Pooches: The Family Bike

While we love to get out and around the city, most of the places we can go with the pups are limited to places we can walk or drive and easily find parking.
For years we dreamed about getting a cargo bike. We loved the idea of all of us being able to bike around the city and the ease of popping the pups in the front. But we never really had a reason to get one or a place to store it.
Last year, with the demands of The Laboratory, we realized that we needed more than one car. Instead of buying a second car, we decided this was the perfect time to invest in the Nihola 4.0 so we could transport cargo to and from The Laboratory. Also, with the ailing Miss M and the aging Mr. B, our Nihola quickly became our family transport of choice.

Though we loved visiting our usual stomping grounds, since our pups were getting older it was getting harder for them to walk those few miles. Driving was not a convenient option due to the hassle of getting the pooches and Baby K into the car and reaching our destination to find that the closest parking spot is only blocks from our home.

The Nihola, with its 264 lb load capacity, gave us the option to safely, with its closed double tube frame, and efficiently go around the city, with a few modifications.

At first we tried to fit, everyone, including A, into the front cargo area, but it was very cramped. So our first modification was to fit a heavy duty bike rack in the rear that can hold A's weight safely. I added a padded seat with a backrest, flip up footrests and a small handlebar to make A's ride as safe and comfortable as possible.

For Baby K, we added the Babboe cargobike toddler seat shell, which is made of the same hard foam used in bicycle helmets.

Finally for the pooches, we have tie downs in the front that clip onto their car seat belts or harnesses and we tighten the tie down as much as possible to limit the possibility of an escape from a moving bike. We added padded floor mats cut to fit the floor of the bike so the pooches can comfortably sit and sometimes lay. The low entrance on the side makes it easy for our pooches to hop in and out with some assistance.

One major issue is that we did not opt for the e-assist and it is not a tandem, so moving is all based on pedal power from me. This makes going up hill and long rides really difficult. Luckily all of our usual stomping grounds are only 1-4 miles away, so once we reach our destination, we take nice long walks and breaks before we all head back home.

Even as Miss M was tired and slowing down, the Nihola allowed Miss M to continue her life of grand adventures.

Also:

This is where we get to ride it the most!

In case you were wondering.

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Black Friday Shopping?!

Despite our photos and videos showing us and the pooches in crowds, Mr. B, A and I are very much opposed to crowds. On the other hand, Miss M loves crowds and will even drag her poor family into any and all groups of people. This past weekend we found a good balance and went on a family walk via the Bloomingdale Trail

and got a little post-Thanksgiving shopping in. We love shopping near our neighborhood because there are so many stores that are dog-friendly and even dog-loving. 

After a long day of shopping, posing for photographs, hanging out in the park, and meeting friends. We were all excited to head back home to enjoy the last several hours of our Thanksgiving break. 

CIty Dog: Reasons to Walk

We know some people are hesitant to get dogs in the city because without backyards, there is always so much walking involved. While we really enjoy heading out for a family walk,  I've also realized so many other times it has been helpful to have a dog at your side.

Finding a Mailbox

While so many things are better in the city, one thing that is more difficult is mail.
Without going into stolen packages or lack of delivery, it is just really difficult to mail stuff.
You can't just put the outgoing mail in your mailbox for the mail person to take, but you have to put it in a common blue mailbox. Which usually will be several blocks out of your way, and across at least 2 large streets. Or just hard to find. I would go days carrying my Netflix around hoping to stumble upon a mailbox that I never found.
The mailbox closest to our house is about 4 blocks away, which means I'm walking 8 blocks just to mail a letter. Which seems like a chore if I'm doing it on my own, but it becomes worthwhile with the pups. And if Mr. B can bring his stuffy.

Justifying Walk-by Donuts

Mr. B jauntily waits for donuts.

Chicago is really good at having walk-by food windows. Including several dessert options.
And since we're out walking around with the pups so much, we've made it a family tradition to stop by the Glazed & Infused window on our family walks.

