HELENA — Two things that many Montanans love are our beautiful landscapes and our four-legged friends, and a campaign starting this week celebrates both of these things.
"That's one of the great things about our state - we have so much public land," said Rod Benson, who was hiking on Mount Helena on Monday.
Montanans share why they love hiking with dogs in Big Sky Country:
He is an avid outdoorsman.
"I think you forget about other things," Benson said about hiking. "You get the endorphins going and get in a rhythm, and it's just a pleasant experience."
He runs a blog called Big Sky Walker, where he shares his adventures around the Treasure State.
On Monday, he hit the Prairie Trail with his neighbor's dog, Oat.
"He's been my main hiking dog since my dog got a little bit too old to hike," Benson said.
Dogs like Oat have the opportunity to compete in this year's Pups for Public Lands, a photo competition hosted by the nonprofit Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund.
Montanans can post a picture of their dogs enjoying the great outdoors for a chance to be featured in a calendar and to win prizes from the Missoula and Kalispell Dee-O-Gee locations and Toiffer Pet Outfitter.
Two other picture-ready pups on Mount Helena were Paisley and Addie.
They were out for a hike with their family.
"I think they just enjoy getting outside, getting exercise, and it's a good family adventure," said Chad Knuth, one of their owners.
Pictures of adventures like theirs can be submitted on the nonprofit's website or to Instagram with the '#pupsforpubliclands', and you have to tag and follow @mtvoters.
While the prizes are fun, the main goal of the contest is to encourage more people to take their dogs outdoors safely and responsibly.
"We try to keep them on a leash," said Knuth. "Sometimes we take them off if there's not very many people on the trail."
Benson said, "When a dog is out hiking, a dog gets to be a dog."
The last day to enter the contest is September 30.
