Browse ›
A grandpa at the wheel of an old pickup grins at a merle Border Collie sitting upright in the passenger seat. 15 / 22

Grandpa Earl Has Driven This Old Truck for Decades. His Co-Pilot Is Newer.

AI imageborder colliepickup truckroad trip

The old pickup has a cracked leather bench seat, a wooden-rimmed steering wheel worn smooth from decades of hands, and a plaid blanket tossed over the passenger side. Earl sits behind the wheel with one hand resting on it and a lopsided grin aimed at his co-pilot. A couple of fishing flies and a feather are hooked into his vest pocket, ready for the day's trip. Skye sits tall and proud in the passenger seat, her merle coat with its copper eyebrows practically glowing in the window light, one blue eye and one amber gazing ahead through the windshield. She looks like a dog who has her own opinions on which route to take.

Many dogs love riding along, but safety in the car deserves some thought. A loose dog can be thrown forward in a sudden stop, and a dog in the front seat can be hurt by an airbag. The back seat is usually the safest spot, with the dog secured by a crash-tested harness attached to the seat belt, or in a well-anchored crate. Keep heads inside the window to avoid eye injuries from debris, and never leave a dog alone in a parked vehicle, even on a mild day, since interior temperatures can climb quickly. For dogs that get carsick, short practice drives and an empty stomach can help.

For Skye, the destination hardly matters. A ride in the truck with Earl is the event itself, whether it ends at the lake, the feed store, or just a loop around town with the windows cracked and the radio on low.

More from this collection

All 22 →
A grandpa sits on wooden back steps brushing the head of a blue merle Border Collie with a wooden-handled brush.Grandpa Brings the Same Focus to Brushing Skye That He Gives His Fishing FliesA grandpa scrubs a blue car with a sponge while a merle Border Collie holds the garden hose and bites at the spray.Grandpa Was in Charge of the Sponge. Skye Put Herself in Charge of the Hose.
A smiling grandpa knits with beige yarn while a blue merle Border Collie sits beside him, tangled in loose loops of yarn.Grandpa Earl Took Up Knitting in Retirement. Skye Got Involved Immediately.A grandpa in a bucket hat and vest sleeps on his side in the grass, his arm draped over a resting blue merle Border Collie.Grandpa Went Out to Check the Tomatoes and Never Made It Back InsideA smiling grandpa crouches in his living room holding a vanilla ice cream cone as a blue merle Border Collie licks it.Grandpa Earl Held Out His Ice Cream Cone for Just One SecondA grandpa in a ball cap smiles down at a leashed blue merle Border Collie beside market tables of tomatoes and beans.A Whole Market Full of Fresh Tomatoes, and Skye Only Had Eyes for One Thing