Having a Late-Night Escort

While we walk most places in the city, I still know to take extra precautions after dark.
It seems like the people I'm most wary of, are most wary of the pups. E and I always refer back to the time when we were walking and a guy leaped out of our way, turns to Mr. B and told him "Much respect, Sir".
We're lucky that so many places in the city allow dogs in their outdoor seating areas so if I'm going out to meet friends I can bring one of the pups to escort me home.

Also:
Teaching your pup to behave at an outdoor patio
Some favorites.
Classy!
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Daily Walk: The Seedy Underside of Dog Walking in City Snow

When we talk about the daily walks we take with our pups in the winter, the things people usually want to hear about are how we keep the pups warm and some of the ways we dress ourselves.
And we could talk about that forever!
But then there are some not so nice things that happen after the snowfall:

On Errant Rats

You might have picked up on my "errant rat" reference in our earlier post, but this has become one of my biggest issues this winter.
Sure, we know we have rats in the city.
I mainly think of them as having their own separate lives in the alley where I sometimes hear the echoes of their singing and have only seen them in mere glimpses and shadows.
But, it's only after the fresh snowfall that I realize how much we really do live together.
And I see how big their footprints really are.
Which means they are really big.
It's a bit unsettling to find these huge footprints with a long line following (yes, that would be the tail dragging behind) walking in the places where I have walk and have spent time.

On What Might be Hidden in the Snow

One of my other favorite references is the first winter I had Miss M and she plunged into a snowdrift and emerged with an entire gyro!

While the new-fallen snow does look so beautiful, we always forget that before the snow there was a lot of trash on the ground (yes, city living). And those chip packages, soda cans, and uncollected dog poo are still there. We just can't see them.
There was even an article about kids who came home covered in dog poo after they went sledding at a West Loop park frequented by off-leash dogs.
We also remember to be really careful when opening the trash cans to throw out the dog poo. The other week we found a used syringe on top of the trash can in the alley.
Should we be happy they at least tried to throw it away?

The Upside of Yellow Pee in the Snow

I know a lot of people lament that the fresh snow looks so beautiful until it's covered with yellow dog pee.
Which is true.
Though it has added a fun element to our walks.
It's almost like we can see what was formerly 'invisible ink' and now I understand why our pups are so interested in smelling and peeing in certain places.
And if I see the yellow pee, I can anticipate that they will want to go there.

Anyone else have interesting tidbits about your winter snowy walks?

Also:
These taboo habits of city dogs 
The unspoken world of city dog poo
Secrets of walking in the fall
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City Dog: The Benefits of Living in a Smaller Space with Bigger Dogs

For all the years we lived in our 2-bedroom with our 2 big pups (plus the occasional foster!) we always thought things would be so much better if we just had a bigger space.
And I think that a lot of people in the city are hesitant to get large dogs because they feel the same way.
Now that we have that bigger space, we're realizing that there actually are a lot of benefits to having dogs in smaller space.
And since we've tried both, this is what we've figured out:

Being Able to Monitor:

If you have a smaller space, you are always able to know where your dogs are and what they're doing.   When our pups first came to live with us, and even as we've been fostering, we've been able to intercept any destructive chewing or human-food gathering because we could hear it happening and we can stop it before it became an issue.
With our larger space it becomes more difficult because we're separated by so much space we don't know anything has been happening until after the destruction has been done (especially by a sly "Serial Shoe-chewer" that lived with us over the summer).
I also like being able to know where the pups are at all times. Living in a smaller space, there were only about 2 places they could be. Though now that we have 3 levels, sometimes I really need to look for them. Which was especially frightening the time some workers came and left the back gate open and I was frantically searching for the pups who were safely sound asleep in our bedroom.

Being Separate without Being Separated:

While we never thought about it in our smaller space, our pups generally like being with us at all times. Which is nice, until we run upstairs to get something and they follow us up, and back down, and up again when we realize we forgot something else. And this is becoming harder for our older dogs (but they still insist on doing it anyway).
We also found our fosters were more likely to feel comfortable in their crates when they realized we were all nearby. They show a lot more anxiety if they need to be separated on another level and they can still hear us, but they're not able to see us.

Cleaning Issues:

I really enjoy cleaning, and I developed a whole routine of preventative measures to make cleaning easier. And it worked in our small space!
Though in our larger space I'm realizing how much more space we now need to clean. Which would be an issue even in a pet-free home.
I really felt on top of the cleaning when we were in our smaller space and now it's just completely overwhelming.

We've seen it from both sides, but we're always curious to hear about other people's experiences.
What are some benefits you've realized from living in a smaller space or larger space?

Some Other Small-space Related Posts:
How we solved the problem of having large crates in a smaller space.  And made them pretty.
When we figured out we don't really need a yard.
How we keep our pups happy and exercised.
Keeping our small home from looking like an aisle of PetSmart.
Being considerate of shared-wall neighbors.

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City Dog: What You Never Knew About Fall Dog Walks

For the past 8 years of city-dog ownership we have been out there each and every day, multiple times a day, walking our pups. And for 8 cycles of seasons, we're finally starting to 'get it' to prepare for the changes we find each season.
Out of all of the walking seasons people usually guess that fall is one of the best. The temperatures are cool enough that pups don't overheat, and the streets are lined with beautiful fall foliage, but we finally realized to watch out for these things:

The Problem with Dog Poo and Leaves:

While all the leaves blanketing the grass do look nice, it's also a huge problem when trying to pick up after our dogs. With even a single glance away (Look at that black squirrel!) the poo suddenly becomes camouflage and it becomes a "Where's Waldo" of trying to clean up all the poo among the leaves.
Knowing how hard it is for me to find it when I'm actually trying, I know there are so many other bits of camouflage poo among the grass just waiting to be stepped on.

Piles of Leaves:

All summer we can see all types of trash strewn across the streets and sidewalks. Fall only looks more beautiful because this trash becomes hidden among the leaves. I never realized that leaves could become a type of carnival game for dogs, until our first fall when Miss M went diving into a huge pile of leaves emerging with her prize of... a dead rat. Usually Miss M has a good 'drop it' command, or I'll just pull it from her mouth, but this was the only time she refused to let it go. So we were at a standstill for about 10 minutes (or at least it seemed like that) as the rat's tail dangled, swinging in circles from her mouth until she finally become bored.
Now I make sure to pull them away if the pups become too interested in a pile of leaves.
Though I guess I didn't learn my lesson entirely after Miss M dove into a snow pile and pulled out an entire gyro (but that's another story of another day).

What the Darkness is Really Hiding:

Fall becomes really hard because daylight savings time suddenly immerses us into a world of darkness. Both our morning and evening walks are both done in the dark. Sure we have the anticipated difficulties of making sure cars can see us, and watching for other dog-human walking teams rounding blind corners.
But the worst part...darkness brings out the rats. And not just any rats, these are football-sized city rats who are bold enough to actually walk down the sidewalk beside you.
Mr. B doesn't care about the birds, the squirrels, or the black squirrels, but his kryptonite is the rats. Seeing a rat is enough to send him squealing and running. Which makes it really hard to keep him from pulling on our walks. And it also makes our walks feel like a horror movie where Mr. B is constantly reacting to things under cars, behind bushes, and in piles of leaves.

Leash Handling:

Fall can be a weird time because you don't want to actually admit it's cold and wear your cold weather clothes. But at the same time, it can be really cold!
The biggest issue is that my hands get really cold which makes it really hard to get a firm grip on a leash. Or if the leash slips through my hands it hurts that much more because my hands or so cold.
It really does feel like over-kill to bring out my gloves on what is just a crisp fall day, but after all of these walking cycles it is what I have learned to do.

