You may wonder what it is that Cooper must look forward to when we're out for a full day of riding. You know it's not all about just riding the motorcycle, right? There is so much more that he looks forward to. He knows the routine and the sequence of events fairly well by now. Since some of my readers may not be riders, lets see if I can enlighten you to the excitement and appeal of a day on a group ride.
At home Cooper recognizes what type of day we're in for from the clothes we choose to wear when we get up. As soon as he sees any motorcycle apparel, he's sure we're going riding. No one can bring out boots, a helmet or a riding jacket without Cooper going crazy. So at this point Cooper will be jumping around a bit and running to the door any time he thinks we're ready to go out to the bikes. Depending on the length of the ride, we could be back and forth getting ready to go for quite a while.
Once we're out by the bikes, Cooper will run off and pee, then he either follows us all over again or he gets on a bike to wait. He won't take his eyes off us for the whole time we're working on getting ready. Maybe we need to pack the bikes, or maybe it's just a matter of getting riding gear together and taking the bikes out. What ever it is, Cooper studies us intently.
We warm the bikes up and get Cooper's riding stuff on him. It may just be his harness, or something more if it's chilly out. Once we're all dressed and bikes are warm, we leave. Only then does Cooper finally begin to settle down.
Once we arrive at our meeting place where all the other riders are having coffee and breakfast, Cooper gets excited again. Now he has to announce us with his barking and wagging. He's happy to see familiar faces and more motorcycles. He barks a lot until I finally park and he can see his 'people'.
We stay at the meeting spot for about half an hour. Cooper socializes with people. He walks around sniffing things and peeing on things until it's time to have our 'rider's meeting'. This is when we all stand around and listen to a safety talk and a discussion about what to expect on the ride. When the rider's meeting is over, we mount up.
Cooper usually lays down during the rider's meetings, then when he sees everyone starting to move toward their bikes, he jumps up and starts looking at me for direction. We move toward our bike to get ready too. Cooper is right on task during this time. He certainly does all the right things.
Once we're on the road, Cooper will settle down for the ride. If we stop at a traffic light or a stop sign, he will stand up and receive some attention from the friend on the bike next to us. This is fun for him.
If we stop at a store or a gas station, Cooper gets to pee, drink and walk around. More attention is paid to our favorite furry friend. He loves it! He gets the cue when everyone starts moving to their bikes again. He looks at me and we go back to our bike too. He always looks at me at the right time. He's very good at reading the cues and knowing what's next.
At some point we stop for lunch somewhere. Cooper always comes into the restaurant or sub shop... where ever we stop. He is a service dog, so it's nice that he can come in. Before he was a service dog he and I would wait outside most of the time. He would get a little stressed out because we would stay out and everyone else was inside. So now, he lays across my lap as we eat. He keeps his head down and naps most of the time while we're eating. He doesn't really nap much on the bike, so this is his chance to catch a few winks.
Wherever we may end up, be it visiting, touring, sight seeing, eating, going for a walk or a hike... Cooper is with me and very happy to be a part of the activity. Even if I have to carry him for some reason, be it poisonous chemicals on the floor at the Budweiser plant, or pavement that is too hot for his little feet. He doesn't care how he gets to go, he's just glad for the stimulation and the inclusion.
The same chain of events may happen on the way home. If we stop for dinner, I always have a dinner of dog food for Cooper. The one time I didn't bring his dog food, he got a whole meal of people food. This is fine for him. A lot of dogs can't eat a lot of people food because their bellies get upset. Cooper is accustomed to getting people food a lot because he gets it in almost every meal, so his belly is fine.
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