Let’s review: Some horses don’t like dogs. Some dogs don’t like other dogs. Some people don’t like dogs. Some dogs don’t like people, especially people on bicycles. Some dog owners don’t pick up after their dogs. Knowing that, one might wonder how people, dogs, horses and bicycles manage to share area trails and open space. They do, and most of the time it’s a peaceful coexistence. Most area parks and trails are open to leashed dogs. In the handful of dog parks in the city, canines can run loose. Just a few designated nature trails at city and county parks are off-limits to four-legged hikers.But occasionally, things flare up. Late last year, the dog park at Bear Creek Regional Park was the scene of a series of conflicts between pedestrians and dogs, horses and dogs, and bicycles and dogs. And elsewhere people complain regularly about dogs harassing wildlife, bothering hikers and soiling trails – in Ute Valley Park and Stratton Open Space in particular.Some conflicts are inevitable. According to a formula devised by the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are more than 110,000 dogs in Colorado Springs. That number likely will top 120,000 by 2005. Throw that many dogs into a community that loves the outdoors and you’ve got a whole lot of dogs running, sniffing and pooping on trails.That last dog activity annoys Andrew Dwyer more than any other. Dwyer lives near Stratton Open Space, where he regularly hikes with his three children, ages 7, 4 and 18 months.”It may be tempting to shrug it off and say it’s just part of hiking, but that’s ridiculous,” Dwyer says. “I hike with my kids every weekend, and rather than focusing solely on the enjoyment, a large part of our time is spent warning the kids to watch their step. Simply put, those dog owners are impeding others’ enjoyment of the great outdoors.”Dwyer is puzzled by dog owners who ignore posted signs requiring them to pick up after their dogs and to keep them on a leash. “Both those rules are being broken. I’d love to hear what people’s response is that supports the idea that they leave their dogs’ waste there.”Some people believe their pets’ waste fertilizes the outdoors. They’re wrong, say the master gardeners at Colorado State University Extension Service.Not only does dog waste smell bad, it adds too much nitrogen to the soil, increasing the spread of weeds. Because dogs are carnivores, their waste also spreads parasites and bacteria and can foul water sources, according to open space information on Boulder’s governmental Web site.To take care of the problem, park officials ask people to pack out their dogs’ waste. The county has supplied plastic bags for that use at Bear Creek’s dog park. Last year, 33,000 bags were used. But a tight park budget may eliminate free bags this year. “We’re looking at trying to reduce or replace the bags,” says Paula Lydon, development coordinator for El Paso County Parks.Lydon oversees the dog park, which she says is one of the largest in the state. “Most dog parks are a two-acre dirt lot that’s fenced. We have 27 acres with trees and a stream along its southern border.”The park’s parking lot, off West 21st Street, often is full, and the trail, a wide, sunny loop, is a playground for happy dogs.Jake and Sabra Rebo have taken their Jack Russell terrier, Otto, to Bear Creek four or five times a week for more than two years.”We get up over the hill on our way here, and he knows. He gets all excited,” Jake Rebo says.On a recent visit, Otto met up with Digger, a furry black Shitzu-chow mix, and his owner, Lance White.White and Digger have frequented Bear Creek for more than a year. White used to live on the East Coast, where he says parks almost never allow dogs to wander off-leash.”This is such a great place. I’ve never seen a conflict here,” he says, whistling to Digger as the dog crests a hill.There have been conflicts at Bear Creek, Lydon says. “It’s been pretty quiet for a while, but we do get reports of people crossing into the part of the park where leashes are required, or horses and dogs meeting up.”Educating visitors about appropriate uses and trail etiquette is the goal of a new volunteer organization.The Bear Creek LOOP (Lovers of Off-Leash Parks) Group is just getting started, says Ron Buchanan, a self-professed “dog person” who offered to take charge.Buchanan owns two big dogs – Bay, a 7-year-old Labrador-Rottweiler mix, and Brodi, an 8-year-old mix of