Bikejoring

On Thursday I took Fancy and Pie for a bicycle ride. Both dogs have started to misbehave on our walks in the hills behind the house. Since they are so familiar with the area and it is basically our back yard, apparently their thinking is they will not come when called, not check in, range super far away, chase bunnies onto neighboring properties, go the opposite direction I am, and the most grievous misbehaviour, not come home until they are ready. I am not going to let them get away with that, so I needed to find them a new form of exercise.

Both Pie and Fancy have biked before. Fancy has the most experience. Just hook her to the back tire support by leash and off she goes. At one time I was biking with Fancy and Bloom was riding in a back pack. I bought a basket for him to ride in to save my back, but he was really too big for it.

Pie wants to pull. Having her on the side wasn't working so I threw a harness on her and attached her to the front. Viola! We are now bikejouring! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikejoring

I need to get a real harness and make one of the pole type things to keep the line from getting caught in the front wheel. The first day we went up the street at a moderate pace and passed some Texas Longhorn Cattle behind a shoddy looking barbed wire fence. There was a cute calf, but also some really big bulls. We moved on quickly. Fancy kept up and Pie pulled. I didn't realize how much she was pulling until we turned around and headed home and it was all down hill and I had to keep the breaks on.

After finding out it is ok to start Dottie on some easy "roadwork" I took her by herself on Friday. She was not happy being hooked to the bike and pulled sideways out from the bike. I took her leash in my hand and I think she liked that more because she could feel some give to it and she was trotting next to me instead of the wheel. We just went a super short distance and turned around and when we got home she wasn't even breathing hard.

I put Dot in her crate and hooked Pie and Fancy up and off we went! This time we went the other direction. I don't know why, but sitting on a bike and not peddling while Pie pulls you along at a good clip is soooo much fun. I say "Pie Pull!" and off she goes, in a dead run. I peddle at the start to get us going, then just sit back and enjoy the ride. Pie settles into her lope which reminds me of a wolf lope because it is so smooth and fluid and it looks like she could keep it up all day. Seen from the back on a bike her haunches rise and fall in perfect rythn and it just goes on and on and on. Wait. What's this? Fancy is having trouble keeping up. Pie is going too fast. Come on Fancy. Hurry up. Fancy is running fast but something looks wrong. Stand Pie! Pie slows down and stops. I examine Fancy. Her pads are bleeding. Hmmmm.... I'm not sure how far we have come but Fancy cannot walk home like this. I could carry her home but that will take a while. Can I carry her home while I ride the bike? I experimented a bit and haven't quite given up but think it is looking not so good when a lady pulls over and asks if I need help. Luckily the back of her Explorer is set up for her dog, so she gives us a ride home. I went back for the bike in my car. It was just under a mile from the house.

I know Fancy has soft feet, but I didn't expect them to go bad so quickly. I cleaned them up and she is limping around now. I've tried booties on her before, but all the ones I've bought have just fallen off. After she recovers I'll take Fancy on Dottie's super short runs.

When doing roadwork you are supposed to keep the dog at a trot since that works all the muscles evenly. I'll do Dottie correctly, but I'll let Pie run until the trots voluntarily. Sort of like the huskies.

When I was rescued by the nice lady and left my bike behind I wasn't worried since our street is so out of the way and used infrequently. Plus, it is a case of, "If you need it that badly you can have it." The poor thing has been kept out in the elements since I moved out of my parent's house 7 years ago. I've had it probably since jr. high, so I'm guessing it is at least 15 years old. The gears are really out of whack. I can't get it into the gear I need for cruising speed. The spokes are rusty and I am sure I need new tires because they don't hold air. The back of the seat is split, the hand grips are disintegrating and I think the rear brakes are almost worn out. And yet- it is doing the job I need it to do.

Bikejoring with Pie is more fun than I ever considered it to be. But what I would REALLY like is dryland mushing in a dryland cart. Anyone want to build me one?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/2954145267_ff5b5b01ee.jpg