You probably thought I was talking about Arthur. And when I renewed my interest in riding my bicycle a year or two ago, I did think about taking Arthur with me. I even bought a Pet-a-Roo pet front carrier that remains in its box on a shelf in my laundry room closet.
No, it’s not about Arthur. This post is about Penny the biker.
We were finishing our walk at the VOA when Mark directed my attention to a man and his dog. And his motorcycle. He was attaching a harness strap to the passenger seat of his Harley. (Truthfully, I have no idea if it was a Harley, but it makes for better copy.)
This I gotta see, I thought.
And not being particularly shy, in fact being a bit on the forward side some might say, I asked him if I could take a picture of his dog on the bike. The man’s name was Chris and he couldn’t have been nicer. He spent several minutes talking to me about his hobby of taking travel and family photographs, and about his boxer Penny.
Nice man. Adorable dog.
Chris put on his helmet and got on in front of Penny. He started the engine. Penny stayed calm and as cool as she looked.
The sun was low in the sky behind them, throwing their faces into shadow, so Chris accommodated my request and circled around before leaving.
When I sent the photos to him, Chris comment on the one below. “That pose makes me think of the George Thorogood song, B-b-b-b bad, bad to the bone! She looks so serious.”
I think she looks adorable. And inspiring. I may have to pump air into my tires and unpack that Pet-a-Roo carrier after all. But first I need to find Arthur some goggles.
Bad to the Bone:
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Christine M. Grote 
This post put a smile on my face. She looks excellent in those goggles . . . not many dogs can pull off that look with such cool attitude.
Yes. It puts a smile on my face too. She was one cool lady.
I’ve seen an occasional pup on the back of a bike . . . always glad to see they’ve been outfitted with goggles to protect their eyes. And a harness to hold them tight.
I’ve never seen one before. As much as Arthur loves to have his face out the window of the car as we’re driving, he would love this. Maybe I should get him goggles for the car rides.
Great photo Christine, Good to see Health and Safety in place 🙂
Sending you a Cosmic Hug, and thank you for the smiles today xox
Thanks for stopping by Sue.
Awesome! Love the goggles.
I should have asked him where he got them.
What great pictures. I bet he is grateful that you shared them with him.
He seemed to enjoy them.
Oh my, that last shot is priceless!
I know. It’s a hoot.
Beautiful photos! Dogs truly are man’s best friend. I am an avid animal lover & have had dogs all of my life despite my parents not being dog people. Our dog was never allowed inside unless one of the infamous Louisiana storms blew in & then only right inside the door until the storm blew over. Oh how I cherished those times.
I look back and realize my dog was the one who kept me outside alot in my childhood. I had a huge tractor inner tube that I would sit in for hours with my dog in my lap. Sad thing is we lived in the country where dogs were never fenced in or tied up. They had free run of the neighborhood. Therefore I found myself mourning so many of my pets. They either didn’t come home because they were run over by a vehicle or shot by an angry neighbor. I lived on pins and needles every day praying my dog would stay safe.
Not long ago I sat down with my mother & went over the names of the dogs we had when I was growing up. It was an astonishing 20. Each and every one had been lost in one way or another & I remembered each one. If only I could have saved them.
I remember being angry with my mom time to time as a young girl & I would tell her when I grew up I was going to smoke & have dogs in my house. I knew those two things were loathed by her.
Well, I didn’t ever take to smoking, but the first thing I did was get myself a dog. He stayed inside & slept in my bed with me. Sad thing was he still had free run of the country. I couldn’t afford a fence & it just seemed cruel to tie him up. The day he didn’t come home I had only myself to blame.
I went through so many more dogs before moving to California at the age of 40. In California I no longer had acre upon acre for my dogs to run. They were fenced in & for the first time in my life, I had dogs that I knew we’re safe. I had a white miniature poodle that I had to put to sleep at the ripe old age of 18! It tore my heart out to let him go, but I found the pain of letting him go was less than the pain I had all of those years losing dogs one by one over & over. Since then I also had to put to sleep the sweetest yellow labrador retriever. She had diabetes for 5 years & I tested her blood & gave her insulin twice a day. She became blind due to the diabetes. Dogs live with blindness so much better than humans do. She was almost 12 yrs old when I lost her.
Needless to say I have another poodle & my daughter’s lab & 2 daschund’ s living in my house now. Hopefully they will live to a ripe old age too.
By the way Christine, I’ve been thinking about getting myself a new bike. 🙂 I want to know if the old saying “once you learn how to ride a bike you never forget it” is true. Thanks for reminding me to get that bike. LOL
I love your stories! Keep on blogging!
I’m glad you have dogs that you can seem to keep, for the most part, now. I think one of the worst things would be to lose a dog and never know what happened to it. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Cindy.
What cute photos, Christine! As you know, I’m a sucker for dogs–and when you add biker to the mix, I just gotta see! Hope you will take Arthur for a spin! Great post, my friend.
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
Thanks Kathy. I forgot to ask you on your travel with dogs post. Did you take your small dog on the plane with you? If so, what did you use to carry her in and how did it work out?
Yes, Lucy rode in the cabin, under the seat in front of me in a soft-sided carrier. Ours is actually a back pack carrier. Lucy loves to fly. She’s always on her best behavior when traveling. Don’t know why. If you travel with Arthur, get him used to the carrier first by taking him on car trips, etc. It helps. Even a trip to the grocery store is good, In fact, start with short trips that end with some kind of treat. Good luck!
Now that is a dog! It’s got me smiling!
I’m glad.
That’s too funny! I’ve occasionally seen dogs on motorcycles, bikes, and even in strollers, but never one quite as decked out! Great pics, Christine!
Now that’s something one doesn’t see every day! Thanks for sharing.
Love this and the sunglasses…well, pretty darn snazzy.
Love it! I used to joke that when I retired I was going to buy a Vespa and get a side-car for my Yorkies to ride in, I pictured them with goggles and a little scarf blowing in the breeze.
Too cute!