By a Very Good Boy (The Best, Actually)

The minute we hit that 45 mph speed zone, my nose goes out the window.

I cannot help it. Seriously, I physically cannot help it. There is a smell coming off this town that I cannot fully explain except to say that it is THE smell, the best smell, the smell that means everything is happening right now and I am part of it. By the time we hit the middle of town I am practically vibrating. Ears back, eyes half-shut, fully committed.

Because McCall gets it. They know that smell, that joy. This town has always been the kind of place where the I get to come along as a family member, not an afterthought. I have seen my fellow four-legged friends perched outside coffee shops with a water bowl at their feet, trotting alongside their humans on the sidewalks, cleaning up ice cream drips all summer long (an important community service that I personally take very seriously).

There are dog-friendly patios. Dog-friendly trails. A walking loop built specifically around businesses that welcome dogs. And, my favorite, a dog park where you I get to run and play AND visit with the residents of the care center next door. McCall thought of everything.

Which is why this is one of my very favorite places to be. I love it here. Let me show you around.

First, A Few Things My Person Needs to Know

I want to tell you about McCall but first, there are rules and my person says rules are important even when they are frustrating and I trust my person completely because they give me food and let me sleep on the bed.

McCall has a leash law inside city limits. This means Rotary Park, Art Roberts Park, Legacy Park, and Brown’s Park all require a leash. Dogs are also not allowed on the sandy beach areas at the city parks, even on a leash, and Ponderosa State Park and North Beach are the same — leashes on all trails, no dogs on the beach or in swim areas. My person did not know this the first time we came, and a very polite ranger explained it, and my person’s face got red.

BUT. BUT BUT BUT. There are two places in town (my favorite places!) where I can be off-leash and it is completely allowed and I am telling you right now that these places are incredible.

The Dog Zone is a special stretch of beach on Payette Lake between Mile High Marina and Brown’s Park. It is for dogs. It is a beach. FOR DOGS. The water is cold and I do not care even a little bit because WATER and SWIMMING and OTHER DOGS and the whole world is here and it is wonderful. Go early on summer weekends because other dogs have also figured out how good this is and they will all be there.

Riverfront Park also allows dogs off-leash! The North Fork of the Payette River goes right through it and there are fun rocks and shoreline to explore and more room and it smells different than the Dog Zone in a way I find very interesting and so exciting. I would go to both parks in the same day if my person would allow it and sometimes they do!

For off-leash adventures outside town, Warren Wagon Road north of McCall goes into the Payette National Forest where leashes are not required as long as I stay in sight and respond to voice commands (which I do because I am a very smart dog).  This is important because I do not want to scare or disturb my forest friends who live along these trails and I DEFINITELY don’t want to make any of those big sheep dogs mad at me if we get close to some of their herds. They scare me, even though I know they are just doing their job to protect their fluffy friends.

One of my very favorite places right in town is the McCall Unleashed Dog Park at 418 Floyd Street, right at the McCall Rehabilitation and Care Center. It has a fenced run and trees and the BEST part is that my person takes me up to the deck to meet the people who live there and they pet me and tell me I am a good dog and I already knew that but I love hearing it. Please go here. The people on the deck are so happy to see me and I am so happy to see them and everyone is happy. That is what makes this place so special.

There is one more rule that is important. Maybe the MOST important rule even though it makes me embarrassed…my human has to pick up my poop. There. I said it. And now that I did I realize how easy it is to do that! It turns out there is no poop bag fairy…my person is the one responsible. My person knows this. Your person should know this too. There are stations in every park that have bags and trash cans, but my human always brings their own bags, too. I am glad because no one likes to step in another dog’s poop. What a way to ruin a perfect day, right?!

Like A Dog in A Treat Store

McCall Pet Outfitters & Supply at 200 Lenora Street has everything I could ever imagine I would ever want. Leashes, life jackets, cooling bandannas, booties, and TREATS. This is the most magical place in McCall. Open seven days a week. My person has been here multiple times because we keep forgetting things and that is okay because my nice friends at McCall Pet Outfitters have everything we could ever need!

