Who wants to go for walkies when you can be a bikie? Ruby,
the Jack Russell terrier, loves nothing more than donning her
leathers and going for a spin.
The love of the 10-year-old tearaway's life is a gleaming
blue Kawasaki 1100. Owner Carl Bryan, of Dunedin, decks Ruby
out in her own biker jacket, Harley-Davidson bandanna and
leather flying helmet and goggles.
''We had the helmet specially made for her. It even has wee
flaps for her ears,'' Mr Bryan said.
''She used to sit on the tank, but we got a bag for her so
she can have a lie down if she wants. People just love her,
especially the kids. Whenever we stop at traffic lights,
people start pulling their phones out to take photos.''
Mr Bryan is a long-haul truck driver with Arnott's Inter
Island Carriers, regularly transporting furniture the length
of the South Island.
''She's on the truck with me every day. She was brought up on
the truck and the bike since she was 6 weeks old,'' he said.
''She is known from Auckland to Invercargill. Arnott's have
even supplied her with work uniforms and her own
high-visibility T-shirt.''
Mr Bryan's wife, Amanda, said Ruby would never go for a walk
if she could go for a ride instead.
''She's been all over the South Island on the bike. She's
done many, many trips from Christchurch to Dunedin on the
tank,'' Mrs Bryan said.
''The distance doesn't faze her, even now at the age of 10.
She likes the bike much more than I do. She's travelled that
way all her life and she loves speed.''
Ruby was very much a petrol-head breed of dog, Mrs Bryan
said.
''We had a tandem mountain bike with a trailer for a while
and we'd pull her along in the trailer, but she didn't like
that very much.
''She loves the motorbike and she loves going fast.''
nigel.benson@odt.co.nz
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.