Stay safe hiking this summer

If you live in Colorado and you don't like hiking, perhaps you're in the wrong state. The trails, epic horizons, nature and wildlife are what make Colorado such a great place to live. In fact, Colorado is often listed among the nation's healthiest states in part because of all of the outdoor activities. Could it be coincidence that it also regularly one of the most dog-friendly?

With so many amazing dog-friendly hiking trails, particularly near Colorado Springs, the dangers of hiking can become a second-hand thought. But especially, here, one of the most important precautions to take is making sure you are prepared for meeting wildlife on a hike.

This fact was driven home for Erica and I two years ago when we were on a short morning jaunt on the Santa Fe Trail. We weren't more than a half-mile in to our hike when to the east of the trail, about 100 yards off, we saw two quite large black bears. We had Kuma and Pita with us, and we were frozen in our tracks.

The bears didn't really seem to pay any attention to us but we were quite cautious none-the-less, especially since earlier that year we had read a story in the Gazette that a woman was chased by a bear in that same area.

It's definitely a hair-raising experience, and if you do find yourself confronted by a bear, coyote, or mountain lion, you need to be prepared to know how to act, as each situation requires a different approach. One common theme with each is making noise while you hike in an effort to scare wild animals away, as most wild animals try to avoid humans.

We recently began carrying a great product by Vancouver-based Canine Equipment called "Bear Bell." It is Velcro loop with a bell that rings as your dog walks. It attaches by wrapping around your dog's collar. This should do the trick with scaring animals off if you don't come right upon them. And given that it is such a simple and low cost way to keep you and your furry buddies safe this season, we believe this is a must-have product.