By Lorraine Forster

He was used to the freedom of the open road. Marcel would balance precariously between the steering wheel and the gaping window, tongue and ears flapping in the wind as the smell-icious scents of the neighborhood flowed by at 50 kilometers an hour. In his little doggy mind, a five minute road trip was more fun than a roomful of rabbits.

Then – horror! – his favorite human chauffeur traded in the car keys for a Schwinn electric-assist bike and his freewheeling, nose to the breeze, bugs in the teeth days were over… or so he thought.

If you have a pooch who is yearning to be your canine co-pilot on all of your two-wheeling errands about town, you don’t need to spend a fortune at a specialty shop. A bit of imagination, and a trip to your basement or local thrift store can produce a comfortable, safe and inexpensive bicycle carrier for your pet.

As my hound only weighs six pounds, it was easy to find the right size wire basket to attach to the seat-post mounted rear carrier. Depending on the style of your carrier, the dog’s weight should not be an issue, as you are not going to be transporting a Saint Bernard.

I wanted an enclosed carrier – something that would keep paws and tail safely inside and provide a bit of protection from the elements. A harness was an absolute necessity in case my furry passenger should decide to jump out and chase a squirrel while I’m doing 40 km/h down a hill.

So here is what you need:

• a sturdy wire basket large enough for your hound to lounge in comfortably (I used an old refrigerator basket)

• a foam camping mat 1 to 1.5 centimeters thick (My first prototype was made from a yoga mat but it was a bit too flimsy)

• one meter of double-sided Velcro tape (regular Velcro works too, but it’s more difficult to work with)

• two lanyards with metal clips (I recycled the ones off of a couple of Whistler Edge cards, but lanyards are available at any dollar store)

• one regular dog harness (the ones with Velcro or quick-release buckles work the best)

• heavy-duty snap ties (to secure the basket to the carrier)

• scissors

• utility knife

• measuring tape

How To:

Remember the old saying: “Measure twice, cut once.”

If you want to play it safe, cut templates out of a cereal box and then use them as patterns to cut the foam mat.

Cut pieces of foam to correctly fit the bottom and the two ends of your basket (one bottom piece, two end pieces).

For the sides and the roof, cut a piece the proper width to fit in the basket and the right length to cover both side-walls and to curve up and over the basket (like the canvas on a covered-wagon). This becomes the rain/sun cover for the basket.