This blog is going to cover everything I've learned about riding a motorcycle with your dog. I really like writing blogs that saves my readers money or time, since I've done a ton of research on this and purchased and tried lots of products, maybe I will save you some time. If you feel I have, leave a comment below and share this post!

First of all I never thought I was a little dog kinda guy until we got Pixel. We always had big dogs and as they started to get older we started looking for another dog. We found Pixel and we immediately fell in love with her. We think she is a Long Nosed Chihuahua, Rat Terrier Mix (in case you're wondering). You might be asking yourself, if we love her so much why would we put her on a motorcycle? Well trust me there are debates on the internet about this and certainly my own internal struggle with letting her ride or not. But if you only knew how much she truly loves riding, you could not deny her. She literally freaks out when she sees my Harley, demands to get on it and only shuts up when you put her on it. I actually think she needs the wind in her face as much as I do. I should point out that normally Pixel is kinda shy and timid and gets scared and starts to shake over random things, but not the bike, she's a natural.

I'm a bit of safety freak when it comes to gear for riding. No difference with the dog. Pixel only has one eye that works as you'll see in the pictures. One of our big dogs before they passed, bit her on accident and punctured her eye. She still has it, but it's blue and clouded over and 100% blind. So the first problem we had was we couldn't risk a bug or pebble taking out her remaining eye. So eyewear is a must. I would do this anyway (we do with our other dog Draper), but it's even more important in her case. We also have to worry about where she will ride on the bike and how do we make sure she can't jump out and hurt herself (she never tries to jump out, but your dog might).

One thing you won't see on the list is a helmet. After much research I can't find one that's worth a damn. I've read from many sources that it won't provide any real protection in the event of a crash. She also really really hates wearing it. Still trying to convince her because it might prevent a little rock or something from hitting her head. If I ever find a good one or you know of one, let me know and I'll post it!

1. Transporting your dog on the Motorcycle

Some people just let there dogs straddle the tank (not a fan, 0 safety), others use a chest harness and strap their dog right in front of them, some use a sidecar, or even a milk crate strapped to the back. I don't have any experience with any of those other than sometimes I'll give Pixel or Draper a ride down the street or in the parking lot while stuffed in the front of my coat. She loves riding that way too, (actually a lot). But for a longer ride, for her safety and mine, I've found another product I will share with you. It's called the Pixel Palace. Oops, I meant Pet Palace and it's made by a company called Kuryakyn. You might of already heard of them as they make tons of add-ons for motorcycles. I love their products.

Pet Palace

https://www.kuryakyn.com/products/5163/grand-pet-palace
Cost: $229.99

Their website says: "Take your favorite four-legged family member on the road trip of a lifetime with the safest and most versatile motorcycle pet carrier available. Updated styling, amenities, plus additional ventilation and internal space for your fur baby make the Grand Pet Palace the ultimate home away from home for your pet. An internal frame with rigid structural support offers peace of mind knowing your pet is protected."

There is a strap on the inside that holds the dog in. Pixel likes to stand up and look around so we don't make it too short. So it is possible for her to jump out (not easily, but if she was determined she could) but she would still be strapped in, dangling off the side, but safe (I've tested this). Because of this, you wouldn't want to hook the strap to a collar or the dog could choke if you didn't notice immediately. My solution for this is a safety harness that I will discuss below. The Grand Pet Palace straps on to your luggage rack or seat and works excellent. By no fault of Kuryakyn, straps are a pain in the butt. So I have a solution for that too and we will talk about that next.

2. Mounting the Pet Palace on your Motorcycle (totally optional, but convenient) 

Pixel looks at me with such excitement when I'm getting my gear on, expecting to ride, but man I hate hooking up those straps. She gets more time on the bike now that I found this solution to make mounting it super easy. It's from a company called RickRak