Volume 1: Issue 10

October 13, 2005

(delayed)

Is Livingston too animal friendly?

Livingston residents are pretty blase about the occasional moose that strolls into town and the bears seen in Sacajawea Park at various times of the year. Livingston is also a very dog friendly town, and man's best friend is often seen hanging out in truck beds, walking along sidewalks, lounging outside one of the town's 43 coffeee shops, or running for public office. With hunting season in full swing, larger animals are on everyone's mind, too. It all adds up to a scene where animals, dead or alive, outnumber townspeople.

LOL, in a rare departure from hard news, decided to take it all in with a camera. The pictures tell the story, and they also raise the questions "Who's in charge?" and "who is encroaching on whose territory?"


The Owl bar is a favorite hangout for Livingston's more literary dogs, like the Jack Russell Terrier shown here reading the galley proofs of his latest book. This unwary patron would do well to remember that terriers hate it when people read over their shoulders. Terriers now outnumber people in Park County by a factor of 3 to 1.




Hunters like to drive through town with their kills visible in the backs of trucks (below). This foolish hunter has not studied his Know Your Bears pamphlet (right) and will soon be carving up a large stuffed animal.

Grizzlies are loading up on food for the winter and can be very tricky to deal with when they are hungry. The bear below was having a hard time deciding what to eat on a recent morning at Martin's Cafe. In the end he chose the chicken fried steak with eggs and two tourists from Illinois.