Also:
What they don't tell you about city dog poo
And these problems with in the spring.
MacGuyver with dogs!
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City Dog: The Dog-Friendliest Places Where We Don't Take Our Dogs

We love that there are so many things to do in the city, and we love that our pups can accompany us on so many of our outings. Our pooches ride in cabs and have stayed in fancy hotels. They have shopped at Nordstroms, marched in costumed parades, and have even gone to a professional soccer game.
And while the pups have been so successful galavanting around the city, there are also some places that we completely avoid. Which also happen to be the most common and "dog-friendliest".
While some places might be more geared towards dogs, it doesn't necessarily mean that these are the places where your pups will be the most successful.

Dog Stores:

We think pet stores are kind of like Lollapalooza for dogs: so many people handing out free biscuits,  so many eye-level stuffies to grab, and so many little dogs stretched out on retractables peering around corners. It's so exciting and they just want to do everything all at once. Which anyone who's been at an all-day summer concert knows just leads to bad choices.

We also found out that if they realize they can push the boundaries in one location, these exceptions will translate into that behavior in all of the other places. So if they go to the dog store and everyone is giving them treats and other dogs are there wanting to play and excitement is up, they will have those same expectations and excitement in any other type of place we go. We work to set them up for success by focusing on locations that don't have as much stimuli so they will be polite in all settings.

Dog Parks and Beaches:

The dog parks always look like so much fun with all of the owners laughing and sipping Starbucks. While there are some places that might be smaller and more controlled, we have been to several places that are over-exciting and lawless. It seems to be the first stop for anyone who has just gotten the dog, and often times well-meaning dog owners bring dogs who just aren't comfortable in this situation. I too thought this was something our dogs would enjoy, and when I first adopted Miss M I brought her to the dog beach so she could romp and roam. She ended up getting attacked by a dog who grabbed her by the jowl and as she tried to get away her jowl was stretched out, cartoon-like, since the other dog wouldn't let go. We also had a friend whose dog was attacked at a park and required several Frankenstein-like stitches. Not to mention this fluke accident I experienced at the dog park that landed me in the ER.
It's just not worth it to us to put our dogs in a situation where they might not be comfortable or could be hurt. These are some ways we get in some extra exercise.
And this is how we socialize with our dog friends.

Also:
Dog-friendly shopping!
Why our pups don't greet on leash.
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City Dog: On Why Our Pups Don't Greet On Leash

One of the best parts of having a dog is that everyone (and their dog!) wants to meet you.
But one of the most conflicting things is trying to explain to people why you don't want your dog to meet their dog during your walk.
Most of the time, when we decline to meet other dogs during our walk, people will say things like "Oh, because your dogs aren't friendly". Which is not why we're not stopping to meet your dog.
Though in the 3 seconds I have to interact with people, I can't really explain all these reasons:

Walks are for Business

Living in the city, most people don't have a backyard and we all depend on walks for bathroom breaks and exercise.
And we're all out there. I typically see as many as 30 dogs on a single walk.
Which means, if I stopped and interacted with all of them we would never get anywhere.
And if I stopped and interacted with any of them, the pups would be accustomed to wanting to meet every dog we saw, we really wouldn't get anywhere. And they would probably stop listening on our walks as they anticipate meeting the next dog.
So our pups know our daily walks are for business and not interacting.

A Quick Greet is Not Socialization

I know a lot of people think that their dogs need to interact with the other dogs they see because this is a way to 'socialize' them. Though Our Pack does a really good job of explaining how these types of forced interactions are unnatural and can actually set up dogs to fail. (You can read their really great article here). We keep our walks to work on our training and we have other positive ways we socialize our pups.

Staying Safe

Even when dogs do greet on leash, it is very, very rare to just have the dogs walk up, sniff, and calmly walk away. Usually there is a walk up, one dog initiates play, then the pups play on leash. Besides the reasons above, playing on leash can become really dangerous. The pups can get tangled in the leashes. The people can get tangled in the leashes. Anyone tangled in the leashes can become scared and redirect. Leashes can be dropped. We just avoid this entire scenario by not having the greeting in the first place.

