Behind the scenes Naoko and I had started the large task of house and car hunting, but we wouldn’t let that prevent us from enjoying our first summer with our new companion. Although we had had him for just under a week, that little dog had quickly become a very welcomed and beloved member of our small family unit. He had captured our hearts (especially mine) in such a way that my priorities had changed and everyday things started revolving around him. Not in a weird, obsessive way, but rather in a healthy, positive one. And in retrospect, I was in definite need of a good shake up in my life, and that ‘shake up’ came in the form of down-on- his-luck stray named ‘Bicky’.
Our apartment was located about a twenty minute drive from a gorgeous, nationality style park, complete with garden paths, trees, and a huge pond that was home to ducks, turtles, and Koi (beautifully colored carp). I decided that it would be a wonderful idea for me to rent a vehicle and drive all three of us visit this park. So…I rented a mini van. I knew Bicky found the previous taxi and van rides ‘uncomfortable’ experiences but was sure that the more he got used to driving, the better he would start reacting to the experience. I pulled the van up the driveway, opened the door of the van and stepped out, “All right everybody, let’s go. ”Naoko giddily walked out with a small picnic basket in one hand and Bicky in tow on a leash in the other. He was decked out in his new bright red colored collar and a very official looking sterling silver ID tag. It read “Bicky”, with my (now his) address and phone number. ” I yelled out across the driveway, “Such a handsome boy”. Bicky instantly started wagging his tail and his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “Mark’s home!”, he undoubtedly was thinking. “I wonder what’s on the menu this afternoon.” This burst of happiness was short lived though once he saw the van and put 2 and 2 together. That bright, happy face of his instantaneously turned into one of concern and apprehension. He knew that the van undoubtedly meant another ‘drive’ and therefore… fear and uncertainty. I was expecting this might be his initial reaction and immediately went into damage control mode. Running up to Bicky, I knelt down, scooped him up, kissed him on the forehead… and as I made my way back to the van, in a reassuring voice half whispered, “Don’t worry little guy, this ride will just be a fun adventure, I promise.” I opened up the sliding door of the van and gently put Bicky inside, onto the backseat. The last two times I held Bicky for the ride, but this time Bicky would be allowed to move around more ‘freestyle’. Perhaps that would help him relax more….Perhaps…
He started ‘panting’ (he did that when he was very nervous) and tip toed cautiously on the soft, plush interior. Naoko, hopped in next to Bicky and we were all set to go…except, that is, for one last thing.
“I forgot the camera Naoko, I’ll be back in a minute.” I darted off and came running back, waving the camera victoriously in the air. I peaked in the back and saw that Bicky was sitting (up straight) in the backseat as Naoko held him gently, making sure he sat still for the relatively short drive…I jumped into the car, fastened my seatbelt in one big swoop, and we were off!
This was actually the first time I had ever driven in Japan and, frankly, was a little nervous about driving on the left side of the road (the opposite side of Canada), so I devoted the majority of my energy concentrating on the road and driving. I would look back (in the rear view mirror) every few minutes to see how Bicky was doing. Naoko was gently petting him and spoke to him reassuringly as I navigated the small and intricate roads that are so characteristic of Japan. Bicky sat there looking directly ahead (almost in a hypnotic state); his back straight as a board, his entire body completely still… “So far, so good.”, I thought to myself.
So there we were, me in the driver’s seat; and Bicky and Naoko sitting in the back. I must have looked like a taxi driver to the other drivers on the road, chauffeuring these two around!
Ten minutes into the drive (and halfway to our destination), I remember feeling a tangible sense of relief. The driving, although a little more challenging than in Canada was going well…and more importantly, Bicky appeared to be handling the drive like a real ‘trooper’.
“I’m so proud of you little man; you are my little brave little co-pilot”. I spoke like a beaming father, “I knew you could do it!”
Boy, did I jinx it.
No sooner had I uttered that last word of what turned out to be an incredibly ironic statement when Bicky suddenly stood up on the seat, exploding in a panic. It was as if all that nervousness, trepidation, and fear he had been bottling up for the first ten minutes of the ride burst out despite all of his most noble efforts. Indeed. Bicky’s ‘bravery” ended with the suddenness and subtlety of a train wreck…and well…he just started ‘freaking out’.
