Dog Mom Level: 1000

You want to know something ironic about pet ownership? "Cat people" are typecast as antisocial loners who are perfectly content to stay at home all weekend life with a book, while "dog people" are characterized as active, energetic, friendly sorts who are always looking for a good time with good friends. Yet cat owners, with their low-maintenance pets who only require a feed-dispenser and weekly litterbox cleaning, are much better equipped to actually go out and be active and energetic with their good friends; while dog owners, who are (often literally) tethered to their pets and their rigid feeding and pottying schedules, can barely leave the house!

It is really hard to be spontaneous and social when you always have to worry about whether your dog is too lonely at home without you, or about to relieve his bladder all over your bed. These problems are mitigated when you can bring your dog with you everywhere you go, but that is a lot easier said than done.

Even assuming you are lucky enough to know of a gathering place or two where dogs are welcome (it's usually a bar with a patio, and they sometimes even host genuine "yappy hours!"), there's still the matter of transporting your pooch.

Sure, you can drive your pup everywhere in style (or in my case, in a worn-out old utility vehicle), but just try parking a pickup truck in Washington, DC. Just try parking anything in Washington, DC. Really, I dare you! Also, try driving your pickup truck out of DC after you've had a yappy hour drink or three (rhetorically only; I don't dare you on this one!).

There has to be a better way, and that way is public transportation. I'm a huge fan of public transportation (my love for the Metro was one of the things that kept me from ever returning to Ohio), but it has one problem: No pets allowed.

At least, that's what I thought, until I decided to actually check what the pet policy on Metro is. As it turns out, you can bring your pet... as long as it is  "carried aboard in a secure container from which it cannot escape." Well, now, that's a dog of a different color!

Upon learning that tidbit, I spent many hours trying to concoct ways to bring my dog on Metro so I could take him to places in DC without my car. I have been informed that people routinely bring their dogs on the New York Subway in bags from which their heads poke out, but I've never seen such a sight on the DC Metro, so I decided a full enclosure was a safer bet.

Now, my Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit of a dog, but he is by no means a featherweight, so I wanted a carrier that I could wheel around, rather than have to lug in my hand. I contemplated trying to attach a dog crate to a wheeled walker; I considered modifying a large wheeled suitcase to accommodate a canine; but ultimately, I decided what Bilbo needed for both his and my comfort was a stroller. They're already designed for transporting a living being; it should be a cinch to convert one for a dog instead of a baby!

I bided my time, waiting for a stroller at a good price. I actually ordered a ready-made dog stroller on eBay for 14 dollars, but it was too good to be true. It never arrived, the seller closed their account, and I received a refund. But before too much time had passed, a neighbor put a perfectly good Graco out on the curb, and I was in business!

I won't bore you with the details of how I actually made the stroller dog-ready, but it was a process that spanned a few months. In short, I affixed the canopy with a mesh screen that attaches under the seat and to the sides with Velcro. I extended the seat back so it reclines to a full horizontal, to make more room for a dog to lie down comfortably. I also removed the footrest, though I can no longer remember why I felt that was necessary.

After it was done, several more weeks passed, during which I trained Bilbo to hop into it, sit in it patiently without trying to escape, and eventually travel around in it while it was moving. I'm pretty proud of the effort I put into this part; it was so successful that now he jumps into his stroller whenever he gets the opportunity, just because he seems to enjoy being in there!

Our first real-world trial of the stroller happened last Friday. I wasn't really prepared (I had wanted to do a few more test runs around the block and experience some encounters with real people), but one of my Meetup groups was holding a dog happy hour, and it suddenly occurred to me that this is probably the last month of the year that I'll be able to tolerate a happy hour outdoors!

So I rushed home after work, and set out for Metro with my dog and stroller firmly in hand. I let him walk to the station to burn off as much steam as possible, but then I bundled him into his stroller and boarded the train.

The trip passed entirely without incident! Bilbo wasn't as enthusiastic about the arrangement as I was, but I plied him with lots of treats and was able to pet him through the loosely attached mesh, so he didn't try any heroic escapes. I had been girding myself for a confrontation with Metro staff, but I guess women with strollers aren't that odd of a sight on transit. No one said anything, except for one floor cleaner, who, after a second take, told me, "Oh, I thought that was a baby." And then he amended himself: "I guess it is your baby."

So if that's not evidence that I've ascended to a new height of dog-mom-hood, I don't know what is!