Few things get Missoulians more riled up than rules involving dogs. Or, more specifically, leashes.
Some want dogs to be able to run free, everywhere, all the time. Others want them leashed – tightly – everywhere, all the time.
Last night, City Council said dogs can run free some of the time and must be leashed – sometimes tightly, sometimes not – the rest of the time. Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller was at the meeting and filed this story:
Preserving the current practice, the Missoula City Council voted 7-5 on Monday night to adopt an Animal Ordinance that allows dogs to be off leash and under “voice restraint” in places such as the North Hills and Mount Jumbo. The proposal drew only a couple of comments from the public, and much of the council discussion focused on the cost of enforcement.
Preserving the current practice, the Missoula City Council voted 7-5 on Monday night to adopt an Animal Ordinance that allows dogs to be off leash and under “voice restraint” in places such as the North Hills and Mount Jumbo. The proposal drew only a couple of comments from the public, and much of the council discussion focused on the cost of enforcement.
As Szpaller points out, this is a change from a previous proposal, that would have required leashing dogs nearly all of the time. People barked, and Mayor John Engen eventually vetoed the resolution.
Gwen Florio
(Image: Mandy Shearer walks her dog on a trail at Waterworks Hill. Photo by TOM BAUER/Missoulian)