It's more important for us to advocate for our pups' comfort than to be forced into a greeting just so they don't think we're "not friendly".
Though does anyone have a 3 second quip you use to let people know the other side?

Also:
Ways to Socialize without Interacting
The Sidewalk Dance
How Dog Walks are like Dating
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City Dog: Learning to Walk Multiple Dogs at the Same Time

We are always talking about how walking a dog through the city can be like an obstacle course complete with excited on-coming dogs, entire discarded gyros, and ubiquitous day-drinkers who try to put  sombreros on your dog. Which can become twice as difficult if you are walking a second dog.

While I have figured out how to balance our two pups, when we add a foster dog to the mix I'm back to taking the pups on separate walks. And what was once 2-3 walks a day quickly becomes 4-6 walks. Which is basically my entire day.
As we've been fostering foster dog Feeney, things have been a bit different. Feeney is a slower walker who matches Miss M's walking style perfectly. So I've been walking them together.
And since I already know how to walk Miss M and Mr. B together, I can sometimes walk all 3 pups together.

If you haven't read this really, really good post by Willie and Nabi's person already, read it first. I've been using her advice about check-in's and perfecting the single-dog walk to walk our pups together.
These are some additional things I've learned about walking all of our pups together:

Make Every Walk a Training Walk

Even though we've had Miss M and Mr. B for so long, we learned it's important to keep consistency by treating every walk like a training walk. We have a routine where the pups know to sit when I'm locking the door, opening the gate, stopping at corners or picking up poo. We use the check-in's to make sure the dogs are still paying attention to us on each walk. I will spontaneously stop the walk and ask them for other commands ("Down", "Wave", "Shake") just to make sure that they are staying alert. This routine has helped both of our dogs recognize the routine and look to us for guidance instead of making their own decisions to jump or get excited.

Create an Order:

I've learned that each of our dogs walks better in a certain space. Miss M is slower, so she generally likes to walk on the outside. Mr. B takes the check-in's literally, so he walks next to me.
If I know something exciting is coming up (Mr. B's kryptonite is dogs barking behind windows) I will move one of the dogs to the side with me in-between them as a buffer. This way if one dog gets over-excited, this generally won't translate to the other dog because they aren't right next to each other.

Colored Leashes:

Before our pups became fashionistas, our trainer told us we should have different colored leashes on each of the dogs. This way if we saw a trigger, it's easy to hold or move that dog to another spot.

Know Your Pup & Anticipate:

Multiple-dog walking is always a work-in-progress, and I usually only do it on familiar routes where things are already familiar to the dogs and I know the route so well I can avoid most of the triggers. I've also taken our pups on so many walks that I can recognize their triggers.

This is something that will always be a work-in-progress for us.
Does anyone else have any additional ideas on how to make walking multiple dogs easier?

Also:
Walking like a city dog
How dog walking is like dating.
The odd couple.
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City Dog: On Why Our Pooches Don't Need Backyards

Living in the city, it can be a rare thing to have a backyard. Most of us lack even a small patch of grass and spend our time taking our pups on several daily walks.
Of course we all gather together to lament and collectively dream of the time where we might have that elusive backyard where we can just open the door and our pups will frolic away into the grass, all without us even having to put on shoes (or a bathrobe!).

After spending 8+ years with the daily walk routine, we finally got lucky and since we bought our new home we earned our very mini-city yard.
While we have more deck space than proper yard, we do have a "grazing" area of grass in the back, two long gangways along the side of our house for the pups to run, and a larger grass yard is in our gated front area.
We were excited to get the pups out in their new yard to watch them frolic. Only to realize, there is no frolicking and they just do a lot of this:

Perplexed by the yard, Mr. B decides to just sit in it.

While we've been dreaming of this day ever since we've had the pups, even though we have the yard we've continued to take them on the daily walks. And after trying a little experiment of mainly staying in the yard, and now seeing it both ways, this is why we've realized pups don't really need backyards:

Walks as a Way to Maintain Training:

Even though we've had Miss M for 8 years, and Mr. B for 5 years, we've realized how important it is to be consistent with their training. We have lapsed a bit in the chaos of selling our home and moving, and especially as we we've been testing out our new yard. We've realized without our structure and routine the pups are beginning to push the limits and they aren't listening as much. We've now gone back to our daily walks as a set time where we can practice our training and maintain the consistency.

