I’m lucky with cars and kind of with dogs as well. My dog that I had as a kid was named George. When the whole family rode in the car, George would sit next to me and I’d open the window for him to enjoy the full-on force of air at highway speeds.
One such trip my dad had to make a panic stop to near miss a driver that jumped a red light. The sudden stop launched George out the open window and onto a median at the intersection. It was a grand site to see my very reserved father cursing and waving his arms at George who was full on enjoying the sniffs and smells of the unexpected side trip. It took the calm manor of my Mom and her hand full of Milkbones to entice George back into the family sedan. As it turned out George became a great friend and an ardent companion to my Dad after I, the last of 4 kids to leave the house for college and beyond.
When I met my wife in she had a Cocker spaniel named Calvin, named for Calvin Klein and yes he was so very fabulous to look at but interestingly hated men which made for a challenging living situation in the early months of co-habitation. It took 3 months before I could touch him. Being the one who usually walked him made for some quick slight of hand on my part. Calvin had an interesting affliction when riding in cars. When you would go under any kind of superstructure, a bridge, an overpass, a tunnel he would get nervous, a nervous panic and try to get as low as possible usually in the back-seat foot wells of a car. My wife and I moved from Dallas to Manhattan. Calvin made the move as well. All of our cars had been sold off. My good friend Richard let me have free rain over his ’91 Lotus Elan whenever he was not using it. There was one beautiful spring Saturday, my wife was away on business and I planned to take the Lotus for a cruise up into the rolling roads of Westchester, NY. As I was about to leave our apartment I thought that this could be a possible further bonding event for Calvin and myself.
He joyfully made the walk to the parking garage on the banks of the lower Hudson.
The convertible top on the Lotus unclipped and was laid down manually, I thought it would be easier thing to do in the unhurried environs of the garage and I did. As I rolled down the ramp towards the toll booth I was focused on the search of my pockets for the key card to let me through the gate. I began to notice a commotion in the seat beside me. As I dug for the card with one hand, downshifted with the other I experienced a crazed cocker behind my neck trying to wedge his complete self into the non-existent rear seat of the Lotus. I think it was as much a new experience for the toll booth operator as it was for me. Neither of us got to experience the special feeling of that fine spring day on a glorious road in a wonderful open sports car. Thanks, Calvin.
Rocket and the expulsion of bile. Let’s fast forward to a first house, a second child and the first dog for the entire family. Rocket had been with us for about 8 months and it was decided he and my 8-year-old son should be given obedience lessons as a team. I was to take them every Saturday for 2 months. My wife had driven both to many events over many distances with no issues. Mid inaugural trip to the Pet Stop, Rocket began dry heaving. The dry part did not last for long because soon after his breakfast made a triumphant return to the day on to the floor matt of my Honda Element and was followed by a steady volume of clear gelatinous bile. It was an amazing amount of clear, Ghostbusters like substance. Dogs can suffer from motion sickness. The next 2 months of Saturdays proved that, and that there are never enough paper towels when you need them.
I really like dogs, I really like cars just not at the same time.