Missoula Digs its Dogs
Missoula is a total dog town. I think there are actually more dogs here than there are people. Walk down Higgins Avenue on any given afternoon and you'll see dogs. You'll see dogs tied to parking meters, dogs eating food off the ground, dogs running loose, dogs doing dog stuff.
I think the most popular breed in Missoula is the Black Lab. You see these things everywhere. There are a lot of popular places where people take their dogs. The Jacob Island Bark Park is a prime spot to give Fido some socialization time. But make sure he's well adjusted. Starting a fight with another pooch is grounds for expulsion. Getting banned from the island is embarrassing, I'm sure. That's why I don't take my dogs there. I have a bloodthirsty Chihuahua and an ODD Terrier. They are real idiots, but they grow on you. I can hear them outside barking at some perceived danger right now . . . I'm sure the neighbors really appreciate that at 11:00 p.m. on a Thursday.
Another great spot to take your furry friends is Blue Mountain. You can let your dog run leash-free across the vast recreation area. Some weekends it seems like there are almost too many dogs at Blue Mountain. Heidi and I came across two people on the trail one afternoon and between them they had seven dogs. Seven. That means one person had more than four. That just seems like an outrageous ratio. Most of those dogs were labs, too.
Which begs the question: where do people keep these beasts? Less than 50% of people in Missoula own their own homes. That means there are a lot of rentals accommodating dog people. In our neighborhood people seem to prefer pit bulls and Dobermans. There's this little shack of a house about a block from where I live that is about twice the size of my bathroom and there are three Dobermans living there. The "yard" is fenced in around this place, but it's not much of a yard considering the dogs have completely worn the grass away. It's like a mud pit whenever it rains and these mean-looking Dobermans look even angrier when they have to sit outside in the mud and slop all day.
There is this other house that's a couple of blocks away that has like 10 Pomeranians living in it. I'm not kidding. Heidi and I walked past this place one night when they were all out in the yard and it was like a yipping chorus of annoyance. The owner finally came out and ordered them all inside. Can you imaging sharing your house with ten dogs?
Anyway, if you're a dog person in Missoula, you'll fit right in. Dogs are definitely the preferred pets in this town. In fact, Heidi used to volunteer at the Humane Society and they told her that they have a hard time adopting out many of the cats that get brought in because no one wants to adopt cats; they all want dogs. Which is understandable-cats can't be taken for hikes. But it is unfortunate.
If you want, you can check out the dogs currently for adoption at:
