Bad to the Bone
Bob Codispot rides with two passengers on his Harley Davidson Road King.
His wife, Julie, is one of them. The other is Blonde Brat, who goes by the nickname B.B.
Luckily, weight is not an issue, since Julie is petite and B.B., a Chihuahua, weighs slightly more than 4 pounds.
The dog, now 6 months old, has been riding since May with the Clay Township couple.
"She doesn't like to sit on the seat anymore because she's nosy," said Julie, who typically zips B.B. into her jacket.
"She likes to look over Bob's shoulder."
The Codispots began taking B.B. along because her predecessor, Itty Bitty, was fond of riding. And it beats leaving the dogs at home.
"If I can, I take them with me," Julie said.
Even though the Codispots encounter curious stares as they ride, they are not the only bikers who share the pastime with their dog.
Bud Holbein has been riding with his dog, Chloe, since she was 6 months old. Now nearly 8, the border collie-papillon mix usually rides perched atop the gas tank of Holbein's Honda Shadow Aero. There, a special bracket secures the fleece pad that offers Chloe comfort and traction."She mostly rides with her feet on the handlebars," said Holbein, 56, of Summit Township, describing how Chloe has come to recognize red lights, backing and bracing before each stop."Her balance, as far as leaning, it's unbelievable," he added. "It's pretty incredible. I don't know how she does it.""A lot of people think I do it for attention," he added. "That's not why I do it. It just happened."As a pup, Chloe had been abused. She likely felt safe once adopted by Holbein, whose life in retirement allowed him to offer constant companionship.Used to accompanying Holbein everywhere, Chloe's first "riding" experience occurred in East Brady, where the dog was displeased at being left on a boat while Holbein prepared for a jet ski ride."I put her on the jet ski and that was it. She wanted to ride anything," he said.A short time later, Holbein drove his van to Daytona Beach, where a weeklong motorcycle rally was in progress. Chloe watched intently as Holbein got on his bike, jumping aboard as soon as he signaled an invitation.Since then, the 23-pound pup has ridden four-wheelers, golf carts and bobcats."She'll (get on) the arm rest of a Case dozer and lay there all day long and push dirt," Holbein said.
But despite Chloe's diversity, most of her miles are spent on the bike. Able to ride year-round between homes in Florida and Pennsylvania, Holbein estimates she has logged well over 100,000 miles in the seven years he's had her.Although Chloe wears a harness that attaches to the bike with a leash, she has never lost her footing, he said.When traveling a familiar road, Chloe sometimes becomes bored, curling up for a restful ride. But in cases of uncharted territory, she takes her stance at the handlebars."It was total desire on her part," Holbein said. "You can't teach a dog to stand on the handlebars at 65 mph."Holbein attributes some of the desire to curiosity, describing how Chloe will lift one paw off the bike in order to rotate toward sites moving past her.Dead animals and pieces of tire are among the items of interest."She's a gawker," Holbein said. "She's a worse gawker than me."Although Holbein has a second bike with a windshield, Chloe prefers the open air.So did Friar Tuck, a Great Pyrenees that launched the tradition of riding in an IMZ- Ural Gear-Up motorcycle owned by Bob McCafferty.Friar, who died in 2007, is succeeded by Mokee, a 2-year-old Newfoundland, and a Bernese mountain dog named Arlo Guthrie, not yet a year old. With Arlo still "a wiggle worm," Mokee continues the riding tradition.
The Ural is a heavy Russian motorcycle designed for travel in rugged locales. Like many Ural models, the Gear-Up comes with a sidecar."I chose it so I could put tools in it — and fishing gear," said McCafferty of Mercer County, who owns North Country Brewing in Slippery Rock.It didn't take long for Friar, who loved riding with his head out the window anyway, to claim the sidecar as his own.Friar was capable of fears and dislikes — stream crossings while hiking among them — so McCafferty had no initial reason to think his dog would ride. But at 8 years old, Friar was unphased by the noise. He gave it a try and liked it.Like many biker dogs, Friar was outfitted with goggles, marketed as Doggles in retail outlets. For dogs like Chloe who prefer wearing glasses, K9 Optix are sold.Friar and Chloe both forego the biker-themed clothing, but many dogs wear spiked collars, Harley T-shirts and various takeoffs on leathers.Although those items can add to the charm, McCafferty's oversized dog in a sidecar offered a show all his own.His face to the wind, McCafferty said Friar sometimes had saliva trailing from the corners of his mouth like streamers. Speed would blow his shaggy coat into the shape of a mohawk."People just got a kick out of it," McCafferty said, noting the spectacle was far from the typical biker image."It's like — funny," he said. "It's more a cartoon."
Once people have encountered the unexpected riders, impressions often stick.Holbein has been cruising down the road and heard shouts of "Hey Chloe girl!" from motorists he didn't recognize.Holbein's daughter Stacey, who has Chloe's brother Gus, also made Chloe a Web site, bikerdog.net, and a My Space page, http://www.myspace.com/budandchloe.Holbein attends many of the group rides in Florida, where weather allows for converging at outdoor eateries, allowing Chloe more chances to socialize."As soon as she gets off the bike she goes to see everybody," Holbein said. "Because she knows everybody and everybody knows her."Ken and Maxine Tack have been riding for eight years with their Yorkshire terrier, Charlie, who has traveled more than 100,000 miles secured in a pouch on Maxine's chest.As members of A.B.A.T.E. and a Christian motorcycle group, the Chicora couple exposes Charlie to many riders, who include her in their social calendars.
"She actually got an invitation to a wedding," Ken said.Bikers say that appeal is tied to the personalities of the dogs, who seek out the activity rather than succumb to coercion."It is really like the dog chooses to ride the motorcycle," McCafferty said, explaining how Friar and Mokee assisted him while gearing up to ride."They know by what I'm wearing that we're actually taking the bike," he said. "They actually help me put the goggles on by maneuvering their nose up and down."Holbein and McCafferty say once under way, the rides are well documented — often from cell phone cameras in cars.But more valued than the novelty is the bond between dog and owner."They wouldn't like it any other way," said McCafferty, whose massive dogs already dominate the cab of his truck. "I'm barely seeing out the windshield," he laughed.But when Friar died from a suspected snake bite at age 10, it was hard for McCafferty to continue riding the Ural."I didn't' get my motorcycle out that whole year," he said.Now back on the road, Friar's legacy has passed to Mokee. But his memory lives on at the brewpub.There, Friar's photograph graces the wall, and his dog tags hang from the tap of a beer McCafferty named in his honor."When we have Friar's Porter on tap, I still get to hear (them) jingle," he said.
