When dog owners go hiking, our first instinct is to bring our dogs along on the journey. It is great exercise and socialization for dogs to interact with others on the trail. Some trails are off limits to dogs because governmental parks share the land with cattle ranchers. Others realize that off-leash dogs can damage vegetation, harass or kill wildlife, and leave urine or feces on the trail. Even if you are a responsible dog owner, unfortunately, some people are not. In order to keep our ecosystem safe, it is best to take your dogs on dog-friendly trails like the…