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A red merle Aussie sits in the passenger seat of an old truck while an older man in a brown sweater holds the wheel. 9 / 32

Kenji Said It Was Just a Quick Trip to Town. Maple Treated It Like a Parade.

AI imageaustralian shepherdpickup truckroad trip

With one hand on the big steering wheel of his old pickup, Kenji turns toward his passenger and laughs. Maple sits tall in the front seat, mouth open in a happy pant, her merle fur fluffed and her amber eyes bright. The dashboard is a bit dusty, a canvas bag and a water bottle are tucked by the seat, and a pair of spare glasses rests up near the windshield. Through the windows you can see a cluttered workshop wall with jackets on hooks and a potted plant, as though they are just about to head out on errands together.

Car rides are a highlight for many dogs, but a little planning keeps them safe. Most safety experts recommend that dogs ride secured, either in a crash-tested harness clipped to a seatbelt or in a well-anchored crate, rather than loose in the cab. The front seat is generally considered riskier for pets because of airbags, so the back seat is a better spot when a vehicle has one. Keep heads inside rather than out the window, where debris can hurt eyes and ears. Most important, never leave a dog alone in a parked vehicle in warm weather. Even with the windows cracked, the inside of a car can heat up dangerously fast. Bring water on longer trips and plan stops so everyone can stretch their legs.

Wherever Kenji is headed today, the hardware store or the feed shop or nowhere in particular, Maple is clearly thrilled to be going. Every trip is a good trip with the right copilot.

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An older man in a brown cardigan cooks a pancake in a skillet while a red merle Australian Shepherd sits and watches.The First Pancake Always Goes to the Cook. Maple Has Other Plans for It.An older man in a green sweater vest paints at a wooden easel in a backyard as a red merle Aussie lies on the grass.Kenji Set Up His Easel to Paint the Garden. His Real Subject Was Lying in the Grass.
An older man in an argyle sweater vest reads a book aloud on a couch while a red merle Australian Shepherd looks up at him.Kenji Started Reading Out Loud. By Chapter Two He Had an Audience of One.An older man in a tan argyle sweater vest reads a newspaper on a sofa while a red merle Aussie sleeps on his lap.Kenji Sat Down With the Morning Paper. He Hasn't Been Able to Get Up Since.An older man in a flat cap and argyle vest reaches for apples on a tree while a red merle Aussie sniffs fallen fruit.Grandpa Was Picking Apples From the Branches. Maple Was Working the Ground Shift.An older man in an olive cable-knit sweater smiles down at a red merle Aussie in a garden full of orange pumpkins.Kenji Asked Maple to Help Pick a Pumpkin. Her Answer Was a Look.