Have you ever thought about bringing your beloved pet with you on your bike touring adventures? Well why not? All I can say is that all you need to do is really want it. You might think that its going to be to hard, to much of a drag. And trust me me, I'm not going to lie to you and say that its a breeze, that its "fun", but what I am going to say is that it is worth it.
Over forty five days in the heat of a BC's summer I took my dog along with me from Smithers and back again. I traveled north to Prince Rupert, took the ferry down to Port Hardy, biked to Victoria (with stops in Ukee and Tofino), ferried across to Vancouver and made it all the way back up to Smithers again towing my four year old border collie most of the way (she ran sometimes). What a trip!
The set up. I ride a Surly Long Haul Trucker with disk brakes and fatties. For the dog trailer I used a single wheeled BOB Yak trailer (the one with the shock). I built a sort of guard around the bars on the outside with plastic and duck tape and put a couple pillows in the trailer so Julie could be comfortable for the long ride. I opted for the single wheel trailer for obvious reasons, the single wheel goes where my two wheels go. With the trailers chariot style be prepared to get used to the rumble strip or gravel. So that's it. Bring your dog.
Of course, if you own a great dane or black lab, you may need to get a bigger trailer. Julie (my dog) is about 35 pounds. Heavy, but not terribly heavy in my opinion. I bet 10 pounds more would be pretty unbearable. Who knows though, I haven't tried it. Also be prepared to carry dog food, another heavy burden. I bought the small bags, sure they are a bit pricier, but they are the perfect size for the job.
I'll include a picture on this so you can see whats up. If you have any question drop me a comment, I'll be happy to assist in your doggy needs.
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