Michelin-star dining, spa treatments, and forest bathing are just a few amenities awaiting Paws Up’s canine guests.
Marbled to perfection and char with surgical precision , the culinary masterpiece in front of me looks like what the late Michelangelo would have served if he ’d been asked to make a steak instead of paint theSistine Chapel . My fellow diners drop their forks to goggle at the 2.5 - lb tomahawk , too . But no one is as mesmerized as my plus one . He knows Executive Chef Sunny Jin — a veteran of Michelin - star topology restaurants likeEl Bulliand French Laundry — prepared this beautiful bone - in ribeye just for him .
“ Can I get anything else for you ? ” our waitress , frisk a starched bandana and well - worn cowboy hat , expect with a trice . We do n’t have steak knives , but it ’s not a problem . What my canine companion miss in apposable thumbs , he makes up for with serrated bicuspid . As he tears into his dinner party in the “ Last Best Place”—the beloved moniker forour home res publica of Montana — I tear up a little . Unfortunately , the vet recently name Zeus , the deliverance dog who rescued me , with final cancer . That ’s why we ’re on this Make - a - Wish - way pail leaning visit . Fortunately , The Resort at Paws Upis making certain he go out bed he ’s not just a good male child , he ’s the best son .
Thirty - five statute mile northeast of the college town ofMissoula , The Resort at Paws Up sprawl out over 37,000 estate in Montana ’s scenic Blackfoot River Valley . The setting , immortalized inA River Runs Through It , also has historic import . “ This is the same cliff Captain Merriweather Lewis climbed in 1805 to see over the trees and determine which route they ’d take to the Pacific , ” says my Paws Up rappelling guide . The irony that Lewis ’ most truehearted companion on The Corps of Discovery was his Newfoundland , Seaman , is not lost on me . Patiently wait for me at the bottom of the 150 - animal foot - tall rock candy face is my 150 - pound Newfoundland - Saint Bernard mix , Zeus .
One of Paws Up’s four-legged customers enjoying a massage.|Courtesy of Paws Up, Montana
Star treatment
Unlike most hot dog - well-disposed properties , Paws Up does n’t have weight limits or strain confinement . And there ’s zero allowance for cur shaming . “ All frump are welcome , ” insists Mindy Marcum , director of special project at this guest cattle ranch where charge per unit set forth around $ 2,400 per night . There ’s also a $ 50 per 24-hour interval pet fee . In fact , she tells me Paws Up , which was founded in 2005 and is receptive year round , gets its name from “ how excited dogs get when they see their family . ” While the resort regularly hosts VIPs like The Rolling Stones , Leonardo DiCaprio , Gwyneth Paltrow , and Usher — whose son , Usher Jr. , come down in making love with Zeus during our stay — the four - legged guests are the veridical MVPs .
The red carpeting intervention starts at response . Before I can pull out my ID or credit card for incidentals I ’m peppered with oohs , ahhs , and questions like,“And who is this ? ” “ How old are we ? ” “ Can he have a treat ? ” Of course he can . The handmade , locally - source dog treats are so alluring I ’m tempted to take one for myself . From check - in to crack - out , the unspoken catchword at Paws Up is “ only the good for man ’s best champion . ”
For example , instead of log Z’s on the het up floor of our two - bedroom Big Timber home — just one of the refuge ’s many pet - friendly accommodations — Zeus spins in three circle ( got to make certain it ’s just correct ) , before plopping down on a plush Pendleton wienerwurst bed . Housekeeping strategically position it to the left of the endocarp open fireplace , in front of the living room ’s monumental windows so he can have stare contest with wildlife passing by . A basketful overflowing with dog plaything is perched on a side table . The tennis balls are so fresh out of the can I smell them before I see them . While Zeus is too sick to play fetch like he used to , I appreciate the gesture .
Zeus with his tomahawk|Photo by Katie Jackson
Bending over , I realize there ’s already refreshing piddle in one of the dog dishes they lay out . And the pinch hanging up behind the door ? That ’s for him , too . On the mesa I find a map featuring the 30 + mile of firedog - friendly tramp trails on the property . Next to it is a minor welcome batting order , addressed to Zeus and signed by the dog who belongs to Paws Up ’s owner , Nadine Lipson . Later , I ask Marcum why Lipson ’s dog-iron is n’t the haunt ’s mascot . “ We have hundreds of animals in our care on our belongings so there ’s no need for one mascot , ” she tells me .
Forest bathing for Fido
In improver to host travelers from around the world — Zeus is the conversation dispatcher that cements a newfound friendship with a family of return guest from the Cayman Islands — the resort recruit Black Angus cattle . They ’re the source of the aforementioned hatchet and Paws Up ’s signature “ Big Mac”—a melt - in - your - lip Wagyu steak prepare on a slab of rock borrowed from the Blackfoot River . The refuge is also home to a healthy ruck of bison and elk , which also make appearances on the resort ’s menus .
Meanwhile over in Spa Town , a trucking rig - circle of starched white canvas collapsible shelter looking out over a meadow border by towering pine , bow-wow are pampered with 15 - minute “ Wag the Tail ” treatment . They ’re complimentary with the purchase of each 60 - minute spa table service . During my well - earn “ Cowboy Classic ” massage — which I hold after a twenty-four hour period of exploring the cattle ranch on hogback — Zeus goes on his own escapade . Spa coach are happy to take guests ’ frump “ timber washup ” while their human similitude are in do - not - disturb mode .
paw Up also does n’t charge for walks , hikes , or daycare service , even in the evenings . While I spend an good afternoon shot .22s — one of dozens of activities guests can reserve in the resort hotel ’s Wilderness Outpost — Zeus is doted on at the front desk . Marcum take a firm stand stave , even housekeeping , do n’t mind being on doggy duty . “ We enjoy the unique work surround that comes with a dog spending time with us , and we consider humans make considerably more of a mess . ”
Photo by Katie Jackson
Finding your muse
It ’s true . While taking an outdoor artwork grade on the cant of the Blackfoot River — Paws Up regularly brings in artists to host workshop and retreats — I have trouble coloring within the canvass . But Zeus , my muse , does n’t care . He poses like the Great Sphinx of Giza until someone comes by with an old - school camera and call for if they can take a photograph of us . I fit in . It ’s only fair because originally in the mean solar day I ’d let Usher play paparazzo , too .
Later that Nox , when we yield to our way , Zeus and I are surprised to find a framed photograph of us , taken during the artistry class . It ’s the first tangible picture I hold of my better one-half for the past five days . Before I can call response to give thanks them , the dam conk out and a river ’s Charles Frederick Worth of teardrop start out to flow .
Zeus crossed the rainbow bridge soon after our stoppage . by nature , I was gutted . But I take on solacement in knowing that before he passed he got to live his best life ( at least for a few mean solar day ) in “ The Last Best Place . ” And my Paws Up story does n’t end with his death . I ’ve been back with my new bestie , a 110 - pound Leonberger who always salivate and sometimes answers to “ Wilco . ” In fact , in August , we were among the two - legged and four - legged competition participating in Paws Up ’s 16th annual Canine Classic . This year all proceeds conk out toWorking Dogs for Conservation .
Dogs have plenty of room to frolic across Paws Up’s expansive grounds.|Courtesy of Paws Up, Montana
Of naturally , my day of the month and I were n’t looking forward to the five - mile run as much as we were looking forward to theWine & Bitch Dinnerthe dark before . I told him that if Chef Jin spoils him with a tomahawk , he has to partake in . Fortunately , we both care our steaks average - rare .
The author with Zeus (left)|Photos by Katie Jackson
