By KITTY CONNOLLY
Last week a call came into the office of Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. It was the kind of call no one wants to get: A visitor was reporting that a pair of off-leash dogs were killing a rabbit on the Marine Terrace Trail while their owners looked on. A couple of months ago another caller reported that a dog hunted and killed a ground squirrel on the Bluff Trail. An untold number of these incidents go unreported.
Dogs are a beloved component of Cambria’s community, but even when they are not outright killing wildlife, their presence can cause problems on the preserve, in addition to conflicts with other dogs and people.
Wild animals see dogs as predators, so they do not become accustomed to dogs. Off leash dogs often roam long distances from their people, appearing to be alone to wildlife. All dogs can cause wildlife to spend energy fleeing the apparent threat, which stops them from doing the things they would otherwise be doing, like eating, resting, or interacting with each other. This effect is easy to see on any local beach when dogs are allowed to flush shorebirds. Stressed wildlife have a harder time reproducing, their immune systems are suppressed, and they are more vulnerable to getting sick.
To avoid the chronic stress that dogs create, wildlife either avoid an area entirely or shift their routine to a time of day when dogs are less likely to be around. Mammals and birds tend to reduce their activity from 80 to 160 feet on either side of trails that are used by dogs, whether on or off leash. Even the lingering scent of dog urine or feces can cause this effect long after the dogs are gone. This means that certain areas of the Ranch where trails cross each other or run in parallel are dead areas for wildlife. Clearly some animals do not follow this pattern, as anyone who has seen ground squirrels along the Bluff Trail can tell, but generally, the more wide ranging the dogs, the less useful habitat remains for wild animals.
With an understanding of the challenges that dogs pose to wildlife, most people keep their leashed dogs on established trails. Others will remain unwilling to acknowledge their impact on wildlife, even to the point of letting their dogs kill animals. The Ranch and its wild inhabitants only thrive when the community cares for it. FFRP really appreciates what you do to make your dog a welcome and well-behaved visitor on the Ranch.
