Driving Mr. Morey

Morey and I caught a ride with a fellow rugby friend to the previously mentioned pool party. Unfortunately, Morey misunderstood the situation and thought he was supposed to drive. It was one of those unexpected moments where I knew what I wanted Morey to do, but I didn't communicate it in a way that a dog would understand.

The car we were riding in was a station wagon. I transferred to the front passenger seat and the plan was for Morey to sit in the back behind the driver's seat so a wheelchair could go behind the front passenger seat (carpooling with two wheelchairs, two people, and a dog is always an adventure!). My friend took Morey around to the driver's side of the car and opened the back door. I leaned back and called out to Morey to "jump" into the back seat. Unfortunately, the driver's door was also open and Morey thought he should ride next to me so he jumped right up in the driver's seat. He then sat down on the steering wheel which made the horn go off. I was laughing so hard I could barely try to tell Morey what to do.

After several failed attempts to convince Morey to go in the back seat and several more honks from the horn, I eventually got him to climb between the front seats into the back seat. He was a little disappointed to have such a small space and I think he would have preferred to remain in the front.

Hopefully we made it up to him once we arrived in the neighborhood and rolled down the windows for him to enjoy the fresh air. In my van the back windows don't roll down so he doesn't get this experience when he rides with me. I never would let him ride with his head out the window when I was driving at high speeds (unless he had safety goggles on to protect his eyes, which I think would take away some of the enjoyment), but as we slowly rolled through the neighborhood he enjoyed sampling the smells.

On the ride home we were more strategic about the loading process and limited his options by only opening the back door. He was so tired he simply jumped in, curled up, and went right to sleep. I was afraid I was going to have to carry him from the car to the bed once we got home, but he roused himself enough to jump up on my bed and fall asleep again. It was an exciting day for Morey!