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Jake is a very happy and very tired RoadDog. Wow, what a weekend!

We had fantastic weather and fantastic turnouts Saturday and Sunday as our bike club hosted back to back runs.

On Saturday, more than 90 bikes showed up in Mahone Bay for the MMTA Pet Food Run. I haven’t heard the numbers yet, but from the number of people lined up at SHAID at the end of the ride the event must have raised a lot of much-needed cash and supplies for the animal shelter. To any of you who contributed, a heartfelt thanks.

Jake had a wonderful day. He was just so, so happy to see all the bikes and his bike club friends after a long winter. Steve and I see people periodically throughout the cold months, but Jake doesn’t get that chance so he was really excited to see everyone again. He bounded from person to person, twitching his tail and doing his happy dance. It doesn’t get any better for our boy than a great ride in the sunshine with a whole lot of bikes and friends that ends with a Timbit, this one courtesy of the shelter. I’m pretty sure he slept with a smile on his face Saturday night.

The club had an amazing turnout on Sunday for our annual memorial ride. More than 60 bikes showed up to remember fallen riders on another stellar sunny day. We don’t take Jake on that ride — it’s the one ride of the year when he stays at home, largely because there’s a brief service at the end of the ride and he’s not so good at the peace and serenity thing. However, we then returned home, picked up our boy and ended up in Western Shore, where the three of us enjoyed lobster sandwiches which seemed to make up for everything. Jake does love lobster.

All in all, it was a great weekend for all three of us. Maybe we all slept with smiles on our faces.
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All work and no play makes RoadDog’s life dull.

If you don’t believe me, just ask any one of the several people who have been gently giving Steve and I a hard time for working so much around the house and keeping our motorcycle-loving Cairn terrier off the roadways. I won’t name names, but you know who you are.

Well, you can rest easy because we took Jake riding on Sunday. Having worked hard on Saturday spreading a truckload of crushed rock in our driveway, we felt quite justified in taking the day off. Well, both justified and too tired to do anything else. I wasn’t sure I could keep my arms up to ride, but I managed it.

We headed through Mahone Bay and Chester then around the Aspotogan Peninsula and back, with a pair of stops, the first at the Bayswater Beach park so Jake could run about and enjoy the day and the second, of course, at Tim’s in Mahone Bay so he could have a Timbit. It was such a beautiful day and we had a wonderful ride.

And before those of you who have been concerned for Jake’s entertainment grow worried again, he’ll be out riding again this Saturday. It’s our bike club’s annual Pet Food Run for SHAID animal shelter and we wouldn’t miss a chance to help out the dogs and cats looking for forever homes.

Steve and I know Jake is one of the lucky ones and appreciate the joy he brings to our lives. Not all dogs and cats are so lucky and shelters always need more cash and supplies to keep them going. Without that public support, the animals have no hope at all, but with more support places like SHAID can do even more to help our four-legged friends.

So on Saturday, rain or shine (but we really, really hope shine), the three of us will join our fellow members of the Maritime Motorcycle Touring Association and other riders from all over the province. The ride leaves the parking lot across from Mahone Bay’s three churches at 1 p.m. It travels through Mahone Bay to Lunenburg, then on through Bridgewater before ending up at the animal shelter in Whynotts Settlement.

If you want to cheer on the riders, including Jake, who are out there to support the animals, feel free to wave and shout as we ride by. Better yet, if you’d like to help the cause, MMTA members (you’ll recognize us by our bright yellow club jackets and t-shirts) will be happy to accept donations at the three churches before the run or you can take them directly to SHAID on Saturday afternoon. Better still, if you ride, please come and join us. All riders are welcome.

Most riders give money since it’s easier to carry on the bikes, but the shelter is always in need of pet food and other supplies. Whatever the donation, it will be greatly appreciated by SHAID, the MMTA, RoadDog and his four-legged friends.

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Jake’s diet hit a roadblock last week … in the form of peanut butter cookies. Oops!

It wasn’t intentional on my part, honestly, it wasn’t. I was just craving peanut butter cookies (which don’t do anything for my waistline either) and I had to bake for an event and it just happened.

I know our RoadDog loves cookies, especially when he can smell them fresh from the oven. I know he’s crazy about peanut butter. I just didn’t put two and two together, for some reason, and realize that I was about to drive him out of his hairy little mind.

But there he was in the kitchen, big brown eyes staring up at me, tongue out just enough to be adorable, one front paw lifted up in the air (that’s his new thing when he either wants something or is feeling tentative about some situation). And there went my heart, slowly melting. Okay, I admit it, quickly melting like an ice cube on a hot August day.

I held out from giving him any dough, even though I know that’s the best part of making cookies. However, when they came out of the oven and our beloved Cairn was still there under my feet looking up at me, I broke and gave him a piece of my cookie still warm from the oven. And then, just maybe, another piece of another cookie which was not quite as warm as the first but still delicious.

I just can’t say no to those eyes and I don’t even try to ignore that tongue when he sticks it out just so. I’ll have to take him on a long walk to make up for our transgressions.
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Our RoadDog may have been giving us a message on Sunday.

You see, Steve and I have decided to forego riding for a few weeks to try to get some work done around the house. We don’t like it, but sometimes you just have to suck it up and do what you have to do.

We didn’t get the house and garage painted last fall. Before we paint this spring, it only made sense to replace the shingles on one section of the house with clapboard, a task we’ve been doing gradually for several years. That side had to be done this year, so that’s what we’ve been working at these past two weekends.

While Jake enjoys being outside “supervising” our undertaking, he looked rather glum yesterday as bike after bike went by on the road. I looked at him at one point after three rather loud motorcycles zoomed by and he was so low in the doorway of the garage that he looked like a small bearskin rug lying on the concrete.

I told him we’d be able to ride later this summer after we get our projects done. He did not look impressed. I wasn’t convinced he understood what I said or the sentiment behind it.

However, about 10 minutes later when I declared a coffee break, I wasn’t so sure about that.

I transferred Jake from his tie-out rope to his leash and headed for the door. Our beloved Cairn terrier took a short detour, trotting over to where we’d been cutting clapboard and, not a foot from one of the sawhorses, relieved himself. He then looked up at me with what seemed a pretty clear message in his eyes. I’m fairly certain our RoadDog was saying, “Pee on this, I want to ride.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed out loud. Dogs may not be able to talk, but Jake gets his message across loud and clear.

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