Kelly Davidson

Here's another story about my dog Kelly that I can't resist telling.

My youngest brother, Mike, was crazy about motorcycles. Well, honestly, all three of my brothers were fairly interested in them, but when he was about six or seven years old, Mike found a unique way to combine his passion for motorcycles with his love for our dog.

Once Kelly grew to his full size, Mike developed the habit of standing over Kelly's back and pretending he was on a motorcycle. He would grab the poor dog's ears, hold them in the position of handlebars, while twisting the right one as a throttle and making all the appropriate sounds of a motorcycle accelerating and shifting gears.. This process also involved a fair amount of physical chaos as he and his dog-bike rounded corners, slammed on the brakes and popped the occasional wheelie. As I recall, Kelly was fairly patient with this process and together, they put on quite a show.

Using our How To Train Your Irish Setter guidebook, Mike created this handy diagram to identify the moving parts on any dog-turned-motorcycle.

1. Horn  2. Headlight  3. Handle grip  4. Fuel tank  5. Bli(n)kers

Reflecting on this sweet memory, I draw several conclusions:

~ Vehicle-obsessed little boys can be very cute and highly clever.

~ Kelly was a blessedly patient and good-natured creature.

~ I'm really glad I saved that old training guide.

~ And if there's anything better than a boy and his dog, it could only be two boys and their dog:

Mike, Eric and our motorcycle dog.