Willie’s New Ride

Some months ago Richard and I were in Monterey, walking along Ocean View Boulevard near Point Cabrillo, when we stopped to watch a large colony of sea lions snoozing on a stony beach.  We stood about fifty yards from the water’s edge, our fingers hooked into the chain link fence separating us from dozens of marine mammals basking in the sun, hauled ashore after a night of feeding.

I stepped out of the way as a man approached on a bicycle; as he passed I saw  he was wearing a backpack that contained a small, rather contented-looking dog who seemed to be enjoying the ride and the ocean views.  It was the first time I’d ever seen such a thing, and I immediately pictured myself wearing that pack, carrying our mutt Willie along our local rail trail and cruising high above the river on the Walkway over the Hudson — or any number of other bike routes I hadn’t yet explored.

Back home, I stopped in at The Natural Pet Center in Gardiner to ask the owner, Michele, if she’d ever seen or stocked the sort of dog-pack I had in mind.  “Actually I have,” Michele said, “but I don’t recommend them for biking.  A dog in a backpack is a long way from the ground, and if anything were to happen to you on the bike – if you had an accident or a fall — the dog is going to get hurt.  Badly hurt.”

Michele was right, of course, but I felt momentarily deflated, the me-and-my-dog biking buddy daydream  gone in an instant.  Then I remembered my friend Suzanne had some sort of dog trailer that she rigged up to her bike to transport her two Chihuahua mix mutts, Ollie and Dot. “The dog ones are stupid expensive,” Suzanne told me when I phoned, “so I got a bike trailer designed for a kid.  It was under a hundred bucks, and both dogs fit inside with room to spare.  They love it.”

A week later our UPS driver delivered the trailer I ordered from eBay – a black and red mini-dog trailer that matched my bicycle.  It had zippered flaps and screens and a sunroof, exterior storage pouches, and an interior safety strap I could clip to Willie’s shoulder harness.  The harness would enable him to move and turn around while inside the trailer, but would help prevent him from injury in a sudden stop — and prevent his escape through an open flap.

As I unpacked and assembled the dog trailer on the gravel driveway I wondered: what if Willie hates this thing?  What if he yowls and cries and tries to escape?  Should I leave it in the house with treats inside for him to discover and explore on his own?

I needn’t have worried.  On his maiden voyage – a walk around in the driveway, followed by a short test ride up and down our street – Willie sat upright looking like a prince in a carriage, taking in the view and enjoying the breeze that lifted his ears and ruffled his fur.

OK, Willie:  Where should we go next?