The Waggin’ Trail and I Are Best Friends

MCPAWS (that is the animal shelter here, more on them later, very important) made a one-mile walking loop through downtown McCall connecting businesses that love dogs. Some of them have patios where I can sit with my person. Some of them have water bowls. Some of them have TREAT JARS.

The trail is one mile long and I have smelled every inch of it and there are biscuits at multiple stops and I think about this trail even when I am at home.

Pick up the Waggin’ Trail map at participating businesses or at mcpaws.org/waggin-trail. Start near Mountain Java where my person gets coffee and I sit outside and everyone who walks by says hello to me because I have a very welcoming face. This is maybe the best way to start a morning.

Which brings me back to MCPAWS. If you don’t yet have a trail buddy or patio pooch, this is your place. There are always new friends here I am just waiting to meet and some of them have never gotten to go to the Dog Zone or walk the Waggin’ Trail with their own humans. They are just waiting for someone to show them! No appointment needed – stop in during regular business hours and find your bestest dog ever.

And if you are not ready to commit but you still want to do something good, MCPAWS has a program called Doggie Day Out and it is exactly what it sounds like. You sign up, you show up, and you take a shelter dog out for the day! A hike. A walk around town. A whole adventure. MCPAWS provides everything — collar, ID tag, leash, backpack, water bowl, all of it — so you just have to show up and be a best friend for a day. The dog gets out of the shelter and into the world. You get a dog for the day. Sign up under the Get Involved tab at mcpaws.org. I think this is the absolute best idea anyone has ever had!

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My Perfect Dog Day in McCall

Morning: WATER

Dog Zone. First thing. The lake is cold and I am swimming before my person has finished taking a sip of coffee and the morning light is on the water and there are other dogs here who I have just met and they are now my best friends. If the Dog Zone is crowded we go to Riverfront Park and I investigate the river very seriously and swim.

Then we walk downtown and do the Waggin’ Trail and I get those yummy biscuits. My person gets coffee. Everybody wins.

Midday: THE FOREST

The trees here are so tall and the smells are AMAZING. Like there are approximately one million smells and I am going to investigate all of them. One of my favorite trails off Warren Wagon Road is Pearl Lake. This trail goes to a small alpine lake where I swim again, because obviously. Sometimes, if we have more time and my human wants to do a long hike, we take the Loon Lake Loop. It’s a walk and more strenuous for my human, but I love it and my person always acts tired in a way I find confusing because we are outside and moving and this is living.

IMPORTANT: Mountain trails get hot, and you need to bring more water than you think. I will not bring this up until I am already very thirsty because I am focused on smells and, well, a dog. Lots of trails do have creeks and lakes, but I always forget how thirsty I get in between.

Afternoon: MORE WATER

Depending on the day, we love to sneak in a bit more water time in the afternoon. Some of my favorite places to swim are Little Payette Lake, Upper Payette Lake, Brundage Reservoir, and Goose Lake. All wonderful, all off-leash, all cold. One important note for my human in the later summer months: please check cdhd.idaho.gov for algae bloom advisories before letting me drink from outdoor water sources.

Another of my favorite things to do in the afternoon is to go paddleboarding. There is this super cool stretch of water where I get to swim a bit and sit on my human’s paddleboard when I get tired and they do all the work. It’s called the Meanders and it starts at North Beach. I might actually like this activity the best because I get to wear my doggie life jacket and I look super good in mine. My humans bring their own paddleboards, but I see lots of other friends rent them from businesses in town like Backwoods Adventures, McCall Sports, Gravity Sports, and Home Town Sports.

Evening: DINNER AND BEING ADMIRED

After a day of exploring, it is time for the best part of the day…patios! McCall has so many good patios and many of them allow leashed, well-behaved dogs and I am always well-behaved on patios because there is food nearby and I am paying attention. I love getting a few bites from my humans and sitting outside while the mountains turn pink and everyone who walks past says what a good dog I am.

Always call ahead to confirm dog-friendly patio policies because they can change and I find it very upsetting to be turned away when I smell all those delicious smells!

And that, my friends, is a perfect dog day in McCall. This is the kind of place that makes a good boy like me feel like I really belong, not just tolerated, not just allowed. Genuinely welcomed. I hope you feel that way, too. Now let’s go – we are wasting good exploring time!