This year I got a fairly pricey birthday present. It wasn't really a present for me though, it was a gift to the dogs! It is the DoggyRide Novel 10th anniversary edition which comes complete with roof rack, kick stand and memory foam mat.
There are several places we like to go which are within the 4 - 6 kilometer from home range which is just too far for Bender to really walk to these days. It seems like a waste to load the dogs up into the car for trips like this, especially if only one is coming with me.
Sometimes I will take Barbie to people-watch at a local cafe with me and I just feel like a prat for driving the 3 kilometers and clogging up the local roads with my vehicle parked on a verge somewhere. I think if she takes to the trailer then things will be easier.
The day the trailer arrived I set it up in the lounge room with the wheels on and stand down. Mouse went to jump in straight away but unfortunately the kickstand didn't hold and folded forwards, making Mouse let out a little surprised squeak and make a hasty exit.
I took the wheels off and folded the kickstand up, and managed to entice both greyhounds to stick their front paws in, but neither went the whole hog. Barbie was the most suspicious of this contraption, and being the tallest and leggiest of the bunch it will probably be the least comfortable for her. I do think she will accept it if she sees others riding in it though, in a similar way that Mouse taught her wearing a coat was a good thing.
The biggest surprise was Bender. I decided that having a long lasting treat like a Dentastick would be the best way to get the dogs to put their whole bodies in. Bender got into the trailer, and allowed me to lure his head through the top hole with the dentastick, and sat in the trailer chewing it while I held it. It got a bit too short for me to hold so I let him take it and he stayed sitting in the trailer for the 30 secs it took to finish instead of hopping straight back out.
This video shows how far he has come - jumping in with the wheels on and just sitting there!
Mouse has also made quick progress, jumping in and settling down with the wheels on. I even zipped the door closed for a few minutes!
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| just chillin... |
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| yay, she fits! |
Once we get to rolling I will be walking the bike with an assistant feeding the dog as we go. Then there will be a leap to short rides without the assistant, working up to the 5k ride to the fenced park a couple of suburbs over.
Barbie isn't so sure about the trailer yet, she's the only dog who hasn't hopped in!
I plan to go slowly with this trailer introduction and don't expect to be out and about towing the dogs until 2014, but there is certainly promise. If it doesn't work out I expect that the second hand market for the trailer will be pretty good - I had to import this one from the USA via Amazon as high quality pet trailers here are rare as hen's teeth and priced accordingly!
