Glacier calls on dog Gracie for goat patrol

Early this summer, crews at Glacier National Park will plow away the snow that leads to Logan Pass, where trails wind through fields of wildflowers. By July, masses of people will be driving and taking shuttle buses to the parking lot and visitors’ center at the top.

And if past years are any guide, mountain goats and bighorn sheep will be ambling down to greet them.

The animals like to lick salty things, and sheep and goat tastes lean toward “anti-freeze that’s dripped by vehicles, and it includes places where people spit or pee because they didn’t want to wait for the restroom,” said park spokeswoman Margie Steigerwald The wildlife have been undeterred by park workers.

So this year, the Montana park has a new employee that it hopes will herd the goats and sheep in the parking lot: a dog. Specifically, it’s a border collie.

Park authorities have become increasingly worried about trouble for the animals or the humans. . They’re no grizzlies, but that doesn’t make them gentle and visitors may see the goats and sheep as selfie props.

“They do have very sharp horns,” said Steigerwald. “We want people to see wildlife, but we want them to see it at a safe distance.”

The dog is a 2-year-old female named Gracie. She’s owned by Glacier’s natural resources program manager, Mark Biel.

Gracie, clad in an orange vest, will begin her duties in July.