Commuting With Dogs

A few weeks ago, one of the very favorite articles I've written for Cycling Utah came out on the magazine's website. I'm super proud of the article, so I figured you'd enjoy it, too! Here are highlights from, Commuting With Dogs – Tips for Riding With A Canine.

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I work for Qualtrics, an Internet software company based in Provo, Utah. In addition to the fast-growing startup perks like catered lunches, casual offices, and sweet equity, Qualtrics boasts a special benefit: dog-friendly campuses! As long as the dog is (reasonably) well-behaved and (reasonably) well-groomed, man’s best friend is welcome at work.

I love working in a dog-friendly environment, even though I have to apologize for the occasional bark in the background when I’m on the phone with a customer. Dogs add an affectionate, casual, playful vibe to the office. I’m also grateful to be able to spend the day with my pup rather than leaving her home alone.

As a cycle commuter, however, I faced a challenge – how could we maintain a regular schedule of biking to the office and also take advantage of the Qualtrics dog-friendly workplace? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

About Jamie and Chornaya

I work in the Qualtrics Provo office. I live in nearby Orem and commute by bike year-round (see the March 2014 Cycling Utah Commuter Column). My daily commute is quick and easy 2.5 miles each way through side streets and bike trails.

Chornaya, or Chorney for short, is a six-year-old black Labradoodle. She’s a very affectionate, very energetic dog. Cycle commuting with Chorney was borne out of necessity for two reasons:

1. I get to work by bike and if Chorney was going to come to work, she had to get there by bike as well.
2. Chorney has a lot of energy. At six, she’s only just getting over her puppy wiggles. And if she was going to survive hanging out at my desk for eight or ten hours a day, she needed to run off some energy in the morning.

Chorney is a medium-sized dog and a great runner, so I knew that with some training and practice she would do well running alongside my bike as I rode. There are several products created specifically for riding with a dog, such as the WalkyDog, but in the end I found that a short 24-inch leash clipped to my rear rack with a carabiner was the best equipment for us. The leash is long enough that Chorney can get out of the way of my pedals but short enough that she can’t get around in front of the bike to trip me up.

The key to successfully riding with Chorney is a no-pull harness. Chorney is a pretty well-trained dog, but she’s still susceptible to getting distracted when a critter crosses the street or a dog barks from behind a fence. I know that for my safety and hers it is imperative that Chorney can’t pull me off-course if she bolts. The no-pull harness ensures that Chorney has to stay with me even if she’d rather go check something else out.

Starting Out – Jamie’s Training Process

I knew that cycling with Chorney had the potential to be dangerous, so many days before our first commute we started off with simple rides up and down our street and around the block.

At first, Chorney was understandably nervous around the bike, but once she started getting comfortable with staying on my right side and not straining too far ahead or falling behind we began training with vocal commands.

Before I slow, stop, or turn I tell Chorney what’s going on. I tell her “slowing” or “turn right” and I’m not saying that she can actually discern her right from left (although, who knows, sheep dogs do far more!) but at least she knows that if I tell her we’re stopping or turning she needs to pay attention.

Catastrophes Averted

Chorney and I have ridden hundreds of miles together with only two incidents.

The first was completely my fault. We were riding to the park, not our usual commuting route, and I turned right a little abruptly and without giving Chorney the notice she was used to. I turned right into her and we tumbled to the ground. Bike, rider, and dog were all fine and I took it as a good lesson in preparing myself and my dog before turning, especially when on an unfamiliar route.

The second was this winter during a slushy, sloppy day. Chorney and I had navigated to the turn lane on a fairly quiet side street and were slowing to turn left. A car buzzed around us on the right and disturbed a pile of slushy snow, making a big sound that surprised both me and Chorney. She spooked and bolted. Thanks to the no-pull harness she wasn’t able to pull me over, but we both wobbled a bit to regain our composure, which was especially nerve wracking to me as we were in the center lane and exposed to traffic on both sides.

Bad Weather Advice

Chorney and I cycle commute year-round and she needs very few weather-based pieces of equipment. I do have booties for Chorney to wear in the snow, but most of the time we go without unless it’s icy and I’m afraid that her paws might get cut. Thanks to her furry coat she doesn’t need any extra layers in the cold except for a reflective vest that I put on over her harness if we are riding in the dark or at dusk.

The biggest weather issue for Chorney is hot pavement. Wisdom says that if you can’t comfortably hold your hand on the pavement for 10 seconds, it’s not safe for a dog to walk on either. Sometimes Chorney and I will hang out at the office a little later on summer afternoons to give the worst of the heat time to dissipate and sometime my husband will pick Chorney up on his way home from work if the pavement is too hot for her to run. I can also put her winter booties on during the summer to protect her paws.

