Shawnee dog enjoying some “roaming” time
Living in the suburbs of Maryland, if I spotted a dog off leash wandering in the street, I would stop my car. Did the dog have a collar? This poor dog was lost, had gotten separated from his owner. Need to call them right away to let them know I’d found their poor lost dog. No collar, I need to take the dog to the local shelter.
Living in the mountains of Colorado, the rules are different. We don’t even technically live in the town of Nederland, instead we are considered to live in unincorporated part of Boulder County. Unincorporated areas are governed by different laws or regulations than cities or towns.
Driving through our neighborhood on any given day, I will spot dogs just hanging out in the middle of the road, walking alongside the road, or sitting next to a tree, with nary a human being in sight. And I think nothing about that. It just seems like normal life in Nederland.
Frequently, when we take our own two dogs for walks in the neighborhood or in nearby Forest Service land, we let them off leash. We live off a one-lane, private dirt road, and part of the enjoyment of the peace and quiet, is the freedom to take dogs for walks off leash.
Just as often, on one of these walks, another dogs from someone’s house will join along with us, following us like the pied piper down to North Boulder Creek. They’ll join in with Simon and Shawnee, running in circles, dashing through the creek, playing doggy games together. Sometimes, they’ll even follow us all the way back to our own home, but more often than not, along the way, they’ll disappear presumably to head back to their master’s house.
One dog, a black lab mix, Nigel, is a frequent companion on these dog walks, and often comes back with us. We usually let him hang out, and hope that he’ll leave on his own. But every so often, he’ll still be there as it gets late, and we call his mother to let him know that yes, once again, Nigel is here at the log cabin on Cougar Run.
It’s an adjustment for some city folk who move up to these parts. We once had a couple from Baltimore who moved here, and complained about dogs who were barking during the night. As my neighbor and I discussed this, I admit we had sort of a response of eye-rolling, and get over it.
Dogs are part of mountain living, and those who are tolerant of them, and dare I say enjoy them, will enjoy life her a lot more. My favorite expressions about the dogs of Nederland was from a lady I knew who worked at the library. An out-of-town visitor asked her if there was a local dog park to take their dog to. Her response was priceless — “Dog park? No, we don’t have a dog park. In Nederland, dogs just roam.”
Hi there Leslie and Bryon, my girlfriend and I are thinking about moving to Ned from Boulder. I would love to hear your opinion on the commute down to Boulder during the winter months from the cougar run area. Is it pretty do-able on a daily basis? Also, we have a 60 pound dog, a mutt, who would be moving up with us if we decided on Ned life. I am curious to hear how many, if any cougars, you believe reside or come through the surrounding Ned neighborhoods. This blog post about dogs roaming free in the mountains and the general lack of a need for leashes or dog parks was very re-assuring and is a very alluring aspect of Nederland life.
Grady, given the recent events, not sure if you still want to move to Ned. But if you still do, the commute is very doable. There is an RTD bus that runs regular from town to Boulder and there is even a stop at the bottom of the Summer Road to get on the bus (1/2 mile walk/drive down the road from Cougar Run). CDOT does a very good job of clearing the canyon as well, and most businesses are very flexible in allowing telecommute options if there is a huge snowstorm. While we know there are cougars in the area, I have never personally seen one in the six years we have lived there, and typically we walk our dogs a lot. Truthfully, the cougar issue is not a concern as much as moose in the area, which have been much more common.