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Well anyone with a dog knows what I mean by the title. A post by WAFlowers made me think of this. Unfortunately I lost Colleen, my Irish Setter, recently and unexpectedly. WAFlowers Dogs looked so darn cute I couldn't help but think of Colleen and her favorite thing in the world - Going for a "cruise" in the Jag Convertible.
This isn't about my loss so much as a chance to celebrate some good memories , suggest you share yours, and remind you how quickly you can lose something or someone - value them. It would be great to see some cool/fun photos of you and your "favorite passenger". Please do post them and show off a bit. I wonder how many of us think of that back seat as our Dog's spot.
Colleen, being an Irish Setter, had beautiful red hair. Whenever I'd go into a store, she'd move right into the driver's seat and sit watching me straight ahead. This led to a couple of funny but true stories:
At lease twice, I had ladies come up to me shaking thier head saying: "you're not going to beleive this. I saw your dog sitting in the car from behind and went up to tell the "lady" sitting in the driver's seat what beautiful hair she has - then realized it was a dog!"
Another time I parked at the local WaWa convience store. Sure enough Colleen moved right into the driver's seat. For some reason there were a bunch of people milling about on the side walk, some taking a cigarette break, that kind of thing. A local Police Officer walked up to Colleen with a straight face and said "can I have your license and Registration Please". Everyone lost it, you could hear them laughing inside! Guess he had a good sense of humor.
One of the photos has her with her head resting on the windshield. She loved the feeling of the wind (probably al
l the smells too). It got to the point we could say to her: "do your Jag pose", and sure enough shed step up on the console, chin on the windshield and show off for the neighbors a bit.
Show us your best friend in a Jag, it'd be fun to see.
So sorry about your loss. We have lost 9 dogs since 1984, it absolutely crushes us every single time, and we never get completely over any of them. As time passes you will remember the good times more and more, and suffer the heartaches a bit less since time eventually heals most wounds....
Remember, there is always another loyal dog out there somewhere that needs a good home. When you are ready, go find one and make him/her a part of your family....
My thoughts go out for you loss of Colleen. She did have pretty hair.
My yellow lab, Hunter, does ride in my XK8 once in a while but since he at 90lbs he prefers my F350. He has more room on the seat to lay down and take a nap.
Maybe I am just weird (and I don't mean to insult anyone) but the last thing I want in my car is my dog... I don't want his nails scratching my interior and I don't want his fur all over the carpet and headliner and everything else... I am not being selfish here, just trying to protect the beauty of my car.
If I need to take my dog to the vet or whatever I wrap him in a big blanket and my wife holds him from going anywhere - although we now have a collapsible mesh "cage" that works pretty good.
Chris, Thats cool, I understand. I can't say there aren't a few scratches in my center console from her, but to each his own (as they say :-)).
Can't tell you how many times Ann would get in the front seat and point out the "Collie nose prints" on the window in front of her . This was especially true before I had the scare of my life when a deer jumped out in front of us with her standing in the front seat!
Well you learn some things quick - that could never happen again.
Right away the rule was Colleen was only allowed to sit at anything more than 10 or 15 mph. The good news is they, the dogs, want nothing more than to make you happy. It didn't take her more than a couple of days to learn that "Colleen, sit down now" meant exactly that, and she would always do so.
My cat is going to be put down soon, she's mentally happy but it's just going offline physically one system at a time. High thyroid, even with all the pills and constant feeding has taken it's toll after 19 years.
When she could see, she liked to go for rides. All 5lbs of her would be owning it. Smelling the air, honking at dogs (she had damaged vocal chords from a bite 18 years ago) and eating it up. She liked to ride her best friend when he was alive, a massive Percheron horse named Ray. She'd climb his tail and ride around on his back, even at full clip (well full clip for a draft horse lol). That's why we thought she might go for a car ride years ago.
I'm going to be getting a picture of her in my XKR on her last day. She has been so much more the sum of her tiny parts; a 100 percent blind 5lb Japanese Bobtail with extra toes, weird vocal honk noises, an alpha attitude, and an appetite that rivaled cats twice her size (thyroid). And like any best friend, little things like these car rides are when you remember just how close your little friend really was. They become your family and are a part of you.
Well anyone with a dog knows what I mean by the title. A post by WAFlowers made me think of this. Unfortunately I lost Colleen, my Irish Setter, recently and unexpectedly. WAFlowers Dogs looked so darn cute I couldn't help but think of Colleen and her favorite thing in the world - Going for a "cruise" in the Jag Convertible.
I'm happy that Sammy, Teddy and I inspired you and others, though sad to hear that Colleen is no longer with you.
When I get my Jag back from the shop (tomorrow? probably) I will take a picture with our entire pack (3) and take them for their first topdown ride ... suitably strapped in, of course. Not previously pictured was George, our standard poodle.
This isn't about my loss so much as a chance to celebrate some good memories , suggest you share yours, and remind you how quickly you can lose something or someone - value them. It would be great to see some cool/fun photos of you and your "favorite passenger". Please do post them and show off a bit. I wonder how many of us think of that back seat as our Dog's spot.
Since my car is (will be) a daily driver not a garage queen or concours car I'm not worried about adding a few more scratches to those already there. And poodles don't shed, so no worries for me. Our pack can claim the back seat and I will just smile and store the memories for some time when they have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.
Back when I had my first (of 3) Miatas we had a dog that liked to trunk surf. The car had a roll bar so I would attach a special strap I'd purchased to the roll bar and Roxie's harness. She would start on the center console then, if the top was down, would climb back and up on the trunk at low (neighborhood) speeds. The neighbors all got a kick out of watching her sniffing the breezes with her tail wagging like crazy, surfing the Miata's tail!
And before anyone busts my chops there was not enough slack in the strap for her to fall off the back or sides. Also Roxie was smart enough never to surf at speed.
She was also a great shop dog. This was during the period when I was rebuilding a junkyard engine for my competition Miata. She wouldn't be on a lead but would find a comfortable place to lie down near me as I worked in the garage. Occasionally she would wander down the drive to say hello to neighbors as they walked often with their own dogs (I swear that 2 out of 3 houses in our neighborhood have dogs!) but she never went beyond the sidewalk. She was a great dog!
Actually we've had a string of wonderful companions over the past 35 years. All but one have been rescues. Apparently I'm having memory problems again because I can only account for 10 but I remember we put the number at 12; 5 of them are still with us.
Dogs are the best friends, for true. Unfortunately, we lost our fine shepherd Jasper a year before we acquired the XKR. So no pics from here...but these have made me smile, and I thank y'all for that.
I imagine once he's full grown I will have to look for alternatives as he barely fits if he lays down - most of the time he sits and checks out the scenery. With the top up - he is uncomfortable so on the rainy days, I'll put him in the CLA
For those worried about possible tears to leather, etc - I bought one of these for the CLA. It would take a bit to attach in the earlier XK8/R without the separate headrest but certainly possible
04-05-2017, 01:49 PM
Driving with your best friend
. This was especially true before I had the scare of my life when a deer jumped out in front of us with her standing in the front seat! 
