Mizzou Homecoming on October 3: Plan Your Dog's Care Before Game Day
Mizzou's 2026 Homecoming is Saturday, October 3, when the Tigers host Florida at Memorial Stadium. If you've lived in Columbia for more than a season, you know Homecoming is not a three-hour commitment. It's the parade in the morning, tailgating through the early afternoon, the game itself, and then whatever the evening turns into. It's also one of the busiest traffic days of the year, which matters if you were planning to "run home real quick" to let the dog out.
That's the reason this post exists. Not another explainer on what a dog walker does, but a specific plan for Homecoming on October 3.
Start with the whole day, not the kickoff
The mistake most people make is planning around the game clock. Kickoff time gets announced, they mentally block off four hours, and they figure the dog will be fine. Then the day actually happens: you leave the house at 8:30 for the parade downtown, you're at a tailgate by 11, you're in the stadium until the game ends, and you're not walking back through your front door until after dark because getting a car out of the stadium area takes an hour on its own.
So work backward from the real timeline. Ask yourself:
What time am I leaving the house?
What time am I realistically home? (Add an hour for traffic. Homecoming traffic around the stadium and downtown is its own event.)
When is my dog's normal midday potty break and meal?
How long can my dog comfortably go without a break?
For most dogs, a full Homecoming day means one or two visits in the middle of it. A puppy or a senior dog on a schedule may need more.
Build the walk plan around confirmed hours
Creature Comforts of Columbia's published service hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, and a Homecoming plan should be built inside that window. For a typical day that starts with the parade and ends well after the game, that usually looks like:
A late-morning or midday visit (around 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) for a walk, a potty break, fresh water, and lunch if your dog eats midday.
A late-afternoon visit (around 3:30 to 5 p.m.) for another walk and a potty break before the evening stretch.
If you'll be out into the night, make the late-afternoon visit the longer one, and plan your own return so the dog isn't waiting too long after 5. Feed dinner before you leave if you won't be home in time, or ask us to feed it during the afternoon visit.
Two things to know when you book. First, request the visits early. Game days are busy for us the same way they are for restaurants, and the earlier you book, the easier it is for us to fit your dog into a route. Second, watch for the confirmation in the app. A visit request isn't a scheduled visit until we've confirmed it, and we'd rather tell you that clearly than let you assume.
What you'll see from the tailgate
Once the visits are scheduled, here's how your day looks from the dog's side. A Creature Comforts team member arrives at the window you booked, lets themselves in through your lockbox, and follows your dog's care notes: which leash, which route, how long, what to feed. They walk, they clean up, they refresh water, and they lock up. Then you get a visit report on your phone with photos and notes, usually while you're standing in a parking lot arguing about whether Mizzou should have gone for it on fourth down.
That report is the point. Not just that the visit happened, but that you can see it happened, from wherever you are, without calling anyone.
A few Homecoming-specific notes
If your street is near the parade route or the stadium, tell us in your notes. Street closures and parking affect how our team reaches your home, and we plan routes around it.
If you're hosting a watch party or a tailgate at your house, note whether the dog should be out or in a quiet room during the visit.
Homecoming weekend fills up fast. Book now rather than the day before.
Ready to plan it? See Creature Comforts services and hours and request your Homecoming visits at comopets.com. Your dog gets a walk, you get a report, and nobody has to leave the tailgate early.
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