The Missoula City Council is considering a couple of ordinances this summer that will deal with the issue of dogs and Missoula’s open spaces. Photo by MEGAN GIBSON/Missoulian

By KEILA SZPALLER of the Missoulian | Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010 1:15 pm

Fido is still chasing Bambi on Missoula's grassy hillsides.

If the dog comes when he's called, he's under voice control - and that scenario looks like it'd be allowed in some open space based on the way a draft dog ordinance is shaping up.

If Fido balks?

"If you can't call your dog on the first try, then shame on you, your dog is not really on voice control," said Animal Control director Ed Franceschina on Thursday.

The draft animal ordinance is one of a couple of dog documents headed this summer to the Missoula City Council.

The first is the Conservation Lands Management Plan, which spells out priorities for Missoula's open space. Dogs are one of many parts of the equation, and Councilman Dave Strohmaier said he'd like more about canines in the plan.

"My hope was that the Conservation Lands Management Plan would provide more guidance for crafting ordinance language than I think it does currently," Strohmaier said.

The plan is slated to be before the council conservation committee Wednesday, Aug. 11. Then, likely early in September, the animal ordinance heads to a council committee as well.

That ordinance deals with a broad scope of topics, from the floor space necessary for a guinea pig (60 square inches) to punishment for bothering a police dog (a possible fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both).

But the hottest topic the last time dog talk arose in Missoula is whether pets can roam unencumbered by leashes in some places.

"If you'll recall, that was probably the biggest sticking point," Franceschina said. "There was a lot of discussion on - OK, that area - should the dogs be able to run free?"

Last spring after public outcry, Missoula Mayor John Engen vetoed a resolution that preserved strict leash enforcement and didn't make exceptions for dogs on trails. At the time, he said animal control officers would continue to focus patrols in the urban core and not in open space. He said he wasn't convinced the rules satisfied the public and he asked folks in Missoula to take another crack at a law.