Dogs in Cars

Dogs generally seem to love riding in cars. I guess it is that “we’re all in this together” pack instinct that makes it so special. There seem to be a lot of ways to enjoy motoring with the family, from what I’ve observed of dogs in cars. Sometimes I see dogs sitting on the seat next to the driver, serious and matter-of-fact as any passenger. In fact, there are stories of some dogs being counted as commuters by folks who monitor HOV lanes. Of course, all bets are off if said passenger has a nose out the window, ears flapping in the breeze. Drive-thru bank employees have learned to hand out dog biscuits for the ride-alongs as an inexpensive way to make points with their customers. I have to say, we appreciate it. Tall dogs sometimes stand in the cargo area, like occupants of horse trailers or city commuters, calm and businesslike. Some dogs look out the window, while others are so peacefully asleep that we don’t even know they’re there.

Our own dogs all have their own preferred seats in the car, and much like our children before them, often squabble over small delineations of space. One poodle recently graduated from the cargo area to the second seat. This high-status move was not lost on her pack-mates. Like an elderly lady settling into a city taxi, she accepts her lift onto the seat with grace and dignity. The other poodle still leaps into the back of the car on her own steam, and watches with envy from a perch on the wheel well. The Aussie takes up his own space in back, probably feeling like he’s in just the right position at the rear of the group to keep us all herded into place.

Dogs in cars. The lucky ones get their own plain hamburger at the fast food: plain hamburger, hold the bun. Some dogs practice charging passersby from the safety of a locked car in a supermarket parking lot. My favorite is probably the little white poodle that I saw seated in the front seat next to his owner, who saw our car of dogs and smiled. She then held her dog up to the window, grasped his paw in her hand, and waved.