My life with Lobster - Part 2
Having arranged to ‘double’ my brother there on the Hayabusa, we followed the map directions to a rural locality far outside the city, travelling over windy dirt roads into the afternoon sun. Upon arriving at the property gates, the breeder had turned up and retrieving a white pup within a backpack from inside their vehicle. He wasn’t moving.
My brother had jokingly remarked with a grin, “Is he dead?”
I just went along with completing the paperwork, handing over the cash and was just concerned with getting him into my backpack and safely home. Then my brother added, ‘Isn’t he a bit ‘big’ for a Miniature?’ I didn’t put much thought into it.
Riding along the freeway home, Lobster sat nestled between rider and pillion for the duration of the hour or so journey home. From dirt roads, freeway cruising at 140k/ph and onto busy inner-city streets littered with traffic; it just didn’t seem to phase him. He had adapted to the Hayabusa without hesitation; he seemed to be a natural, totally composed and from that day on it had proved to become ’second nature’ to him.
Just as my brother had suspected, over the months he’d grown bigger and bigger. Progressing from my backpack (which was quite large!) of which he’d stand in with back feet in either bottom corner, his head protruding out the top to nestle against my neck, whilst his front paws would sit one on each of my shoulders! It was a sight to see; especially since I’d opted to purchase special tinted ‘dog sunglasses’ in replicate of Tom Cruises shades in MI2! He just kept increasing in size, and a miniature’s maximum weight fully grown is 15lb - he was well over that at 5 months!
By the time it rolled around for his six-month vet check up, I’d queried them as to ‘why he’d grown so bloody huge for a miniature?’ - the vet just laughed and replied, ‘I’d say you’ve been had - as that’s no miniature!’ Hmmm.. No wonder there were no ‘papers’ with the sale.
By now he’d outgrown the backpack, the only solution was to sit straddled, between me and the bike tank! He’d place his paws atop my magnetic tank bag, which also served not only as grip for him; but to keep those claws from scratching the paint. He was amazing, and had the best sence for taking corners - leaning into them like a dream! Sudden emergency braking and accelleration were no effort for him, as we’d weave through the hectic 4-laned traffic polluted roads throughout manic ‘peak hours’ in Sydney on our daily travels. Riding was a breeze and he’d sit proudly atop the Hayabusa, now donning his shiny red PVC jacket with reflective stars and ‘T.C Sunnies’!
As you could imagine, he was a spectacle in his own right and people in traffic at the lights, walking along the footpaths, at service stations anywhere we’d go would react in amazement, burst out laughing and take pictures from cameras or mobile phones! He was a ’star’ in his own right and people just loved it.
Lobster would accompany me everywhere I went, attending motorcycle shows and exhibitions, sometimes travelling over 300 kilometers a day in the saddle to get there. The faster we went, he’d just duck down with me behind the visor to total wind resistance and savour the experience. This never phased, worried or stressed him in the least - in fact, he never wanted to get off the bike!
Old habits die hard, as they say and even to this day if he sights an empty bag laying around; he’ll try his hardest to sqeeze himself into it! Even sleep in one, with the hope that we’d venture off for a ride. A true biker!