Naoko started screaming, “He’s trying to get into the front seat!”
“Well hold him down ”, my voiced rose with a mixture of agitation and understandable concern.
“I can’t”, her voice trailing off with a mix of desperation and resignation. Indeed, Bicky was squirming and panicking and there only so much she could do. I too had limited options of what I could do…You see, I was on a very crowded main road; cars were all around me-In front, in back, and whizzing by- I couldn’t just pull over (there was no place to)…and I had to keep my eyes on the road. “Bicky…Bicky…relax…relax baby.”
Bicky then upped the ante by clumsily jumping into the front passenger seat, his breathing (rate) escalating with each ‘pant’.
Now Bicky was beside me, his eyes were wide with terror he looked at me as if to ask what he should be doing. With my right hand I was desperately trying to hold him in place, but he would have none of it. He was on a mission; a mission of ‘what’ I had no idea…but a mission nonetheless., And, to my utter horror, he started doing the one thing that was in the back of my mind as the worst case scenario …He started making his way toward my feet (and the brake and accelerator pedals).
Bicky! Bicky!…”No, No!”.
He was now miraculously sandwiched between the brake, accelerator pads & my feet.
The car started swerving and now both Naoko and I were shouting (in two different languages). “Bicky, no, no!” I swerved the car over two lanes of traffic as a cacophony of horns, car tire screeches, and my own voice screaming profanity filled the once tranquil van. It all happened in no more than a few seconds, but when I relive it frame by frame in my mind’s eye, I could easily fill an entire chapter on this one single event.
But for the sake of brevity, I’ll cut to the end…I was miraculously able to pull the van over and stop in a ditch on the side of the (very busy) road. The ditch was on a slope, causing our vehicle (and us along with it) to rest on a 60-degree angle. The van, now so quiet, the only discernable sounds came from the cars continuing to whiz by on the road not a few feet from us. Naoko and I looked at each with looks of bewilderment, terror, relief…and traces of amusement. Bicky remained at my feet with a dissipating look of confusion and fear with sprinkles of contrition and embarrassment thrown in. He always had a remarkable sense of knowing when he ‘blew it’…and this was one of those times.
As the car rested at the side of the road, a wave of relief swept me and I thanked my lucky stars that our little episode hadn’t turned into something tragic; it could have so easily. I smiled at Bicky. Bicky, still at my feet, could sense the tension in the car alleviate and out came his endearing Jokerman smile…
“How is the trip so far?”, I asked in a sincere tone. Naoko broke out in a laugh.
OK…But the warm fuzzy, happy, ending would have to wait until we got out of that still precarious situation…. So I lifted Bicky up , (he was so light) and placed him back in his seat. I quickly tied his leash to a door handle. Problem solved.
I was on a steep learning curve. This incident wasn’t really Bicky’s fault (of course); it was mine. I knew he wasn’t comfortable in cars but I thoughtlessly put him in one without properly thinking it through. Having a pet is like having a child. Sure, there are friends and family with advice, books, educational DVDs, the Internet…a veritable smorgasbord of sources to learn how to properly train and raise a dog. But in the end, it’s the trial and error part that one has to go through that gives you the golden knowledge; the knowledge that really counts.
As I pulled the van out of the ditch and continued on with the journey to the park again, Bicky sat on the seat. Still nervous, but now firmly anchored in the seat; he wasn’t going anywhere. He seemed much more at ease and almost enjoying the ride.
“We’re on a journey Bicky, literally and metaphorically” , and one things for certain, we’re going to have a lot of fun today!”
Indeed this was true. Omiya park was waiting and there was magic waiting for us there
Side note: Bicky did learn to enjoy our car rides. So much so that whenever he would see me pull out my car keys, he would explode with excitement and anticipation. Being tied down (with the leash) in the car was quickly an unnecessary precaution, as Bicky became a seasoned pro. He had two favorite positions in the car. The first would be stand behind me as I drove and rest his chin on my shoulder as we both looked out the front window. The second, and more popular position (for him) was Bicky sitting next to me (riding shotgun) with his little head, jutting out the window (ever so slightly), with the wind blowing across his face. I have calculated we must have clicked on about 30, 000 miles together in the car; enough to go around the entire earth…and then some! Every mile was a treasure (for both of us).
