In the Amodio family, we LOVE car rides. That doesn’t just go for my Moose and Lally — my parents’ dog Becca and my brother’s dogs Kuma and Lily Biscuits love going for a ride.
Becca was the first dog in the family (after a long pet absence thanks to allergies). We used to sing her a “Bye Bye Song” that my mother made up when it was time to go for a ride. Becca would get so excited; she would bring us her favorite toy and dance around in circles. She always insisted on riding in the front seat — so my dad would drive, Becca would ride in the front, and the rest of us would be stuck in the back.
My dog Miko used to love riding in the car with the windows open. He would stand on the armrest and stick his head out the window. Sometimes he would howl with the sheer joy of window surfing. Keep in mind that it isn’t really safe for dogs to ride with their heads out the window, especially at very high speeds. If you’re going more than 35 or 40 miles per hour, you shouldn’t let your dog window surf — he could injure his eyes, ears, mouth, or nose.
These days, Moose thinks every open car door we walk past is an invitation to go for a ride. The other day, some carpet installers were working in the apartment above mine. Moose made a few attempts to get into the van! If there’s an open car door, he’ll poke his nose in and try to climb up.
We have to be careful taking my brother’s dogs for rides — especially Lily. She was riding in my dad’s van one afternoon and actually jumped out the window at a stoplight! Thank goodness she didn’t choke herself and we got her back into the van quickly. But that’s another reason to not roll the windows all the way down when you’ve got a pet in the car — you don’t want them to jump out while the car is moving, or when it’s stopped!
But for every pet that loves the car, there’s another that hates it. You may remember Casey, the “puppy” I used to watch from time to time? Casey is not a very good car rider… she sits and shakes and often ends up losing her lunch.
I definitely think I’m lucky that my dogs have loved car rides!