I have heard horrible stories about what happens when you let your dog hang his/her head out of the window. There's the cocker spaniel that was snatched right out of the window by a golden eagle. Or the doberman pinscher who was smeared across the side of its owner's mini cooper by a passing bus. The Labrador retriever whose ear drums exploded due to the air pressure at 70 mph. A Boston terrier jumped out of the car and fell ninety feet to a raging river. And my favorite (because no death or injury is involved), the border collie who passed a field of sheep, forced its owner to pull over, and refused to leave without herding at least three sheep into the back of the truck. I've heard all these and more, and yet I still allow Poochie to stick her head out the window as we cruise 4100 south. (Don't worry, if I ever accelerate to more than 40 mph, I roll up the window and Poochie must deal with it.)
And now I have a new tale of caution to add. If you let your dog hang his/her head out the window while you are driving, you could crash and die.
It happened like this: Last Thursday, after dropping my car off at the repair shop, I slipped into the front seat of Lil' Sis's car with Poochie in the back seat. I wrenched my arm backward and rolled down the window halfway to allow Poochie to bask in all the sights and smells. Duty accomplished, I stretched out as much as one can in a Geo Metro, and began whining to Lil' Sis about car problems.
The sudden whirlwind of angry barking caught me by surprise. I twisted around and saw Poochie snarling and snapping, turning in tight circles on the back seat. I watched for a moment, then saw a small, flying object.
"Must be a bee in the car," I commented to Lil' Sis, who, I must say, seemed remarkably calm for a person with a growling dog right behind her.
"I think it's a wasp," she replied.
Then it flew into the front seat and out the driver's side window.
Poochie followed.
"Get her off!" Lil' Sis snapped as sixty nine pounds of black fur dove into her lap.
I made a hasty grab and managed to wrench Poochie onto my lap. This, of course, gave Lil' Sis a face-ful of swishing tail.
My stomach dropped to my feet as the car swerved into oncoming traffic. At least, I think it was oncoming traffic. I couldn't see anything but Poochie's neck.
"Back seat!" Lil Sis growled. "Back seat!"
Poochie huffed, sat down on my thighs, and stuck her head out of my window. Her front paws sought purchase in my stomach, allowing me nothing more than a groan.
"Get in the back seat!" Lil Sis yelled, tugging on Poochie's tail.
It is very, very difficult to force a dog to do an about-face in the front seat of a Geo Metro. Especially if 1) the dog doesn't want to and 2) the dog weighs over fifty pounds.
I think we hit the curb at one point, but we did manage to get Poochie into the back seat. She shook her head, her ears whipping back and forth, and immediately stuck her head out the window.
"Stung," Lil' Sis said.
You'd think that after two decades of living with her, I would get used to her cryptic remarks.
"What?"
"Her ear. The wasp stung her ear."
"Oh." I glanced back at Poochie. "I'll check when we get home."
She looked happy enough with her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her ears flapping in the wind. Every once in a while she would give her head a violent shake.
"We could have died!" I exclaimed.
Lil' Sis shrugged. "Yeah. You go to work today?"
And the subject was closed.
But, beware, dog owners: if you let your dog hang its head out the window, it could be stung in the ear by a wasp, erupt in a furious frenzy, and run you off the road.
And now I have a new tale of caution to add. If you let your dog hang his/her head out the window while you are driving, you could crash and die.
It happened like this: Last Thursday, after dropping my car off at the repair shop, I slipped into the front seat of Lil' Sis's car with Poochie in the back seat. I wrenched my arm backward and rolled down the window halfway to allow Poochie to bask in all the sights and smells. Duty accomplished, I stretched out as much as one can in a Geo Metro, and began whining to Lil' Sis about car problems.
The sudden whirlwind of angry barking caught me by surprise. I twisted around and saw Poochie snarling and snapping, turning in tight circles on the back seat. I watched for a moment, then saw a small, flying object.
"Must be a bee in the car," I commented to Lil' Sis, who, I must say, seemed remarkably calm for a person with a growling dog right behind her.
"I think it's a wasp," she replied.
Then it flew into the front seat and out the driver's side window.
Poochie followed.
"Get her off!" Lil' Sis snapped as sixty nine pounds of black fur dove into her lap.
I made a hasty grab and managed to wrench Poochie onto my lap. This, of course, gave Lil' Sis a face-ful of swishing tail.
My stomach dropped to my feet as the car swerved into oncoming traffic. At least, I think it was oncoming traffic. I couldn't see anything but Poochie's neck.
"Back seat!" Lil Sis growled. "Back seat!"
Poochie huffed, sat down on my thighs, and stuck her head out of my window. Her front paws sought purchase in my stomach, allowing me nothing more than a groan.
"Get in the back seat!" Lil Sis yelled, tugging on Poochie's tail.
It is very, very difficult to force a dog to do an about-face in the front seat of a Geo Metro. Especially if 1) the dog doesn't want to and 2) the dog weighs over fifty pounds.
I think we hit the curb at one point, but we did manage to get Poochie into the back seat. She shook her head, her ears whipping back and forth, and immediately stuck her head out the window.
"Stung," Lil' Sis said.
You'd think that after two decades of living with her, I would get used to her cryptic remarks.
"What?"
"Her ear. The wasp stung her ear."
"Oh." I glanced back at Poochie. "I'll check when we get home."
She looked happy enough with her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her ears flapping in the wind. Every once in a while she would give her head a violent shake.
"We could have died!" I exclaimed.
Lil' Sis shrugged. "Yeah. You go to work today?"
And the subject was closed.
But, beware, dog owners: if you let your dog hang its head out the window, it could be stung in the ear by a wasp, erupt in a furious frenzy, and run you off the road.
