She peers over his shoulder as the bike rounds the corner. “On your left” takes on a whole new meaning when it’s a terrier muzzle that’s pointing the way.
From trailers to tethers to backpacks, dog lovers have found all manner of methods to include their furry family member in their cycling passion.
My group of cycling friends includes David and Sherre, accomplished cyclists who are also dog owners.
They are owned by terriers. Jack Russell Terriers, to be exact. Two of them. Annie and Oakley.
What makes this story special is that from the time Annie was a young pup (maybe 4 months old) David would put her in a special backpack and ride his road bike with her perched, peering over his shoulder. Quite the pair circling White Rock Lake in Dallas on summer evening group rides. And at the end, Annie would dismount and join us in the beer garden.
Man’s best friend. Woman’s, too.
David outlined a whole process he went through getting Annie acclimated to riding. A series of backpacks and walking first before taking her on her first bike ride.
The fact that they are smaller dogs (8 to 11 pounds) helps. And their terrier attitude, despite what you might think, makes them ideal because they are pleasers.
Having the dogs along for our casual group rides reinforces this idea of “remember, this is supposed to be fun” mantra.
Thank you, David, for being a leading doggie daddy, and including your best friend.
Relentless
(*for Harry)
