Never Too Early to Start Planning

The Man Next Door Is Teaching His Dog to Drive by Cathryn Essinger


It all began when he came out one morning

and found the dog waiting for him behind the wheel.

He thought she looked pretty good sitting there,

so he started taking her into town with him

just so she could get a feel for the road.

They have made a few turns through the field,

him sitting beside her, his foot on the accelerator,

her muzzle on the wheel. Now they are practicing

going up and down the lane with him whispering

encouragement in her silky ear. She is a handsome

dog with long ears and a speckled muzzle and he

is a good teacher. Now my wife, Millie, he says,

she was always too timid on the road, but don't you

be afraid to let people know that you are there.

The dog seems to be thinking about this seriously.

Braking, however, is still a problem, but he is building

a mouthpiece which he hopes to attach to the steering column,

and when he upgrades to one of those new

Sports Utility Vehicles with the remote ignition device,

he will have solved the key and the lock problem.

Although he has not yet let her drive into town,

he thinks she will be ready sometime next month,

and when his eyes get bad and her hip dysplasia gets worse,

he thinks this will come in real handy.