Rumble on the Highway

Harley Davidson Motorcycles. What's the most recognizable feature of these American made machines? The throaty roar of their engines rumbling so loud that the deaf can hear them. (sorry, hearing impaired) That same familiar sound was what my dog loved. Although, I didn't know her love for Harley’s until my nephew pointed it out to me.

We were driving to Indiana with Zoe riding shotgun. Zoe bounced into the back seat of the car each time she heard a motorcycle like a ping pong ball across the net. Legs jumping and nose to the back window, she would begin barking. "Arf, arf, arf, arf, arf, arf, arf, " she called out to the riders, barking until they passed our vehicle. At times she would bark less at the choppers and more at others. I figured she became tired or bored with barking. She was a dog after all.

Rarely did Zoe know the meaning of the word, "tired." She was all about moving and being active.

It was then that my nephew mentioned that Zoe only reacted to Harleys. "A Kawasaki," he said, "only got three barks. A Honda didn't warrant even lifting her head to look. But a Harley Davidson was a long series of barks." That's how we knew she loved Harley’s above all else. She could even identify a parked Harley that was for sale at the side of the road.

So great was her love for this machine that near the end of a three mile walk she spotted a Harley turning a corner, yanked the leash from my hands and took off down the road after the rumble. Zoe bolted at full force -lightening speed compared to my run which looked like a walk next to her speedy legs. Lucky for me, a teenage male working on his car saw the chase and called out to my dog. Given her affection for men, she tuned her attention to the young fellow who promptly handed her back to me. Nothing like a Harley to get your heart started. After all the excitement, Zoe was ready to walk another three miles.

To satisfy her desire for motorcycles I took her to the local Harley Fest each year. She was in heaven. These were her people and she felt comfortable and content walking amongst the bikes and their riders. I was a fish out of water.

I even got her photo taken with Santa on an Indian motorcycle one year. Zoe sat in the sidecar happy as a lark and Santa had a quizzical look on his face. Anything to please the dog.