Driving Mister Sam

Sam used to hate car rides. The day we brought him home, he made the most god-awful noises I've ever heard from a living creature. He didn't sound like a dog, he sounded like a goat, a dying cat, and a radioactive toucan having some sort of battle royale in the backseat. Since I wanted to spare my eardrums from this during subsequent vet visits and the like, I took to conditioning Sam to the car--and that, along with some pills from the vet to quell motionsickness (since he did vomit a couple times in the backseat) and an unflagging need to be wherever I am, has succeeded in transforming Sam's initial dislike of the car into a downright obsession.

Nowadays, you'd be hard-pressed to keep Sam out of the car. He jumps in the front seat if Dad and I have to switch the order of our cars, just to ride for two minutes in the driveway. He'll jump in the front seat when I come home and am closing the gates behind me, usually stepping on whatever lunch I've brought back (R.I.P. Subway cookies, you will be missed). If I'm leaving in the car, Sam tries to jump in too--either crawling over top of me, or waiting until I go to open the gates and slipping in undetected.

4 months old, the age he learned to jump in an unoccupied car unannounced

Instead of fighting to get him back out of the car, I usually just take him with me. I strap him in to the backseat, roll down the windows, and go. Sam's accompanied me to the bank, the dry cleaners, Blockbuster, lunch trips, the library, you name it--any quick errand I can run without frying him in the car. And since my car has a remote start feature, I point the A/C at Sam, crank it up, and then start the car remotely after I get out so he's left with cool air blowing on him instead of baking Florida sun. When I return I usually find him sitting right in front of the double vents, his ears blowing back, his tail thumping against the seat.

A relaxing ride in the car for Sammy

Even better than the obvious enjoyment Sam gets out of car rides, though, is watching the happiness he brings to other people. I see kids in other cars point excitedly at him as we pass by, his big ol' blockhead hanging out the window, ears and jowls a-flutter in the wind. People on the sidewalk or waiting at bus stops see him, smiling as he stares at them with his ears perked and his tail wagging. And drive-thru workers adore him--a few have even reached out to pet him as he leans as far out the car window as his leash will allow. I especially like taking him through drive-thrus--that can't be a very exciting job, and an unexpected visit from a goofy boy like Sam puts a smile on their face. I know if our roles were reversed, it'd certainly brighten my day.

Sniffing at a passerby outside the window

This is one of my favorite things about Sam. He doesn't even have to try, he just makes people happy. He comes into a room--even if it is to steal your socks--and you can't help but smile. I'd love for him to be a therapy dog once he settles down a bit from his puppyhood. It'd just be plain selfish to keep all the joy he has to offer to myself.