seconded. Not everyone loves your dog as much as you do.
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agdavis
Jul 29, 2009, 10:26 PM
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adatesman wrote: Missed VTG's Day 1 OR show writeup, didya? Apparently Ruffwear now makes a harness... [image]http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/7/429477-largest_ruffwear.JPG[/image] BTW, if you think 70# is large, you've obviously always been around small dogs... Our pup just broke 120# and seeing as her dad is 175# and aunts all ~140# (and 2" shorter) I think she's still got a ways to go yet. What's really fun is that she hates getting wet, so we have to carry her across streams when hiking. Annoyingly she starts doing the doggie-paddle the moment she's above the water (even if it's only a couple inches deep), which makes makes it even more fun.
Sweet rock wall..i wish we had stuff like that around here.
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j_ung
Jul 30, 2009, 4:16 AM
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I'm a local and I have no problem with you bringing your dog. But the Honeymooners ladders? Ugh. I don't think there's a good way to bring a big dog into Endless.
J
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lodi5onu
Jul 30, 2009, 4:53 AM
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I've done it plenty of times.
1. go in miners ladders
2. rig a harness out of webbing or slings, hook the dog to you and rap in together
3. rig one and lower the dog in
there are plenty of places to rap into endless
going down at the actual ladders isn't a great idea and it tends to piss ppl off because you take forever to get down with your dog, creating a big queue at the ladders
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csproul
Jul 30, 2009, 6:30 AM
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I love your dog. Bring it on. It can even step on my rope, I don't care. If I were you, I'd just plan on climbing places where ladders were not required.
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markc
Jul 30, 2009, 7:06 AM
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I'm afraid my situation wasn't identical, but it might be of some use. I've taken my mid-sized dog (45#) down the ladder at Summersville. You're dealing with a bigger dog and longer ladder. It may be best to experiment on shorter ladders before trying anything at Endless.
I've used whatever piece of 1" tubular webbing I've had to fashion a harness. Around the mid-point, I've tied overhands on bights to put my dog's front legs through (spacing as needed for the chest). Then I've done a series of wraps over the dog's back, around the belly, and back to the front. Next I clip a biner to the webbing and check for balance. Once that's rigged properly, we get in position to lower.
I've found placement of people on the ladder is key. My dog wasn't in love with the idea of being lowered over a cliff. YMMV. I placed one person a couple rungs from the top to make sure the dog clears the lip and is generally calm, and one person at the top managing the lower. The person on the ladder can climb down at the same rate as the lower and manage the dog once he's down. If you have a couple extra people, they can certainly assist with the transition to lowering.
With my dog, I was able to lower her hand-over-hand with either webbing or rope. With a larger dog, building an anchor and lowering would make more sense. The idea of doing an assisted rappel with your dog is intriguing. While I'm not normally one for rappel back-ups, I think I'd consider a fireman's belay or autoblock essential.
Just remember, in this case what goes down must come up. With my dog, I could pull her up hand over hand. I wouldn't want to do that for a long time with a 70# dog.
If this was something I planned to do more regularly, I'd look into a dog harness built for the purpose. Years ago, the price of rescue dog harnesses were prohibitively expensive for the use I'd get out of it.
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shaylily
Jul 30, 2009, 9:21 AM
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I've seen lots of big dogs there and the biggest problem is getting out of the place. I have seen many rigs not work and everyone ends up carrying the dog up the ladders. Carry him like a baby. Rappelling down is the way to go.
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chilli
Jul 30, 2009, 9:39 AM
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no opinion on dog vs. no dog. i just have to weigh in about 1" webbing harness idea...
be careful when creating a harness that will go around your dog's belly. too much weight supported by a thin strip over the GI tract of our quadraped-friends can do some damage. dogs are typically fairly resilient so it's not as terribly hazardous as it would be with a foal or something, but the larger the dog, the more likely the problem (e.g. potential displacement/entrapment). so if you make a doggy-harness out of 1" webbing that has a major weight-bearing component supporting his belly, try to distribute it over a larger surface area to avoid potential problems or come up with another configuration if possible.
edit: i just looked at the pic of the dog harness above. you'll probably notice that the straps run over the chest and around the hips of the dog (look above stifles). this is a great idea because it prevents pressure over the abdominal region
(This post was edited by chilli on Jul 30, 2009, 9:45 AM)
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currupt4130
Jul 31, 2009, 5:00 AM
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shaylily wrote: I've seen lots of big dogs there and the biggest problem is getting out of the place. I have seen many rigs not work and everyone ends up carrying the dog up the ladders. Carry him like a baby. Rappelling down is the way to go.
Getting him out is the big concern. I can deal with short runs and apparently they've put new ladders at Fern Point that are several short runs. I usually just hike him under my arm when I go into Summersville.
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kmc
Aug 1, 2009, 2:09 PM
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A friend of mine brings his 90lb Chessy Retreiver with him on all climbing trips. He rigged a harness for Bubba which is used almost exclusively at the New. I will anchor in, and lower the dog down, while my friend walks down the ladder to guide him down.
As was said before, getting him out proves to be more of a challenge. We have done it on both the honeymoon ladders, and the other set of ladders at the Endless Wall (sorry, forget name). Again, I go first, put them both on belay, and partner will pull the dog up. Bubba usually helps out by pawing at the rungs, but he must be more of a boulderer because his endurance sucks, usually gives up after the first few rungs. This can be exhausting, but at least its the end of the day, and there are cold Newcastles waiting for you in the cooler.
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