Dogs have many human-like traits and one of them is a need to travel, to see new things and new horizons.
They share this wanderlust with their masters and in the old days this traveling bond between man and man’s best friend was formed on foot over the course of a long hunt.
In 2017, Rover and Rover’s owner can travel in air conditioned comfort at 75 miles per hour for days on end…with the odd break.
Dogs are social animals in the truest sense of the word and a break in the unity of the pack happens every time you fire up a car and leave him behind.
Don’t do it.
How a dog owner can drive away from a plaintive looking dog is beyond comprehension. Clearly you can’t take them to work but if you’re firing up the old Plymouth for a Sunday drive then anything less than letting your buddy ride shotgun is animal cruelty.
Dogs can be the best passengers on the planet for many reasons. In fact, they can make kid passengers look like spawn from hell.
The difference between a Black Lab for a passenger versus a cranky wife for a passenger is like the difference between a trip to Hawaii versus a trip to Afghanistan.
A dog doesn’t have musical tastes that run contrary to your own-the sound of white noise trips the same happy response as a Jimmy Buffett CD. They don’t care because they’re traveling with the pack.
Dogs aren’t judgmental when you get off the beaten path and become hopelessly lost in your car. They don’t care–this is just another tail-wagging experience because the trip just got longer.
Worst case scenario? You run out of gas, food and water so you tie a note to Fido’s collar with directions and a Last Will and Testament.
The downside is you’re going to be forced to heave a few rocks in Fido’s direction to get him to leave. They are heavily invested in that “man’s best friend” clause so this might wear out your arm before it wears out Fido.
Dogs are the world’s best listeners so if a guy cuts you off in traffic and you voice your opinion then he’s going to be on your side. If the situation escalates by the side of the road and a guy the size of a truck gets out he’ll be on your side even more.
This may not stop the inevitable “turn a human being into a pretzel” ending, but you can count on one thing. Your dog is going to go down swinging in the battle that you started with The Incredible Hulk.
Try getting your computer nerd 8-year-old kid to do the same thing.
This brings us to the last part of the equation–the lecture part. Unless you’re a cattle rancher, don’t fire up your truck and put your dog in the truck bed.
Let him ride up front. If you don’t respect your buddy enough to let him ride in the cab, then leave him at home.
When you get back, call your local paper and put an ad under pets that reads like this: “Great dog to give away to a good home.
Reason? I don’t like him enough to let him ride in the passenger seat”.
J Sutherland
CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
Please re-post this if you like this article.