Well Worth the Trouble

It’s a little extra work to ride with Chorney. I don’t get to zip in to work at top speed and have to take it even slower when she tires. I have to prepare her for turns and stops. I have to protect her and myself from unleashed dogs that come up to us when we’re riding on bike trails. Commuting with a dog definitely does have its annoyances.

But when I pull her harness out in the morning and she sits up on her back legs so I can more easily get her harness on, when I see her running next to me with her big doggy smile, and when she’s napping peacefully in her bed next to my desk at work, I know that riding with a dog truly makes commuting communal.

Puppy's First Week

ChenXing's first week as a Morningstar has been an overwhelming success!

Chorney and ChenXing are getting along super well, the kids have all pitched in on puppy care (albeit in their own unique ways), we've only had a handful of potty accidents, she's figured out how to climb up and down the stairs, and we're (almost) sleeping through the night!

Sure, we've had some sleepless nights as the puppy gets used to her crate. Steve's been a total champ with the midnight potty breaks and ChenXing now gets up only once at night if at all.

And Chorney's done a marvelous job correcting ChenXing when needed, teaching her valuable life lessons such as, "No, my tail is not an acceptable chew toy." Chorney is such a trooper.

If ChenXing grows up to be half the dog Chorney is, we'll have done very well.

It's been fun to see ChenXing's personality come through even in just our first week together. As she's gotten older and more comfortable with us she's gotten much more fun - playing, running, and chewing more. More fun and more challenging... isn't that the way of all children growing up?

Laps are the favorite napping spot.

The pup and the dog regard each other.

I love this pic - I'm working with ChenXing on coming and Chorney just can't resist showing off that she's already perfected this trick.

Like I said, the kids all help in their own unique ways. Here Sam "plays" with ChenXing by getting her to chase his remote-control Sphero Ball.

We spent a few hours getting used to the office and hopefully ChenXing is an excellent office dog soon.

ChenXing supervises as Sasha reads her dog training book.

Everybody gets into a game of Chasing Chorney - it's good for wearing out all the puppies!

We're so grateful that our first week was such a good one!

Peaches are In!

Hooray! It's peach season again! Our little Asian peach tree in the back yard is loaded down with deliciousness and we've managed to save at least a few from the hungry birds that seem determined to take one peck out of every peach on the tree. Between the peaches and the tomatoes, I think the girls have managed to forage for most of their meals this week.

Sasha proudly displays her latest conquest.  When the branches are loaded down, the girls can reach the fruit themselves, so it's a fruit smorgasbord

Our peaches are Asian white peaches - they're smaller and sort of donut shaped with white flesh and they are so, so good!

Sigh.  Never a dull moment.

Chorney waits patiently beneath the tree for the girls to make a wrong move and drop a peach for her consumption.  No, I don't know why she doesn't just eat them straight off of the branches, but I'm grateful that she waits for them to hit the ground before snarfing them up!

Watch out, WanYing, Chorney's just waiting for you to lose your grip on that peach so she can gobble it up!

We're All Doggies to Her

I have a theory about Sasha and the more I think about it, the more convinced I become of its truth: I think that we're all doggies in Sasha's eyes.

Consider the following compelling evidence:

First, a conversation from Saturday morning

Sasha, triumphantly announces a potty victory, "Boys! I go potty and put on underwear!"

Realizing that Ben didn't hear her declaration, she asks, "Oh, where my Ben? Ben still sleeping?"

I reply, "Yes, let him sleep"

Sasha: "No, no, I need to go pet him" as she stomps up to Ben's room and tenderly strokes his head.

Next, Sasha, in a quiet and loving moment, comes over to me and pats my arm, chanting, "You good boy, Mommy, good boy."

And she always asks if Chornaya is coming to church with us and is surprised that the answer is no.

You be the judge

Hiking Dry Creek pt 2

After our unsuccessful first attempt to hike up Dry Creek, Sarah and I hit the trail again after church Sunday.

You'll be shocked to hear that we got lost again, but this time we did actually, eventually did end up at Horsetail Falls. The four-hour hike ended up being more like six and we bushwhacked across about a mile of Utah mountainside, but we emerged victorious. Bruised, bloodied, filthy, and exhausted but victorious. And we treated ourselves to McFlurries because it was the only ice cream shake-like thing we could find in Utah County on a Sunday :)

No, we have no idea why this would be called Dry Creek. We figure it must be some weird pioneer joke we don't get.
I'm a sucker for the texture shots
Our intrepid wonder-dog, Chorney. She didn't have to defend us from cougars or bears on this hike, either, but I'm sure she would have done so with great gusto had the opportunity arisen
We made it! Unfortunately, we read more articles after we got home and realized we weren't supposed to hike down to the water but rather stay above the falls. Thus the mile of bushwhacking to find the other side of the loop.
But we did it! And we even made it home in time for a game of Settlers in the evening.
And they all lived happily ever after, after showers, Band-Aids, McFlurries, and a whole container of onion chip dip. Mmm hmm.

