Yesterday was one of those days we live for in northcentral Montana: warm, sunny — OK, a little breezy — but so much nicer than the sub-zero temps we’d endured for the past week. The dogs and I celebrated with two walks. In the morning we drove to Gibson Park, the largest of Great Falls’ 56 parks, and walked twice around the 1.3-mile path. Chachi, our husky mix, loves Gibson Park so much he cries when he hears the words; we can’t get there fast enough. There must be more to smell there, is all I can figure. He kept burying his nose in the snow and inhaling deeply before bolting forward with a gallop, as far as his long lead would allow him. Jillie the border collie is all about the squirrels, and happily the squirrels at Gibson Park oblige by stepping onto the path and waiting for us to approach. They mistake us, apparently, for friendly strangers who come bearing nuts. Sorry, guys. We just want to run you up a tree.

The thermometer said 1 degree when we left home. By the time we arrived back at the house an hour later, it had risen to 34. Too good to be true! By late afternoon it was in the mid-40s, so we headed out again, this time to the River’s Edge Trail, where Chachi and Jillie crisscrossed back and forth, dodging the icy patches, as we strolled briskly along the Missouri River in the direction of the falls.

Walking a dog is so much more fun than walking solo because you find yourself looking at the world through an animal’s eyes. These two are delighted by sights and sounds I would never notice on my own. To watch them trot along, savoring the adventure, is a reminder that dogs need to get out and experience the world. They are so much more complicated than the dumb, emotionless creatures large-volume dog breeders would have us believe they are. The next time you think of buying a dog, ask yourself: do you really want to do business with anyone who keeps dogs in cages, deprived of even the simplest of life’s pleasures? I don’t care how well-kept a kennel is, if the breeding dogs are confined day in and day out, it’s a puppy mill — the last place you should turn for a new pet.