Definitely more smiles per mile with the mutt. Dawson is such a little ham that when we stop at traffic lights he scans the intersection to see who is going to take his picture & usually poses for it, I have created a monster! On our AK ride we were about half way through when it finally became clear to Don & I, we were not on a cool northern adventure, we were just roadies for the rock star dog. Only been riding with Dawson for about a year now & already if I ride without him it just isn't the same.
Ive been considering taking my dachshund with me for quite some time. He loves riding on my atv. Im gonna try the baby carrier idea and see if that works. I dont want him scratching my tank. Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk 2
On bikes, I've logged 40,000 miles with Pugsley, and coudn't imagine leaving home without him, cage or bike. I totally can relate to all of your comments.
I've seen a lot of motorcycle pet carriers, but never one exactly like that. However, at a dog show last year, a triker friend bought one similar to that for carrying her dog into PetSmart, etc. She uses a TBag pet carrier to transport her Weiner Dog on her trike.
The video is hilarious! Exactly the same lets go lets go dance Dawson does when I put my collar on to go ride! C'mon C'mon lets go already! hit you with the paws, go in a circle, paws, circle, hurry up already! Too funny
I wish that I could take my dog, but since he weighs in at 80 muscular, stubborn lbs the only options are a trailer or a sidecar, neither of which I'm really keen on. Some have taught their dogs to actually ride the motorcycle but I would never forgive myself if something happened to him doing that.
I carry my 30# Pug on the pillion seat, harnessed and double strapped to the armrests. He has never attempted to jump off. We've logged over 40,000 miles. I saw a guy with a fully grown Yellow Lab on the pillion seat a few years ago. https://www.advrider.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/t/treeman1941_PA010346-1.jpg
Pugsley looks like the same kinda character, sure doesn't take them long to become neccesity for any trip does it. Lately mine has become a bit too smart azz on the bike, currently working through a bit of a battle on who is the boss & if he really has to actually sit down on the bike, lately it seems he prefers to put the paws on the left bar or gas tank & look over the windshield cuz he's a bigshot & has this riding thing figured out already, lol, you know, the over condfident "I got this" stage almost all "riders" have to go through, just part of the deal I guess. I get that "what's you problem" look when I make him sit back down, that coupled with the recent behavior at the dog park & I think we have reached the "terrible two's" now, he just turned 1 the end of Feb so it is to be expected, little brat is currently the equivalent of a 17 yr old boy, knows it all, listens to no one, & mounts anything that holds still for more than a couple seconds, little spaz, going to test my patients for a little while now but he will come around, just take a little time. Best damn co-pilots anyone could ask for, always up for the next adventure, could care less what we eat, or where we sleep, it's all about seeing what is around the next bend. If you would ask him it is HIS motorcycle & I am just the chauffer. While riding to Canada & Alaska we rode with a buddy of mine, if I dropped back a little I would get this look ahead, look back at me drill, as if to tell me hurry up Don is leaving us behind, If I was leading & Don was following he would keep looking over my shoulder to check on Don & I would get the same thing if Don fell very far back, smart little buggers & at least mine is quick to get demanding if hw thinks I'm doing it wrong, lol
Look into some gear, maybe a back pack kinda thing for you & a good harness for him & tether them together as a safety belt kinda thing. With a little work you may be able to come up with something that lets him learn to ride without any real risk of him or you getting hurt, start slow on residential streets or parking lots & gradually work your way up. Took me about a month to get things worked out so we were comfortable & safe, then it took about a week on the road being patient on the way to Washington just watching his behavior & only riding the miles he was good with for the day, by the time we got back from Alaska 2 months later it was all old hat for him. At about 4 1/2 months old Dawson rode from Prudoe Bay back to Fairbanks in one day, 500+ miles mostly dirt, some 14 hrs in the saddle, by Fairbanks we were both ready to get off the bike. With a little work & patients in the beginning, as long as the dog is the good side-kick type I think most any of them can ride & ride well. BTW, completely understand the "if anything happened to him" thing, at 4 months old my worries for keeping Dawson healthy had me keeping tabs on where the nearest airport that I could charter a plane & get to a vet in Fairbanks or Dawson was at all times on the Dempster & Dalton highways. Keeping tabs on the closest available Vet was always a concern with a 3-5 month old puppy in that country, never know when they are going to eat something they shouldn't, or have a reaction to a bug bite or what. On the South Canol road some kind of litte bug bit up his belly & the bites were turning red, I had Benedryl with me but kept me watching close anyway, & if anyone is unaware, the vet told me with benedryl the dose is 1mg/pound of dog weight, so the typical 25mg pill takes care of a 25 lb dog.
Yes, these dogs are "characters", which is an understatement. I started Pugsley out at age six months, on an old Kawasaki Concours. He rode in a little toolbox on the pillion, and was strapped to me. He loved it from the very beginning. I cannot imagine riding without this little character. As I type this, he is under my desk with a paw on my foot. Never found that kind of devotion and love from former girlfriends. I think that I've seen the light.
