Pixel

Pixel is the K9 unit of American Legion Riders Post 259. She rides on the back of Chris Chase’s Road King, “Fiona,” from a Kuryakyn Grand Pet Palace carrier, in goggles and a harness, with a leather vest and patches to go with them.

The Chases were big dog people before her. They believe she is a long nosed Chihuahua and rat terrier mix, and they fell for her on sight. Off the bike she is shy and timid, and she will start to shake over random things. On the bike she is a natural. She knows the Harley when she sees it, she demands to get on, and she settles the moment she is aboard. Chris reckons she needs the wind in her face about as much as he does.

Safety gear is not optional for her. Pixel has one working eye. One of the family’s older dogs caught her by accident and punctured the other, and it is clouded over and completely blind now, so a bug or a pebble at speed could take the eye she has left. She wears Rex Specs goggles, with a pair of Doggles kept on the bike as a spare. Under the vest is a Ruffwear Web Master harness, clipped to the strap inside the carrier so she stays secure even when she stands up to look around. There is no helmet: Chris looked hard and never found one worth having, and she hates wearing them anyway.

She is also spoiled to the bone, and nobody pretends otherwise. Sweaters, collars, leashes, and a vest bought a size up so it fits over the harness. She skips the vest when the weather is hot, but the rest of the time she is representing, Harley rider and American Legion Rider both.

Chris wrote up everything he learned about riding with a dog, gear by gear and price by price, and it has become one of the most visited posts on our blog.

If you are thinking about it for your own dog, start there: Riding a Motorcycle with your Dog!