I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love reader comments. Why? Because I get to meet the most interesting people doing some very neat things!
Take Ron Smith of PETitionz.org for instance. He left a comment which I at first thought was spam. However, our managing editor, Heather Long, suggested it might make for a neat lead. Luckily I listened to her, checked him out, and that’s how I learned about Mr. Smith’s efforts to reform pet food safety regulations.
Well, it happened again. This time Nancy Sathre-Vogel left a comment on my article Would You Know Your Dog about her family’s bike trip from Alaska to Argentina that their dog, Dash, would be taking too.
That immediately perked my interest. I checked out her website and had to know more. I sent her an email requesting an interview (actually 3, she also consented to be interviewed for Parents and Homeschool), and to my delight she agreed.
For Pets, I interviewed her about her dog Dash.
Courtney Mroch: Where did you get Dash and how long have you had him?
Nancy Sathre-Vogel: That’s actually an interesting story… My husband and kids wanted to get a dog on our last journey (we cycled 9300 miles through the US and Mexico in 2006-2007), but I was dead-set against it. It was CRAZY to get a dog when we were bicycling around the nation! Once we got back home, they kept talking about the dog issue, but I still put them off – after all, we were leaving to pedal from Alaska to Argentina. It was CRAZY to get a dog when we were going to pedal the length of the Americas.
To make a long story short, I came home from school one day in October to find little Dash in a basket in my living room – and I fell in love. I mean – I fell totally, completely, head-over-heels in love.
CM: Did he take to riding in the basket on your bike right away, or did you have to ease him into it?
NSV: I started riding with him within a few weeks of getting him. I didn’t have a good basket to carry him in, so I put him a sort of trunk on the back of my bike – but I had no way to secure him in. The first time I took him out, I rode very slowly around the neighborhood while my son walked next to me and held Dash in his trunk. The next time I rode by myself, but I steered with one hand and held on to Dash with the other. It didn’t take him long to realize that “bike ride” meant fun!
CM: Are you going to need special permits or vaccinations for taking him across boarders?
NSV: We will need the standard vet documents. From what we understand, the only difficult borders will be Canada and Argentina – so we’ll make sure we are totally current for those borders. The other borders (reportedly) will be very easy. There is another man right now who is cycling from Alaska to Argentina with his dog. At this point he is in Mexico and we will keep in contact with him – he’ll let us know what we need to know about crossing the borders with a dog.
CM: How many miles has Dash logged in his bike basket so far?
NSV: Not all that many so far. It was a very cold winter here in Idaho, so I wasn’t real keen on getting out any more than I had to. I rode my bike to school each morning, then rode back home. Once I got home, I generally put Dash in his basket and took him out for a mile or two, but I wasn’t interested in staying out in the cold much longer than that. Now that days are warming up, we will be getting out a bit more.
CM: What have you learned and what kind of advice can you pass on to others who are interested in bicycling with their dogs? (Be it on a grand undertaking like yourself or for more casual rides.)
NSV: I’ve done extensive research on that issue and have compiled what I learned on this blog post. There is also a list of links to other websites of people who have toured with dogs.
Dash tends to get cold easily, so that was a real concern I had. I’ve made a little sleeping bag for him that he can snuggle into while we are on the road, and also a rain cover to keep him dry. I’ve posted pictures of that here.
CM: I think I read that your children will set a record if they complete the trip. What about Dash? Any records in his future if he successfully completes this trip?
NSV: My boys are trying to get the Guinness World Record for being the youngest people to cycle the Pan-American Highway. I’ve tried to figure out what kind of record Dash could set – but haven’t gotten any flashes of inspiration on that one yet. If anybody has any ideas, I’m all ears. I’m fairly certain the Guinness would work with us on it – whatever it is!
Related Categories