Hiking Dry Creek

On Saturday we packed up our Camelbaks and headed to Dry Creek in Alpine. We were well-prepared - a dog (to scare off cougars, and I strongly recommend against reading articles about bear attacks right before hiking - it jacks with your head), granola bars, plenty of water, tuna fish, and a Coke (well, only Ben decided to carry a Coke up the mountain. Thank goodness for backpacks with stabilizing straps and lots of room for "provisions").

The trail was recommend by a good friend and we found some articles online that recommend about four hours to hike up to Horsetail Falls and back.

We were poised. We were ready. We had already planned the stop at the Hawaiian Shave Ice stand on the way home.

We hiked the wrong canyon.

It could have happened to anyone... we just misinterpreted "parking lot north of the rodeo grounds" to mean next to the rodeo grounds, not a mile away. Oh well.

Still, we had a lovely afternoon together, enjoyed our provisions, and had a great hike even if we didn't happen to see Horsetail (or any other) Falls. And, most importantly, the hike was not boring. That's the greatest sin a hike can commit in Ben's world.

Maybe we shouldn't have let Chorney drive and navigate. She's not even 16 in dog years! No wonder we didn't find the right trailhead.
Plenty of room for granola bars, Goldfish, water, and cans of Coke
Mom and Dad stuck with mundane packing, like water and Band-Aids
Any hike that includes bushwhacking across streams has to be interesting
Sarah (visiting from Maryland) takes in the view
Back safe and sound
The only thing that went according to plan was the scheduled stop for Shave Ice!

Happy Birthday to Chorney

This week we celebrated Chorney's first birthday with a rousing rendition of, "Happy Birthday to You" and a festively printed rawhide treat. I have mixed feelings about the rawhide - I thought it was a clever product and definitely appropriate for the occasion, but I'm not proud to have spent $2.50 on a 25-cent piece of smooshed up cow skin or whatever the heck rawhide is made of.

Oh well, a Labradoodle only turns one once!

Happy birthday, pup! Here's to an equally affectionate but perhaps less energetic (?) second year!

Must be bath day

I feel like I should feel bad for her... but I know that the only reason she's covered in bubbles is that she insists on trying to drink the bath water while the kids are in it.

Chorney earns her keep

The best part of this whole Froot Loop fiasco (and trust me, this is only a close-up of the havoc) (and, technically, these aren't Froot Loops - they're Tootie Frooties, we're way too cheap to feed our kids name brand cereal, for precisely this reason)?

I spilled these while filling a miniature teacup with cereal for Sasha to feed to Kukla (her doll).

Sometimes you just have to step back and marvel at the oddities of parenting.

Disturbing Sights

As I walked around the house this morning, I saw the following:

What's more delicious than Elmo eyes? Polly Pocket heads!

A dismembered Santa chew toy - all that remains is one jolly arm

Chorney, I don't know how to tell you this, but you have some gingerbread man brains stuck to your whiskers

Oh no, gingerbread man brains everywhere!
Really, she's pretty good at only chewing on her toys... most of the time. But when faced with an opportunity as delicious as a Polly Pocket head, what's a pup to do?

Sledding Awesomeness

[title by Ben]

Sam: We went sledding and it was awesome today. While we're sledding usually, Mom takes Chorney on a romp. We usually go to South Fork. We like to sled and so we don't go with Mom usually.

Ben: I almost gave my mom a heart attack when I started sledding 'cause I always got airborne and I could have gotten killed if I didn't land it right! [editor's note: I often think that it's better that Sasha, Chorney, and I go walking while the boys sled, it's better for my nerves this way]

Ben: This one is for professionals only!

Mom: Chorney loves her romps! And she even finishes them with slightly less energy than she started with

Mischief and Mischief

When the child gets an idea into her head, she is nigh-unstoppable. Even if the idea isn't a particularly good (or safe or hygienic) one. Even if she has to muster all of her strength and monkey-climbing instincts to accomplish her goal singlehandedly. I think she gets it from her brothers.

Like today, when I was brushing my teeth and heard her in the room saying, "Mommy, seat! Mommy, seat!" and came back in to find her proudly perched upon the top of my dresser, having climbed up the drawers to claim her "seat".

Or Saturday morning, when I came downstairs and found that she had successfully arranged and started two simultaneous DVD viewing experiences to enjoy from the comfort of a single seat. As if one Elmo's World at a time could ever be enough!

Or again Saturday when I finished washing Sam's hair and turned around to find her meticulously brushing Chorney's teeth with Ben's toothbrush. Not just sticking it in the dog's mouth, oh no, we're talking pulling the gums out of the way to brush the individual teeth.

And the best part of that whole episode is the nagging question - how many times has she done this without our knowledge?!?

Maybe it's time for new toothbrushes all around.