Back in Highschool I got a Collie/Sheperd mix for a GF, took him to work a few times & very quickly the dog came to me instead of her, this caused tears & all that with the GF, so I backed away from the dog a bit, watched her turn a great little dog into a spastic out of control little brat, then a few years later bail on me, then the dog. Wrong priorities on my part, should have kept the dog & ditched the GF, lol, way more loyal, & way less headaches. Several GF's & one wife later I decided to get Dawson, guess who happily did the whole Alaska ride with me while the GF decided to pass on just Flying into Anchorage to tag along for an easy scenic week in AK & Canada riding & then sent the Dear John e-mail while I was on the Dalton? This time I got it right, lmao, GF's come & go, the mutt is in for the long haul, he deserves the same loyalty from me. I laughed like hell, part of the way up the Vancouver Island we stopped at a Walmart, Don went inside to pick up a few things while I stayed with the bikes & Dawson for a water & potty break. Un-benouced to me there was a female Wally World employee on break quietly observing, who commented from accross the parking lot, "if you fuss over your GF like you do over that dog she must be very happy" to which I responded, "If I could ever find a GF as loyal as this dog, I probably would", she laughed & said that was fair, lol
I can totally relate to your experience. I broke up with my girlfriend of eight years about six years ago. That is when I got this little Pugsley. Believe me, it was an excellent trade. In fact, I had lunch with that old girlfriend a couple years after the breakup, and she mentioned, "you replaced me with a dog"?, to which I replied, yes, and he thinks I'm great all of the time. Granted, something is missing when you replace a girlfriend with a dog, but at age 70, very little. I've seen the light, in fact, doubt if I'll ever have another girlfriend. Hey, Pugsley and I were enroute to Alaska in 2011, but he became somewhat sick, shivering, etc near Smithy, British Columbia, so we rode to Prince Rupert, and then took the ferry to Vancouver Island, then another ferry to Seattle. Pugsley was in the hole on that ship for 15 1/2 hours, no potty break, but never had an accident. He was ready when we got off the ferry. Man, people without dogs have no idea what they're missing. I didn't even want Pugsley, since I love to tour by motorcycle, but my daughter and granddaughters convinced me to give it a try. Incredible, the joy he has brought into my life. Dogs as pillion buddies sounds complicated, but really, it's a piece of cake. He doubles my joy of touring.
We have been on that ferry ride, I almost got arrested on that ride. I was very concerned about thier pets ride on the cardeck BS policy, I asked a bunch of questions before the ride & was assured repeatedly that I would be allowed down every 3 hours to check on him & let him go to the bathroom. I was also assured that a ferry employee monitored the animals for the entire ride & if there was any problems they would page us. I relectantly accepted the rules & of we went. Most of the ride went Ok, they kept stretching 3 hrs into 3 1/2 or 4 but I kept nagging the purser & got down there pretty regular. Picture a 3 1/2 month old puppy expected to sit in his kennel for 15 hrs, you know it can be done but you better let him out to walk around all you can. Each visit I can tell he is more & more reluctant to get back in the kennel & getting more upset each time I put him back in there. Finally the last visit to the car deck they stalled & stalled until we were within an hour of arrival & then tried to tell me they were skipping it, I was not happy about it but dealt with it & then went to the stair case to listen. From the passenger deck I could hear Dawson down there freaking out, yelping, crying, he had worked himself into a panic down there, after sitting in there for 3 1/2-4 hrs at a stretch all day with only 10-15 minute breaks he finally couldn't deal anymore. After hearing him from the passenger deck I didn't give a rats ass about thier silly rules anymore & went to the cardeck anyway & found him in his kennel in a complete panic, took me a good 10 minutes just to calm him back down. Finally the "ferry employee monitoring the animals" noticed me down there & told me I would have to go upstairs. This is where I almost get arrested, I explained that I would stay right here with my dog, I asked all kinds of questions on conditions on the boat before deciding to go along, they were not holding up thier end of the deal, my dog is in a panic over it, so they could kiss my ass on my end of the deal I was staying right here with the dog since thier employee monitoring the animal was obviously clueless or did not give a shit & what they were asking me to do was simply cruel to the dog & I wasn't going to comply. Radio traffic ensues, soon an offical type employee arrives, luckily someone with a little compassion for animals, pretty much told him too bad as well & eventually arrived at the compromise that I could stay with him until we were 30 minutes from the dock & then I had to go up while we docked. I turned that into about 10 minutes, long enough to go back to the purser & read them the riot act & get supervisors contact info. Result, BC Ferry System can lick my balls, will never ride with them again & will also get the "service dog" stuff before riding on any ferry that won't let him on the passenger deck. I should have known better than to think even for a minute that any ferry employee would actually give a shit about my dog, won't happen again. After that incident any ferries we rode on I just ignored the no pet rules & took Dawson upstairs anyway. Just like government, if they think I am going to respect the rules, they need to as well or I will do what I need to & deal with the consquenses as needed. Sorry to hear Pugsley got sick on your AK attempt, I know we also had some challenges on the climate thing, Dawson is a Nodic breed so he did great in the cold but the heat was a challenge. I had to keep a soft sided cooler full of ice & water on the bike at all times & sometimes had to pull over & wet him down with the towels I kept in the icewater to keep him cool enough. I also had an aunt that parted out a couple 12v drink warmers so I could use them as electric blankets if needed, lots of riders use heated riding gear, why not a dog rider. Now Dawson would ride it out easily but puppies do not regulate thier temps as well so I had to keep a close eye on him the whole trip & on the southbound ride I lucked into a cool spell but was planning on just running at night if it got too hot for him. I can't say he replaces a girlfriend, lol, but if push comes to shove, the choice is easy, the GF goes, they are never as loyal & complain more. Dawson will go with me until it makes him sick, literally, & never wimper at all, this means I need to be a little careful to make sure I don't drag him into overdoing it & keep an eye on him all the time when we travel. There is no denying that some days he slowed us down a little bit & thank fully poor Don was exceptionally patient about those days. The way I see it, Dawson may have cost a few miles on a few of the days on a 2 month trip but life expectancy on these guys in 14-16 years & I will happily trade those few days for the company & especially for the kind of dog he will be largely as a result of being one of those "goes everywhere" type dogs. Even with the cost in miles thing, what he added to the whole trip was worth way more than the miles, I wouldn't trade taking him along for anything. Hope you & Pugsley get to enjoy many miles together
