This is one of the most Montana stories ever...
The evening after we got back from Bozeman, Aaron realized that we forgot all the craft beers we bought in the fridge at the Airbnb. We quickly messaged them and asked them if we could pick them up. They said yes and we were planning to drive back the next day.
Aaron had left for the gym and I went on my usual hike up Mount Ascension. When I got to the top, he sent me this:
I said, "Who's dog is that?!". I have a soft spot for yellow labs since growing up we had one and he was the best dog ever. Aaron said that he was wondering around our street so he called him in and called the number on his collar. When I got home he was still there, so I messaged the number as well and sent a picture of him. According to his collar, his name is Wrigley.
She finally answered and said she was at a conference in Bozeman and lives right around the block. Apparently he likes to escape the fenced in yard and this is not the first time. We talked on the phone and I asked, "We stayed at an Airbnb the other night and forgot all of our craft beers in the fridge. Is there any way you would be willing to pick up the beers from there before you head back to Helena tomorrow?". She gladly said yes! So, the next evening we went to her house and hung out with her, whose name is Anne, Wrigley, and her boyfriend, Doug. Come to find out, they were leaving the following week for Baja and had hired a college student to watch Wrigley. She then told us we are more than welcome to stop by and take him for hikes, walks, or anything! So... we did!
One of the first things we did with Wrigley was take him to downtown Helena to some breweries. First stop was Ten Mile Creek Brewing company. They do not allow dogs inside, so we turned on the heater and sat outside!
After that we were headed to Blackfoot River Brewing Co. On the way there I noticed that one of the outdoor stores, Basecamp, allows dogs. So we headed on in and everyone loved Wrigley!
After our adventure there, we continued our walk to Blackfoot River Brewing Co.
Everywhere we went with him people came over to pet him. He is so friendly and loves all the pets!
Another day we went hiking. We walked from the house up to the top of Mount Ascension. It was about 6 miles round trip and he loved it!
While hiking Mount Ascension you do not have to keep your dog on leash. Wrigley was so behaved with me and listened whenever I called for him back!
Another day we took him down to Butte, Montana. A few people at work said that there is a great distillery, Headframe Spirits. We called ahead and when they said, "Dogs are allowed inside", we headed down! It was a little over an hour away and Wrigley was great in the car!
While we were there, we asked around about where to go for food. Fred's Mesquite Grill was one of their recommendations that would also allow dogs. We had no problem getting Wrigley in, though we did tell a white lie that he is a therapy dog. Thankfully, he is super behaved, even with ribs next to him.
We walked there from the distillery and walked back! I loved this view of the mountains.
We decided to check out one more place, Quarry Brewing. Also, does not usually allow dogs inside, but after she saw Wrigley, she couldn't say no.
We had so much fun with him that day! He was asleep the entire ride home. It was always hard to leave him at his house at the end of the night because he starts to shake knowing we were leaving. We let him spend the night a couple times.
(He doesn't actually sleep in our bed. We call him up there in the morning just to pet him and then he gets back down.)
We also took Wrigley for a walk around the Capitol building which is just a few blocks down the road. He was not as behaved here and I think that's because a lot of people come here with their dogs, so there were lots of things to smell. He was very distracted!
On our way home, we saw a cat crossing the road and we both said, "Oh, that wasn't Leon". Leon is a cat also owned by Anne. Well, soon after we said that, Leon came crawling out behind a trash bin and started meowing. He ended up following us home and squeezing underneath our gate.
Leon ended up hanging out with us the rest of the evening and even came inside for awhile. Apparently, he left the house one time and was gone for months. Someone saw him and notified Anne. Since then he wonders around our neighborhood, and some kids down the road named him Kitler due to his mustache.
On the last day of Anne and Doug enjoying Baja, I took Wrigley out for another hike up Mount Ascension.
He is such a happy dog and loves to go walking, running, and hiking (like most labs). Anne texted me that evening and said, "Guessing Wrigley was with you today, he is exhausted". Since then I have taken Wrigley almost every week for a hike and we ended up going over to their house for Thanksgiving!
Meeting Wrigley has brought us so much joy, adventures, and friends into our lives! A lady at work who brings in one of the therapy dogs heard about me walking Wrigley. She then asked if we would be willing to take the therapy dog, Blue Bonnet. So, now I have been walking 2 dogs!
A doctor at work heard about it too and said, "Wow I wish I had a job like that to get paid for". I do not get paid for this in cash, just pure joy of having a companion to hike with. By the time we are done in Montana, I'll have to post a photo dump of all the hikes I have taken them on. I will surely miss these two when we leave!
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