This is Kiki. She's Bike Worcester's unofficial mascot. You may have seen her riding around Worcester on the back of a bike, watching the world pass by in her own regal way. She's a Sprollie, which is a cross between a Collie and a Spaniel. When she's in her crate on the back of the bike, the whole world comes to her (which is exactly the way she likes it).
How it started
An almost unbearably cute photo of Kiki’s first foray into the world of active travel.
We’re a family who cycle everywhere having sold (or scrapped) our collective cars almost 20 years ago. Our bikes are our main transport, so when we adopted Kiki from rescue as a pup and needed to move her around with us, I got her a dog trailer. I got her used to it and did a few journeys, but it became obvious pretty quickly that she didn’t like being cooped up in there. She'd hang out of the top, desperate to have the wind whistling through her ears.
At the time I was a big fan of Youtuber John Freeman and his dog Mira. They’d bikepack together (or dogpack, as John would later coin it) through various wild places around the world. Sometimes Mira would run alongside the bike, sometimes she’d lay down in the crate on the back rack, often wearing very fetching goggles when the roads were particularly dusty. So I figured that maybe that's a better option for Kiki.
Dogpacking adventures with John and Mira
I bought a catering tray, large and shallow enough for her to get on and off easily, and to lie down in. On the very first try, she sat herself in the furthest corner of the tray (she’s not one to do what’s expected of her - got to respect that) and once I realised she didn’t want to get out, that was it. I realised this was exactly how she wanted to travel. I’ve since reduced the size of the crate having given up on the idea of Kiki ever wanting to lie down on a journey!
Kiki rides untethered, which is safer for both of us, and I've never once felt that she might leap off. We've had rabbits and squirrels run alongside the bike and she's just watched them, in her usual chill way, queen of all she surveys. The only time she's ever fallen off was when we arrived at a doughnut shop. Her appetite for dog doughnuts overtook her sense of safety, and the next thing I knew there were two paws clinging onto the back of the tray as I wheeled the bike into the rack. Needless to say, she hasn't done it since.
Where you can see her
The weekday’s adventures always start an hour before Bike Bus, occasionally resulting in this mess.
Most school-day mornings, an hour before that day’s Bike Bus starts, we’ll ride to a park closest to the start point, where she’ll have a play and an explore (or stare at me from a field’s distance away as she guards her frisbee and ball). She’ll then get back in her crate and we’ll ride with the kids to school. If you’ve not come across Bike Bus before, it’s an incredible thing. We ride with primary school children, music, bubbles, stickers, badges, and of course, Kiki. At the end of the Bike Bus, the children crowd round her, feeding her dog snacks and giving her new hairstyles. All of which she takes with the utmost regalness. I'm not sure there's a proper word for it, but whatever it is she's got it.
She also joins the big groups rides, Critical and Kidical Mass. These rides are a great way to feel more comfortable riding on the roads. They all go as fast as the slowest rider, and Critical Mass in particular pulls in riders of all backgrounds and all ages. Kidical is the same kind of ride but suited to young families in particular (Critical but with way more bubbles). With both rides, you’ll find Kiki mooching round giving a sniff and a hello, in her usual nonchalant way, before asking to be put back on the bike.
Kiki attending Critical Mass (the Kiki-branded flag is a requirement at such events)
The world smiling at you
There are often times when I'm riding that I feel like the world is just smiling at me. It's an amazing feeling. Then I remember it's not me, it's the dog, but I'll still take it as a win because it's such a lovely thing to see. Sometimes when I'm out without her on the back, people I’ve never met peer around behind me to see whether she's there, and I get a sort of ghost Kiki feeling, because it turns out I'm more reliant on her balancing with me than I am on my own.
Off on another Bike Bus adventure.
She's been into schools, too. I work at one such provision, and a lot of the young people there aren't necessarily that fond of dogs. They find Kiki will come close, and let them be comfortable with her on their own terms. She's a gentle soul, and she has a natural knack of making the people around her feel at ease. She's also done a few Bike Bus assemblies at primary schools, where we roll her in on the bike and she sits calmly looking out over the rows of children with her usual regalness.
Come and say hello
So If you see a Sprollie sat bolt upright in a crate staring at you intently, ears flapping in the breeze, that's her. She'll take a fuss, and she's very good at it. If you want to see her for longer than a passing glance, get in touch to volunteer on a Bike Bus one morning, or join us on a Critical or Kidical Mass. You don't need to be a fast or confident cyclist, and you certainly don't need to be a dog person. Kiki won’t judge you. Much.
