Thursday, June 26, 2014

Gone to the dogs

There are disadvantages to having a small dog. One receives insults for not having a "real man's dog." One doesn't feel quite as secure when walking down a dark alley...while walking a shih tzu. Hunting is somewhat out of the question, since a small dog has, what one man at church referred to as "a low wheel base."

But, there is a huge advantage when it comes to riding on two wheels. Small dogs work. Little Maggie, my eight pound Maltese, loves to ride. She has an "Outward Hound" flat bottom pooch pouch, which works very well for her to perch in front of the rider and gives her great access to the wind around the edge of the windscreen. There has been one issue with the bag. The drawstring around the top of the pouch was not well attached and pulled loose. This does not seem to change the safety of the pooch since she is still well secured by a collar restraint, but it does allow her to put her paws out over the edge. This happened after only six uses of the product.


 The flat bottom allows the pooch to feel secure, and when the drawstring was still attached, it allowd the owner to cinch the opening closed so doggy paws can't get out. There is also a small zipper pocket in the front gives a place to put a small leash and perhaps a plastic baggy for potty stops.

Then there's the newest addition to Maggie's riding attire: Doggles. They are PetSmart brand dog goggles, but they seem to work. She certainly looks happy wearing them.


On the way home from the pet store, she really leaned out around the windscreen, "lapping up" the feel of the wind. The construction of the goggles seems sound and they fit her well, though she needs a bit of a haircut. Maggie tolerated the doggles well until we were almost home. this might have been due to her need for a trim.

We don't have a doggy helmet as, from what I've read, the jury is still out on whether they even are necessary. 

To sum up, a small dog is a lot of fun to ride with. There are safety issues that should be addressed first, such as securing and protecting the animal, but if you have a small dog who likes rides in a car, chances are, rides on a motorbike will be a big hit as well.

3 comments:

Joe said...

I used to be of the kind of guy who thought that a dog had to be big to count as a dog, until I fell in love with a Yorkie/chihuaua mix who lives where I often visit. Though I would't dare to run the scooter here where the roads are often made of rocks as big as fists, I imagine little Angel would love a scooter ride!

kz1000st said...

I got both worlds. A pair of yorkies running around the house and a black lab. They all play, hunt and swim together. The male Yorkie is a giant fifteen pounds, fit as a thoroughbred and thinks he's a Lab too. It's hysterical to see them chase rabbits and squirrels together.

Deb said...

I haven't figured out a way to safely transport my Maxi around, but you'll notice on my blog pics that she loves to pose on my scooters!

She's got camo "doggles" too and they look pretty cool on her.

Your pup looks pretty content!