Cooper's First Official Women On Wheels® Ride

Snug as a bug

 In April of '07 Cooper went on his first real ride.  We rode to the Annual South Shore Women On Wheels® yard sale a few towns away.  Our chapter is the South Shore Chapter, so we actually went there to 'work' (play with Aunties) at the yard sale.  This event is where we all donate and/or collect items to sell and put the proceeds toward Breast Cancer Research.  It's a busy day and usually well attended by members and customers alike.

Auntie Deeg!

On this day, Cooper was about six months old.  He had been doing really well in his training.  He had been well socialized so he was ready for a crowd like we were about to encounter.  The only question to be asked was, 'how will he take the ride?'  He was too big for the tank bag now, so I used a soft sided cooler bag that is big enough to fit two six packs of soda.  It was just big enough... I thought.

I got him fastened into the cooler pack and off we went.  He didn't mind at all.  Not intimidated in the least.   As a matter of fact, he was acting as if he had done it every day since that first ride when he was 10 weeks old.  The only problem was, the cooler pack was too flimsy and it was a smidgen too small.  He would readjust himself in the bag and the side would start to slide over.  So I would pull him back up and then he would relax the other way, and down it went that way.  This went on all the way to the yard sale.  

We got there safe and sound.  Cooper got to visit with all his Aunties.  We made plenty of money to donate.  Cooper got lots of training that day with the crowds of people.  He was kept on leash for the duration of the yard sale.  He wasn't ready to be off leash in such chaos.  

Cooper and Mama at the yard sale

After the yard sale and the clean up Cooper was able to play with another dog for a little while before we had to go home.  I wanted to get home before the sun went down because since it was April, nights would cool off quite a bit.  

Cooper and Silver meet for the first time.

We were getting ready to go.  I was trying to rig Cooper up in the bag in front of me again.  It was really difficult to get him set up this time, so I decided to try putting him on the back seat of my bike.  I wasn't sure if I would feel safe that way, but when I figured out how I wanted him to sit, I was satisfied that he would be safe.

We left the yard sale and headed straight home.  It was about a 35 or 40 minute ride.  He wasn't nervous or fidgety at all ... but I was!  I frequently felt for him behind me to see what he was doing.  He was fine.  It wasn't very relaxing for him with me poking blindly at him every three or four minutes.  Once I began to relax a little bit I think he may have fallen asleep for a few minutes.  It had been a long day and he was TIRED!  

We arrived  home safe and sound.  Jesse greeted us when we got home.  Cooper was happy to be home to play with his Daddy.  He got off the bike and seemed totally happy with the happenings of the day.  He was so cute trotting around the yard in his innocent puppy way.  He had no idea how COOL he was.

They call me Super Cooper!