Hacks-n-Pups

[JBSmith]

Originally Posted by Boondox

On our way to the BMW Rally in Missouri, currently dodging thunderstorms in Ohio. As we pass thru Louisville KY on our way to Murray tomorrow, Barley will have completed 20,000 miles in the hack. I'm very proud of my little bug!

Good to see Barley again. Last year I adopted a Golden Retriever named Dickens. I have a buddy with a sidehack and we're going to meet up soon to see if Dickens is passenger material. If he is, I might have to add a three-wheeler to the stable.

[RidingDonkeys]

On our two week road trip to break in the new hack, we stopped by the Brew Thru in Kitty Hawk, NC. Bryson got a bit excited when we put the beer in his tub. Perhaps he thought it was for him?

[crampfan]

Niki loves exploring

[Motovated]

Hi Guys, First post...

Any advice on riding with dogs in hot weather? We're going on tour in the prairies and I'm worried about the heat and the lack of shade. I've rigged up a canopy for the hack, and will be packing an umbrella. Needless to say, lots of water. Any other tips?


Don

[Boondox]

Don,

Shade is a must. You'll see a few options in photos in Hacks-n-Pups including my tonneau cover with a zippered hatch for Barley. It works, but does cut down on airflow so in the future I might go the ragtop option.

At the MOA rally in Missouri we rode in temps ranging from 94 to 108. Hydration was key! I had trouble getting Barley to drink piss warm water, so every morning I'd fill a small Igloo cooler with a bag of ice. By the time it got hot there was enough ice water in there for both of us to have some at stops, plus enough for me to soak his belly and my shirt to get some evaporative cooling going.

In case of breakdown at the side of the road I carried a small Noah's tarp with poles so I could at least get him out of the sun. Also, at night it didn't drop below 100 till 9pm, so I carried a battery powered tent fan just in case.

Hope this helps.

Pete

[Motovated]

Originally Posted by Boondox

Don,
so I carried a battery powered tent fan just in case.

Hope this helps.

Pete

Thanks Pete. I'll pick up a battery powered fan, good idea. I was thinking of loading the nose of the hack with icepacks, and cutting some vent holes so air would flow around the ice. DIY air conditioning. Anyone tried something like that?

[LoJack]

I've seen small water bottles that have a pump and hose with a mist nozzle at the end. They are really nice for hot days. You could rig it up to deploy a small amount of mist that might last a while as you ride down the road.

[Motovated]

Originally Posted by LoJack

I've seen small water bottles that have a pump and hose with a mist nozzle at the end. They are really nice for hot days. You could rig it up to deploy a small amount of mist that might last a while as you ride down the road.

I was gonna pack a squirt gun, but this might be a better idea. Although I was under the impression dogs only cool down from panting, not from perspiration or water on the skin/fur.

[Boondox]

Originally Posted by LoJack

I've seen small water bottles that have a pump and hose with a mist nozzle at the end. They are really nice for hot days. You could rig it up to deploy a small amount of mist that might last a while as you ride down the road.

That would work for a human, but in the summer heat the only way I could give Barley any evaporative cooling relieve was to pull over and work cool water into his belly fur and ruff, then have him shake to make his fur stand up. And even then, to get the cooling effect he had to sit up exposing his chest to air flow, which put his head in direct sunlight. Still, that seemed to be the method he preferred.

I bought a couple of Touratech squirt bottles thinking I could hose him down without stopping, but it didn't work well. First it soaked into his dog bed, and memory foam is like a huge sponge. Secondly if he didn't have the ability to shake his wet fur laid flat and acted like an insulating layer.

Another thing I did on really hot days was to stuff my small camelback with ice and put it on top of his bed for him to lay on. It's insulated so well he didn't get cold spots, nor did it sweat and make a soggy mess on his bed.

[RidingDonkeys]

We just spent two weeks on the road with Bryson in the summer sun. He was ok when moving, but he got real hot when stopped. We doused him in water every stop. He didn't like it, but it kept him cool.

Sent from my Droid 2 Global using Typotalk 2

[ruckuschick]

You can also buy cool coats for dogs. The one's I have you just soak in water and put em on the dog. Then wet it down when it drys out again. I might alwo mention as far as battery powered fans go, if you are staying someplace with power at night, Ryobi make a nice battery operated fan that is rechargeable with a battery that fits their power tools as well. Pricey but better than having to keep buying batteries. Course I guess you could get regular rechargeable abtteries for the cheaper fans too.

[RidingDonkeys]

OK, gotta post another. It seems the employees at Brew Thru were so excited to have Bryson come by that they posted a photo on their Facebook of him and Misses Donkeys.

[Boondox]

Originally Posted by ruckuschick

You can also buy cool coats for dogs. The one's I have you just soak in water and put em on the dog. Then wet it down when it drys out again. I might alwo mention as far as battery powered fans go, if you are staying someplace with power at night, Ryobi make a nice battery operated fan that is rechargeable with a battery that fits their power tools as well. Pricey but better than having to keep buying batteries. Course I guess you could get regular rechargeable abtteries for the cheaper fans too.

I tried that concept but if you can't get enough airflow over your dog it just acts like an insulating layer and kept the heat in. It might work better on short-coated breeds, but Barley is a golden with a very full coat of fur. It simply didn't work for us. In the end I opted for wetting him down every 30-45 minutes in brutally hot weather as those stops were also opportunities to hydrate both of us.

Keeping cool is only part of the equation. Dogs lose an incredible amount of moisture from panting, and you MUST replace that. Another thing to keep in mind, as mentioned previously, is you need something to fall back on if you break down or get stuck in traffic (construction or accident ahead). If your only option depends on airflow your dog will bake!

[simmonsk133]

The Sears 19V power system has a fan as a part of the collection. ....

[Motovated]

Well, We're leaving tomorrow morning for our 5000km trip from Vancouver to Winnipeg and back. 2 bikes, 76 Honda CB750 with Bingham MKI sidecar, 2010 Kawasaki ER6n, my girlfriend, and our dog. We are very experienced long distance tourers, but this is the first time with the dog and sidecar (DMC subframe, professionally installed, new brakes, new tires, steering damper). Got a fan, shade setup, 5 gallon water jug, ice cooler, umbrella, extra leases and harnesses, doggles, 3 point harness system, instant ice packs, no spill water dish, first aid kit plus the usual camping supplies. If I've forgotten anything please let me know!

I learned a lot from this thread, I'll let you know how it goes!
Don