A motorbike, a sidecar and an eight-year-old St Bernard are turning heads in Cambridgeshire.
Alan Valkeith, 78, said he and his dog Louis get plenty of attention as they ride around their hometown of March in a Honda GL1500 Gold Wing.
“People smile as soon as they see us and we’ve had people overtake us and stop and get out just to take pictures,” Valkeith said.
He adapted the sidecar of his motorbike so Louis could ride in it, and said the dog gets excited when it is time to go out.
“As soon as I get his harness out, he yanks, which he doesn’t normally, but he gets quite excited because he knows he is going in the sidecar,” he continued.
Valkeith said police had also stopped him while he was out with Louis.
“I have had police stop me three times to take photos, which seemed funny at the time.”
He said Louis was adopted about six years ago after being found abandoned in Liverpool.
Valkeith is now making a “doggy caravan” for Louis, and said Ferry Meadows in Peterborough is one of the first places he plans to visit once it is ready.
The caravan will give his dogs a dedicated place to sleep.
Valkeith said all four of his St Bernards had travelled this way.
“They’ve all gone in the sidecar because I don’t like leaving them at home.”
The Highway Code says dogs travelling in vehicles must be “suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly”.
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