Double decker dogs by Wendy Beasley

By Wendy Beasley
For most people, taking the dog out in the car is not a problem, but the logistics
of travelling with four, five or even more dogs is akin to a military operation.
I am one of the relatively few dog owners that take part in the little known,
but challenging and exciting competition called working trials. This sport involves
tests of obedience, tracking, searching, agility and even protection at the highest
level. Keeping a dog on form for trials takes an enormous amount of training,
so most of us only manage to work one dog. However with trials often lasting
over several days the vehicle is also the dogs’ accommodation, so the oldies and
juniors come too. Thus it is that we travel the length and breadth of the UK with
a van fitted out with two storey cages, giving every dog their own comfortable
cage with bedding, water and individual space. We may well take pot luck on
finding B&B for ourselves, but at least we ensure the dogs are ok and those that
are not working still feel part of the ‘team.’
Journeys can be long and tedious, but we make our own entertainment. Seeing
people’s surprise when we pull into the Services and open the tailgate is indeed
entertaining. As we sit munching motorway goodies in the front of the van, we
watch in the wing mirrors as people walk casually past and then stop in their
tracks and even back up for a second look. Their reaction is priceless, and can be
anything from horrified avoidance to excited delight. The dogs take it all as
perfectly normal and quite enjoy the attention, especially when they go off to
fetch the kids to come and see the double decker dogs!