The Dog Who Rides in the Bike Basket

I have a small, scruffy terrier named Clementine who is too old to walk far. So I bought a basket for the front of my bike, and now she rides with me everywhere.

She sits in the basket with her ears flapping in the wind and her tongue out, looking like the happiest creature on earth. People wave at her. Kids point and yell, "Look at the doggy!" A man at a red light once rolled down his car window just to tell her she was "a very good girl."

We ride to the farmers market, the park and the coffee shop, where the barista gives her a little cup of whipped cream. She's fifteen years old. She has never been happier.

I bought that basket so she could keep coming with me. It turns out she's the one who makes the rides worth taking.