Car Ride!

You couldn't pay our cats to ride in a car.

The dogs, on the other hand, are all over it. Take one step toward the garage and they're with you. The word at the top of their "I understand that" list is "RIDE?" Second is "TRUCK".

Cozy in the back of the truck.

They usually ride in the truck. It's dog-proof, smells like a dog, has fur everywhere, and all of their equipment (leashes, water bowl, poopie bags, harnesses) are in it. We finally got a barrier between the front seats and the back to keep the smaller dogs from deciding to ride shotgun or try steering while we're doing something else - like maybe running an errand into the grocery store. It's been very nice to come back to dry, rather than mud-spattered, seats.

We have another vehicle - a Subaru Forester. That's my car. Her name is Natasha (because she's red, and Natasha Romanov from the Marvel universe is a redhead....but I digress). Dogs are not particularly welcome in my car. Seems I've become a bit obsessive about keeping it clean, and the dogs are anything but. They're farm dogs, after all. Natasha is a farm car, but she gets washed weekly and you mostly wouldn't know by looking at her that she has a rural side to her life.

However, one day I needed to run an errand and Glenn had the truck, which he usually drives to work (because Natasha is MY car, LOL).

The dogs were not going to let me run this errand by myself. They gave me sad faces, and even whined a little bit. They should get an Oscar for that performance.

Of course I gave in. I'm a sucker for sad eyes.

They're in the car and STILL looking at me with sad eyes, to make sure I remember I said they could come along.

Niko was doing the happy dance all over the garage and could hardly wait for me to prepare the car and get them in the back. He's the most loving of boys, but when it comes to rides, he wants it and he wants it NOW.

There was no way to keep them out of the front seats, so I grabbed an appropriately sized pillow and stuck it in the gap. 

Pillow-sized barrier.

Off we went.

The dogs were great. They did their best to keep their noses off the windows. There's actually a bit more room in the Subaru, so everyone was able to sprawl a little. A good time was had by all, even me.

We didn't go far, just to the post office and back, but it doesn't seem to matter. A trip from the garage to the barn, which is about 30 seconds, is met with the same enthusiasm as a 40 minute ride to the dog park. Living in the moment, like dogs do, has some definite advantages. They never seem disappointed. There's a lesson in there someplace.

The cats were grateful. They had the house to themselves, plus didn't have to go for a ride.

Can't get any better than everyone being satisfied by the outcome!