Jamie Samoyed

Dogsitting in Montana

Doug Mahugh

Oct 6, 2017 • 4 min read

The first week of October 2017, I had the opportunity to spend a few days alone in rural Montana (near Three Forks) with four amazing dogs.

Getting There

I've been driving across the western US for decades, and it never gets old.

Our first stop on the way to Montana was Wild Horses Monument at the Columbia River. It was extremely windy, and we had the place to ourselves.

Alice is almost always awake and alert on the road, Jamie is usually asleep. They've traveled this way through 25 states so far.

Arriving in Paradise

Our destination was in a valley outside Three Forks, at an elevation of around 4000 feet. Although it's remote enough to be without cellular service, there's a nice paved road all the way there except for the last half mile.

Noodles and Levon, greeting us when we arrived.

The Gang of Four

Jamie and Alice have stayed with Noodles and Levon a few times while we've been traveling, so the four dogs know each other well. Their relationships are well-understood, and there was never any kind of altercation all week more serious than typical Samoyed shennanigans.

Noodles is ostensibly in charge but rarely needs to assert it, and Levon and Alice have a silly little romance that gets rekindled every time they're together. Jamie stayed close to me all week, most likely because I've left him here at times in the past.

Four strong personalities: Noodles, Levon, Jamie, Alice.

Left to right: Levon, Alice, Noodles, Jamie

Things to bark at

Every evening, deer moved north through these fields just east of us.

Missouri Headwaters State Park

I drove to this state park near Three Forks several times without the dogs, to photograph wildlife and enjoy the sunrises and sunsets.