The University of Michigan requires that dogs must be kept on a leash. There are signs posted at the entrances informing walkers of the rules and it is the caretaker's job to enforce the rules. The University of Michigan Police can be contacted if there are issues.
Be considerate of the other people using Stinchfield Woods including researchers, students, hikers, clubs, organizations, youth groups, athletic teams, etc. by keeping your dog on a leash. An editorial found on Ann Arbor.com explains the frustration experienced by people who come in contact with dogs off a leash. Please help preserve the integrity of current research being conducted, protect the safety of all other people and dogs, safeguard your dog from coming in contact with herbicides or being hit by a car, and respect the rules of the University of Michigan.
I encourage you to politely ask dog owners to leash their dogs if you feel uncomfortable or threatened.
Warning to all hikers with dogs. I have encountered (twice) a woman with a pit or pit mix that is uncontrolled - the dog is on a leash, albeit a thin nylon collar with a plastic buckle with a nylon leash - not the appropriate equipment seeing how the woman has to move several yards off trail to allow someone to pass by. I am not breed discriminate, however clearly this dog is threat to anyone/thing that comes across its path. It struggled to get away from its owner when my friend and I both walked our dogs (leashed) down the trail. Had this dog gotten loose, it most certainly would have attacked. This is a mauling waiting to happen. I've seen other people with well mannered pit/mixes, and never felt a threat as I do with this dog. Clearly, judging from the way the woman was baby talking to it, she has no idea that she has a lethal weapon on a precarious restraint.
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