shepherd, Rottweiler, Lab and husky. Both dogs have visited Bear Creek over nearly four years.”I love to be able to give the dogs a sense of freedom,” Buchanan says. “They love their freedom as much as we do. They love to be loose and be able to run.”WILDLIFE ENDANGEREDAt Bear Creek, Brodi and Bay have learned to interact with other dogs, Buchanan says. “That’s probably the most significant thing that can happen to dogs, to help make them sociable with other animals.”Buchanan says the LOOP Group was organized to “shine up the park.” The group will gather for regular clean-up days, and also to suggest and maybe help implement ideas to improve the park.Bear Creek is the only dog park run by the county. Other no-leash areas for dogs are in city parks: on Yucca Flats and in a fenced play yard in Palmer Park; in Rampart Park, 8270 Lexington Drive; and on a field east of Rock Ledge Ranch at Garden of the Gods.Other city parks, including Stratton Open Space and Ute Valley Park, are open to leashed dogs.Those areas are often more troublesome than designated dog parks, says Kurt Schroeder, manager of park maintenance, trails and open space for the city.”In the dog parks themselves, people are pretty good. Out in the parks, it’s an ongoing problem.”The parks department has placed poop bag dispensers in many of its parks, and volunteers with a local kennel club schedule regular clean-up days.Cleaning up the trails is relatively easy when people comply with posted rules. Frances Wilkinsin believes other problems, such as those caused by loose dogs, could be cleared up just as easily, if owners would comply with rules.Wilkinsin lives near Ute Valley Park, where she used to walk regularly. Now, she drives to a mall for her walks. “I kept encountering loose dogs,” she says. “I’ve been bitten before, and I don’t want to be bitten again.”Wilkinsin says people who don’t leash their dogs are hazards not just to other people, but also to wildlife.One morning, she looked out her window and saw a huge deer running along the edge of the park. It was being chased by a German shepherd. Wilkinsin says she watched, worried that the chase would lead both animals onto the busy street.Then she saw the dog’s owner.”In her hand was a rolled-up leash. I believe there are signs posted at all the entrances to Ute Valley Park, stating all dogs are to be leashed. They don’t say ‘except yours, of course.’ “CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0264 or dacord@gazette.comHUMAN HIKERSIf you’re not a dog lover but you like to hike, keep these tips in mind. c Avoid dog parks. Those areas are meant for dogs and those who love them. c Head out a little farther. The more remote places in the national forest are less dog- and people-crowded. c Hike in state or national parks. Few allow dogs on the trail.TO THE DOGS Dog parks in town – Bear Creek Regional Park dog loop, trailhead off West 21st Street- Rampart Park, 8270 Lexington Drive- Palmer Park, with a dog play yard near the main entrance at Maizeland Road and Academy Boulevard, and an off-leash area at Yucca Flats- Garden of the Gods, in an area east of Rock Ledge Ranch onlyDogs in other outdoor spaces – City and county parks: In general, dogs must be leashed, and owners are required to pick up after their pets. Dogs aren’t allowed on the nature trails.- National forests: Dogs should be leashed, and owners should pick up after them- State parks: Most allow dogs only in areas where cars can go. Mueller, for example, does not allow dogs in the backcountry or on trails- National parks: Most allow dogs only in campgrounds and areas where cars can goSOURCES: Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department, El Paso County Parks Department, U.S. Forest Service, www.hikewithyourdog.comTRAIL ETIQUETTE – Don’t leave dog poop on the trail. Carry a plastic bag; if you forget, move the poop with a stick or rock and bury it away from the trail and water sources.- Hike only where dogs are allowed.- Follow leash regulations.- Stay on the trail.- Keep your dog under control and don’t let him chase wildlife.

– Yield to horses by stepping off the side of the trail.SOURCE: www.hikewithyourdog.com

Simla’s Amanda Webb looked for the throw to second as Evangelical Christian Academy base runner Jonathan Steel headed toward third during a game this week at the El Pomar Youth Sports Complex. Photo by (MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE)