THE LA ST WORD

A Ruff Ride

Cindy Bennett, Member #4170

As recently reborn dog owners - although she is only a foster family member at this time - my thoughts have turned to how I can incorporate our newest family member into our riding plans.

I had the pleasure of meeting charity fundraisers Tex and his faithful riding dog Bundy a few years back and the look of joy on Bundy’s face when on the bike was a sight to behold. Tex and Bundy racked up an amazing 1 million kilometres while riding around the nation raising funds for mental health and mens health charities.

The law in QLD in relation to dogs on bikes (or cats I guess if you want to be brave...) state that “you can carry an animal in a box, cage or bag attached to the rear or side of your motorcycle as long as it does not affect the operation of the motorcycle” Hmmm.

There are many online articles and instagram posts on this topic like @the_bike_dog on Insta, following the journey of Sox & Michael on their adventures. The many and varied canine carrying options for the bike are also covered very comprehensively, and from the DIY adapted top-box to a state of the art carrier that will set you back many hundreds of dollars it is obvious that many dogs love sharing the ride with their masters and mistresses! So will I take the leap and encourage our new family member onto the bike, well a bit risky perhaps as I have not actually pillioned a person before let alone a 11.5kg wriggly excitable French Bulldog! But if she indeed becomes a permanent fixture in our household I am a bit keen to see if she would like to have some fun on 2 wheels.

And I know you were wondering what breed of dog most enjoys riding? Well, according to my online research the 7 dog breeds that will most suited to being on your bike are:

Bichon (most suited to Harley riders, naturally) Shih Tzu (maybe Ducati owners...) Pug (now thats getting closer to our Frenchie) Cavalier (feel the wind in those floppy ears) Havanese (national dog of Cuba apparently) Maltese (really?) Yorkie (if you like yapping in your ear).