Montana has a lot of "official" things. Montana's official bird is the Western Meadowlark. Montana's official ballad is "Montana Melody". Montana also has an official fruit, it's the huckleberry.

Montana Doesn't Have an "Official Dog Breed"

There is one thing that Montana doesn't have and that is an "official dog breed". There are only 16 states in the U.S. that have official dog breeds. With our love for dogs in Montana, it is surprising that we don't have an official dog breed, yet.

Montana Has a lot of Dog Fans

I admit I am a dog person and have been ever since I can remember. I have almost always had a dog. I am not against cats, I just feel more comfortable around dogs. If Montana were to ever decide to get an official breed. The question is what breed should Montana have as it's "official dog breed". We asked our listeners that very question, and here is what they said.

Most Popular Suggestions for Montana's Official Breed of Dog

Overwhelmingly the top answer was working dogs. Specifically "heelers".

Blue Heeler Puppy
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Dog Blue Heeler Adult
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Heelers- can be "Blue", "Red" or "Queensland" and are Australian Cattle dogs.

Adult Collie Dog
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Collies- There are a lot of people who think a Border Collie should be the official breed of Montana.

Adult Rottweiler Dog
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Rottweiler- Due to their loyalty, a lot of people thought the Rottweiler should be our "official breed".

Adult Pit Bull Dog
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Pit Bull- The American Pit Bull doesn't always have the best reputation, but they got some votes for Montana's "official breed".

Adult Wolf
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Wolf- The Wolf (Canis Lupus) got some votes. Montana is known for our wolf habitat. For some people this would make sense.

Mixed breed adult dog
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Heinz 57- The dog that isn't a single breed got the second most responses of them all. With a variety of names, just like they can have a variety of breeds.

Adult rescue dog
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Rescue Dog- A lot responses have a soft spot for a dog that needs to be rescued.

All of the responses would make good picks for an official breed of dog for Montana. They all have their positive traits. Personally my dog is a mix of a bunch of different breeds. See below:

Chris Wolfe's Dog
Credit: Chris Wolfe
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Who knows if Montana will ever choose a specific breed as our "official" dog breed? I do know that there are a lot of great breeds out there for us to choose from and a lot of them would fit perfectly for our state.

Adorable Dogs of Missoula

Missoulians submitted pictures of their dogs for National Dog Day. Enjoy!

Gallery Credit: Shawn

LOOK: Longest-living dog breeds

To find out the longest-living dog breeds, Stacker examined data from the journal Genetics and American Kennel Club's 2023 breed popularity rankings. 

Gallery Credit: Sophia June

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