Have No Fear — Biker Dog Is Here!

By Nancy K. Crevier

There is nothing like a motorcycle ride on a nice summer day — the rumble of the engine, tongue hanging out, ears flapping in the wind… At least, that is the way Linus sees it.

Linus is a 12-pound, Jack Russell and dachshund mix pup, and there is no better music to his floppy ears than when he hears owner Teresa Preziosi say, “Want to go on the bike?”

Six months ago, said Ms Preziosi, she would not have dreamed that Linus would be eager to go in a car, let alone on her Kawasaki 450. The year-and-a-half-old dog came into her care in February, when her parent’s neighbors decided that the offspring of their two dogs was just three too many dogs.

“I told them I would put up a poster in my shop,” said Ms Preziosi, the owner of Grooming Finalists in Monroe, “but I went to meet him first. He was a very timid dog. People couldn’t approach him or pick him up. He barked at everyone and was pretty badly behaved.”

But there was something about the spunky little black and tan dog. “I just fell in love with him, even though I couldn’t even pick him up to put him in the car, because he was trying to attack me. I guess I just saw his potential,” Ms Preziosi said.

After several weeks of interaction with his new “brother” and “sister,” 13-year-old Johnny, a Rottweiler mix, and Chloe, an 8-year-old standard poodle, plus socializing with her clients’ dogs, Ms Preziosi began to see positive changes in Linus. “I had clients give him treats when they came in, I took him everywhere and had people give him treats, exposed him to lots of different situations, and we enrolled him in Canine Training and Behavior Services in Bethel. He’s come a long way,” she said. “He’s my boy, now.”

Linus no longer has unfounded fears and loves other people and dogs. A good walk or a ride in the car was hard to beat, too, until the day Linus jumped into Ms Preziosi’s lap while she was sitting on her bike. “I thought he looked pretty cute, so I said, ‘Let’s take a picture.’” Then, she started taking him for short rides around Grooming Finalists’ Route 25 property, and Linus was in puppy heaven.

“I decided to research if there was a safe way for a dog to ride on the motorcycle with me, and that’s when I found the K9 Tank Pad at kiapet.com,” said Ms Preziosi.

The K9 Tank Pad is designed to fit on top of the gas tank. Made of Rubberized Tuff Tek, a nonslip material, three straps keep it securely on the bike, and a short safety leash attaches to the special biker harness Linus wears. “The whole thing comes off if we tip over, so that he doesn’t get hurt,” said Ms Preziosi, although she is relieved not to have put it to the test yet. The black harness with embroidered flame design gives Linus a real biker dog look, but the piece de resistance are the “doggles,” chrome framed mini goggles that strap around his head and protect his eyes.

After checking with the local police department to find out if having a dog on her motorcycle was legal — “They said there is no law against it” — riding the bike has become a favorite means of getting around for Ms Preziosi and Linus.

“Mostly we stay in town, or between here and Newtown, where I live. I don’t go on the highway, just the back roads,” said Ms Preziosi. “We do get a lot of double takes,” she admitted.