You’re back so, if nothing else, Jake has piqued your curiosity.

That, by the way, happens everywhere we go. We pull up on our motorcycle and get off, take off our helmets and people don’t really pay much attention. Then they look again and see two people and a dog. They look away and all of a sudden their eyes snap back as they realize that those two people have a dog and a motorcycle. Can it be?

Believe me, we meet a lot of people that way. Some people may be intimidated by bikers (I really wish everyone would get over that), but add a dog and the curiosity quickly overcomes the reticence. Jake is definitely an icebreaker.

I promised to explain how Jake became a motorcycle dude, so here goes. It’s actually fairly simple although it didn’t seem so at the time.

Steve and I got our first dog shortly after we were married. She was a cross between a wheaten terrier and a black lab, a hairy, gentle, lovable friend. As these things sadly happen, Nicki grew old and became ill and we had to let her go. We thought it had broken our hearts forever and said we’d never get another dog.

In the meantime, we bought a motorcycle. Steve had owned bikes as a teen and young man. I had been forbidden from ever riding on one by my parents and had only broken that rule once for half an hour when I was 16 (shhh, Mom and Dad still don’t know).

Steve wanted another bike. I told him he was past the time for a mid-life crisis, but he gradually convinced me that it would be fun. And he was right. If you’re a rider, you understand and if you’re not, you probably never will unless you become one. There really is nothing else like it.

A few months after we bought the bike, I decided it was time to think about a dog. What an interesting dilemma. One of the best things about a motorcycle is the sense of freedom and we had become quite accustomed to spontaneously going when and where we wanted to go.

Steve wasn’t convinced he wanted another dog, but one day in a bookstore I was looking at a book about different breeds when he happened to glance over my shoulder just as I turned the page to Cairn terriers. The author referred to a Cairn as a big dog trapped in a small dog’s body and we were sold. The attitude of a big dog but small enough in size to ride with us.

With some careful research, we found a very reputable breeder in Saint John, New Brunswick, waited as patiently as possible for our turn and Jake came home with us in November of 2005 destined to be a motorcycle dude.

Next time … getting Jake on the bike.

Welcome to the first installment of RoadDog, tales of one hairy friend’s adventures riding on a motorcycle with his human companions.

Here are the vital statistics —
Name: Jake
Breed: Cairn terrier
Age: 2 1/2 years
Weight: About 18 lbs (when he hasn’t been eating too many treats)
Favourite things: Food, plush squeaky toys, motorcycle travel

That’s right, we have a dog who loves to ride on our motorcycle with us.

Now before you start to worry about him, let me assure you Jake is doing just fine on the bike. He rides in a pet carrier mounted on the luggage rack on the rear of my husband’s Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic. The carrier is securely bolted and cannot fall off. My husband, Steve, ckecks the bolts regularly to ensure they haven’t loosened.

Inside that carrier, Jake rests on a specially-designed faux sheepskin pad with a non-skid backing. He can stand, sit, lie down or turn around at will. It has a waterproof cover for when it rains. In the unfortunate event of a crash, he will have better protection than either of us.

When we ride, we stop every hour or hour and a half to offer Jake water and a chance to stretch his legs and do his business. We’ve checked with his vet and the wind doesn’t appear to affect his ears and, although the pipes on the bike are loud, there are no signs that the noise is impacting his hearing. Let me assure you, he can still hear the rattle of a cookie bag or a treat jar in the kitchen when he is upstairs under the bed fast asleep.

You must understand from the outset that Jake is not a typical dog. Yes, he is spoiled, but not really in a bad way. We limit his treats most of the time and make him listen to us when it really matters. He has far too many toys (they litter the floors upstairs and down), but they help to keep him busy and that helps to keep us sane. Cairns are notorious for boring easily and, trust me, we don’t want him finding his own entertainment. That always ends up in what we affectionately refer to as mischief.

Like a lot of small dogs (when he’s around I refer to him as a big dog with short legs), Jake has no appreciation of his size. He shows no recognition that he is not as large as a German shepherd. While he likes to be carried when he’s tired or held when he’s upset, he gets quite indignant when we pick him up to make him do what we want just because we are bigger. He’s remarkably independent and rather stubborn when it suits him.

But the greatest thing about Jake is he just wants to be with us. He’s content to stay at home while we’re there, but when the bike comes out of the garage and the helmets and jackets come out of the closet, he’s ready to go on his next adventure. If that happens to involve a stop at a Tim Horton’s to get a Timbit, so much the better.

Stay tuned … next time I’ll tell you how Jake was destined to ride.