My husband and I were thinking about getting a sidecar or trailer so we can take our two rottweilers on day trips with us. Does any one have any idea on the best mode of transportation, so they can feel the wind in their fur and also be secure.
sidecar..YES!!!by all means...trailer for dogs..NO!!!!
the dogs will be sucking up exhaust and dust all day long back there. also ,I don't think its legal for passengers in a trailer, be they humans OR animals...horses and livestock excluded.
remember also, passengers on a bike with a sidecar is dangerous, because of the balance issue.
The main reason I got my side car rig was for Rosie my lab. She loves riding in the side car. I have a harness for her so she does not get any ideas about jumping out after squirrels or deer.
When I investigated sidecar vs. trailer I found that most trailers cost as much as the sidecar and then the noise from the bike, exhaust and road dirt would not make it much fun for the dog. If your bike is loud you could cause deafness in your pets.
Jerry
yup, I take my 2 smaller dogs out riding almost daily. have short leashes in the SC so they cant jump out..they love it! dont forget the doggles for them! the wind, bugs and dust can make a mess of their eyes fast.
Every time I fire up the bike they run to get in.
lots of great comments wherever I go with them. stores, parks, or just cruising around.
Yep that is one of the reason I got a sidecar.
Sidecars and dogs are a natural combination. Trailers? Good for storage, hauling boats and maybe horses. Not even bad as a camper. For dogs ..no.
Got a great shot of Sidecar Rosie- how do you get pix in here?
So far, she sits on Kathleens knees. Sometimes she is enjoying it so much she tries to crawl out on the SC nose. My wife won't let me take her out without her because of shenanegans like that. Do you guys just have the leash attached to the rig somehow? I saw a harnes sort of thing for cars once- anyone have something purpose-built?
A harness is preferrable, but I only use the standard collars, and 2 leashes attached to the sidecar floor for my 2 dogs.
The leashes extend just long enough so the dogs can stand up on the seat and look out around the side of the windshield, but short enough so they cannot go over the side.
They are able to move down inside the sidecar to doze if they wish, but that is rare! too much exciting stuff going past!
Sorry, ernie,
I should have posted this along with the leash directions.
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I use a leash also or he will jump.
The only time I hook the leash to Archie is when I need to go inside somewhere that he has to wait and there is traffic around. I used to use a harness and two leashes when he first started riding. Then not much later, went to one leash to his collar. Then no leash. Now the only time I use the leash is in high traffic areas. When I tell him "wait!" he stays put. The leash is for my own peace of mind in heavy traffic areas. Going down the road- no leash. We've passed other dogs, rabbits, deer, coyotes and who knows what and he makes no effort to do anything other than sit and enjoy the ride. I doubt I'll ever have another K-9 buddy as cool as Arch. He's worth every penny I spent on the Ural then the Liberty. He's worth the mental effort it took to give up riding on two wheels in favor of riding on three. It was surprising to find out how much fun riding with a sidecar is! It's more fun then you can imagine. And addicting....
PS: Don't forget Doggles. We met a guy at a rally in Walla Walla in the 80's whose eight year old German Shepard rode on the back seat behind him. The poor pup was nearly blind because of the wind...
Originally written by Reardan Tom on 5/2/2006 7:52 AM
The only time I hook the leash to Archie is when I need to go inside somewhere that he has to wait and there is traffic around. I used to use a harness and two leashes when he first started riding. Then not much later, went to one leash to his collar. Then no leash. Now the only time I use the leash is in high traffic areas. When I tell him "wait!" he stays put. The leash is for my own peace of mind in heavy traffic areas. Going down the road- no leash. We've passed other dogs, rabbits, deer, coyotes and who knows what and he makes no effort to do anything other than sit and enjoy the ride. I doubt I'll ever have another K-9 buddy as cool as Arch. He's worth every penny I spent on the Ural then the Liberty. He's worth the mental effort it took to give up riding on two wheels in favor of riding on three. It was surprising to find out how much fun riding with a sidecar is! It's more fun then you can imagine. And addicting....
A little story here..my 2 dogs also stay in the SC while I'm riding, AND at stores, parking lots. never jump out.....BUT.....
last summer I was cruising around the neighborhood, the smaller one had a collar and long leash on,and was standing up on the seat, leaning into the wind, as usual.
I was going maybe 30 MPH, heading around a right corner, and saw it was a dead end, so I swerved to the left to keep going straight down the street.
Unfortunately after that quick manouver I didnt notice my little doggie WAS GONE!
I must have traveled about 6 blocks before I looked over and saw the leash hanging over the side of the SC, andrealized he waas missing.Man You can't imagine the sick feeling I had when I saw that leash!!!I stopped quickly, got out, and saw the leash and collar hanging almost down to the road.
I returned the way I came from, and found a kind lady sitting on the curb with my pup, holding him! he was ok, except for a sore lege and very dirty. Seems he went over the side in the swerve, and was dragged a short distance ,before slipping out of the collar, which was, luckily loose enough, or he would have been dead in one block!
moral is.... PLEASE use restraints for your dogs, even if they stay in the SC. I found that out the hard way!!
Riding with a dog in the sidecar is fine as long as the dog is protected. This means a full body harness and a short lease tied to a restraint. The purpose is two-fold. One, to prevent him from getting out in the event he deceides to bilt for any reason - my dog would not stay in without restraint - others will. But more importantly, to prevent him from being thrown out in the event you are in a collision either through your own fault or someone elses. The chances are he will stand a much better chance in the sidecar than being chucked out and run down by an 18-wheeler. I have lost one of my favorite dogs under a set of dualies. He must be protected - only you can do this for him.
Trailers - no. Was tried for humans in 1900. Bad idea!
