Scott Timothy, right, and Ednor Therriault install a new sign over the top of Go Fetch! on South Higgins Avenue in Missoula last week. Timothy is turning the Go Fetch! location – one of three in Missoula – into a pet supply store dedicating all its sale profits to a rotating list of nonprofit organizations. Photo by TOM BAUER/Missoulian

"Improving Lives ... One Pet at a Time" is more than an motto for Go Fetch!, a Missoula dog-centric supply store.

Last week, the unique retailer took a bold and unusual step to expand its philosophy to include not just four-legged companions, but the entire Missoula community.

Business owner Scott Timothy has rededicated and repurposed his South Higgins Avenue outlet - one of three Go Fetch! locations - to serve a greater good.

Now called Worthy Paws, the pet supply store on the Hip Strip will dedicate 100 percent of its sale profits to a monthly rotating list of Missoula nonprofit organizations.

"I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how Go Fetch! fits into the community," Timothy said. "I know this is just a pet supply store and we aren't anything more than that, but this community has really supported this business and I know that there is so much need right now in the nonprofit sector.

"I know how much they are hurting right now, and that's kind of how this all started."

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Each year, Go Fetch! donates goods and supplies for auctions to help support 30 community nonprofits, and every week the business fields numerous queries from people who are trying to raise funds for special occasions.

"We have product going out from all three stores, and in doing Worthy Paws we are able to align it in one place and it certainly will improve our ability to account for all that we give," Timothy said. "It jives with what I personally feel is important and that is Missoula has supported this Go Fetch! thing from the the start - and that's pretty remarkable.

"Worthy Paws is a way for us to express our appreciation - day in and day out."

Timothy first opened the boutique pet shop eight years ago, offering quality pet food and a dog-hiking service.

The unique service and products soon attracted a loyal clientele, which gave Timothy the confidence to expand his operation.

Eventually, the shop grew to include a small shop at the Hip Strip location and a larger main store on Woody Street in downtown Missoula. As the business evolved, so did the offerings to include an in-store bakery for dog treats, professional and self-serve grooming services, dog training, and unique toys and accessories.

Last fall, Timothy opened a third location on North Reserve Street and will soon open a fourth location in Russell Square, at the corner of Russell and 39th streets.

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Because the retail end of business has become a priority, Timothy has sold the company's dog hiking service, which was the first of its kind to hit Missoula, to Brian Daigle, who will officially take the lead in two weeks under the new name Alpine Canine.

The distinctly bright doggy buses will be part of the sale, and Go Fetch! will have its own distinctive bus that will be used for deliveries, not hiking.

Inventory at the Worthy Paws location won't change, Timothy said. The shop will continue to carry all of the Go Fetch! merchandise found at the mothership on Woody Street.

"I'm fully aware of the risks that come with this change," he said. "But the whole idea is totally pertinent to what I believe in. I don't look at the world the same way most business people do.

"I want to continue to create something of substance that has meaning to me and the Go Fetch! family and I think this is a massive win-win for me, and hopefully, the community."

Reporter Betsy Cohen can be reached at (406) 523-5253 at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Will Moss Chris "Bubba" Leach trains for the Montana Special Olympics Five Valleys Area Equestrian Games Wednesday afternoon at Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding near Corvallis. Athletes need to attend a certain number of lessons before they can qualify to participate in events and most of the Bitterroot team has been working at BTR. The games will be held Saturday at the Diamond A Arena.

Linda Olson loves her job.

Anyone who would question why, exactly that is, can get their answers this Saturday at the Diamond A Arena where this year's Montana Special Olympics Five Valleys Area Equestrian Games are being held.

Olson, program director and founder of Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding near Corvallis, and her staff have spent much the last few months working with many of the 25 athletes competing on the Bitterroot team and have gotten to see first hand the drive that an event like the Special Olympics instills in BTR's clients.

"Challenged riders aren't any different than healthy riders; they anticipate this, they work toward it," Olson said. "It puts them on a level playing field with their family members and peers because, so often ... they don't have those opportunities. So, this really levels the playing field and they love it. They just beam with those ribbons on."

The event, which is usually held at the Missoula Equestrian Park, is traveling to the Bitterroot Valley for the first time this year, and will give athletes a chance to qualify for the upcoming state games in Bozeman.

To qualify for the event, athletes must complete a certain number of equestrian lessons, preparing them to compete in events such as barrel racing, pole bending, showmanship, Western and English equitation and working trail.

Many of the athletes competing on the Bitterroot team aren't strangers to BTR, which routinely works with groups from Missoula Developmental Services, Child Developmental Center, Western Montana Mental Health, Summit Independent Living, Montana Work Solutions and others.

Mike Kelly, a habitation aid with Missoula Developmental Services, brings a group down to the arena for Olympic training about once a week, and due to the results he sees from their interactions with the horses, is hoping to make it a year-round activity.

"They love it ... they get a day off from their daily routine of working and therapy, and they really enjoy it," he said. "When I set the helmets out, they are up and moving. They know they're going to go have a good day ... and they're so calm afterwards, just being around the animals."

Kelly noted that he really sees his guys put extra effort into their training for Special Olympics events.

"We just had our local Special Olympics and the boys did awesome; everybody did great. It was really neat to see them putting in the effort to do it," he said "Extra effort out of these guys is great. We love to see anything like that."

Corinna Syzmoniak, a therapeutic and vaulting instructor with BTR, said that in addition to the progression of the athletes' equestrian skills, she also sees the athletes become more confident overall.

"A lot of times it's not just the skills, but just the willingness of trying new things or maybe overcoming a fear," she said. "Like [Bitterroot team member] Chris Leach; in the beginning he was really nervous for his first couple of rides, but now he's so excited to get on there."

Eventually, Olsen would like to see the area equestrian games become a Bitterroot staple.

"I'd like this to be a Bitterroot event; We have all these great arenas and we have a lot of riders," she said. "I really think that it's a great thing for the Bitterroot."

She also hopes that Bitterrooters will come out to the Diamond A on Saturday to support the athletes.

"The more the merrier," Olson said. "You know, it's so important that they feel the support of people around them. We all need that."

The opening ceremony for Saturday's games will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the traditional presentation of the flags and events will begin at 10:30. Events run through 3 p.m.

Admission to the games is free and a complimentary lunch will be provided from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

The Diamond A Arena is located at 2275 Eastside Highway between Corvallis and Stevensville.

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