Increasing Exposure and Decreasing Boredom:

Our daily walk routine has been good for exposing the pups to all types of situations. Even if we do walk a similar route, each walk is different with sights and smells and people. We know many of you have seen the videos like this one and while all dogs are different, I think it has helped our pups succeed at these types of crowded events because they are consistently going on walks and being exposed to new things.
In the short time when we were relying mainly on time in the yard, when we finally did take the pups on a walk they were amped up, lunging across both sides of the sidewalk to smell new things, and meeting people with unexplained over-enthusiasm. We've realized how important it is to keep our walking routine to keep our pups mentally stimulated.

Improving Health:

People are usually surprised to hear that Miss M is 10 and Mr. B is 11 years old. I think one of the reasons they seem so youthful is that we are always out walking. The walks give them the mental stimulation to keep their minds alert, while it's also a good low-impact exercise to keep them in shape without a lot of strain on their joints.
Our walks also help us keep an eye on the pups to notice any conditions as they might come up. This time set-aside daily lets us immediately recognize if there are any changes in their health or anything concerning from their dog poo.
In a strange turn of events, we found that Miss M is literally grazing on our lawn and has gone beyond eating grass to eating clods of dirt (?) which will eventually get vomited up. Our walks help us keep an eye on her and keep her moving so she doesn't have time to eat the greenery.

We know all dogs and situations are different, and this is what we found works best of us.
What does everyone else think, to what degree do dogs need yard space?

Also:
What we all think about but don't talk about.
What really happens on a daily walk
Polite.

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City Dog: Do City Dogs Need Cars?

Back when I was making the big decision to own my own dog as an adult, and I was going through the possible expenses, I came to the shocking conclusion adopting a pup would actually cost me thousands of dollars.
Wouldn't I need to car to be able to get her supplies and take her places?
Sure I lived in the city for years without a car, but since dogs aren't allowed on the buses and trains unless they're in a carrier, and since I couldn't figure out how to stuff Miss M into a duffle bag, I couldn't think of other options.
Until I did.
Here are some things we did when we didn't own a car:

Making 50lb of Dog Food Accessible:

I was very lucky that the apartment where Miss M and I first lived had a pet store a mere half block away. While it was easy for me to get to the food, I struggled walking back to my apartment carrying her 50lb bag of food.
I quickly found out about city car-sharing where I was able to i-Go all around town picking up as many 50 lb bags of food as I could haul. The cars don't want uncrated pets because they don't want pet hair on the seat, though a couple of people I know would use the cars and just use a lot of blankets and lint rollers so they didn't leave any hair.
I also realized just like I order things online to make transport easier, I could just as easily order her huge bag of dog food online. We tried out Mr. Chewy which carries high quality food that is dropped off directly at our door.

Taking a Cab with Dogs:

While dogs aren't allowed on buses or trains, they can ride in cabs if a driver decides to pick you up.
We wrote this post explaining how to get a cab to stop for you if you are with your big dog.
Or I just call ahead letting them know we're traveling with the pups and they will send a dog-friendly cab to our home. We always make sure to tip extra well so the cabs will want to pick up more dog families in the future.

The Walkable City:

We are lucky that the city is very walkable and most of the places we need to go are within walking distance. There are a lot of vets in the city and we found one near our apartment. We were always near some type of pet store. We would also go to a training class that was about 2 miles away, which was actually good for her because back then she needed that time to work off her energy.

We are lucky enough to have a car now, which I actually needed to get to go to work, though we one day dream of owning one of these instead. 

Do you think owning a dog means you need a car? How often does your pup actually travel in the car, or what are some other sans-car things that work?

Also:
But since we do have a car
Exploration

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