Harley McGuire, SedonaEye.com star pet columnist sends a Four Paws Up to new pal Addie and her pet parent Bryan

Sedona AZ (March 24, 2014) – Dog days of summer are almost here again! We’ve all seen it – a dog with his head tilted up, the breeze blowing through his fur, with an unmistakable look of pure joy on his face as he takes a ride in his favorite person’s car. The sight is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. Everyone can identify with that feeling of unadulterated bliss!

But what is it about car rides that makes dogs so happy? That is the question being asked of SedonaEye.com star pet columnist Harley McGuire, your very own Four Paws Up sage!

“Truth is, I dug in the mystery and used my own personal ‘periences,” said Harley McGuire while comfortably sprawled on his favorite couch. “My pals and I came up with five plausible reasons for this curious phenomenon. Well, I came up with four and the rest of them agreed on one because they were all busy chasing each other in the park and not paying attention. Kids!”

Here’s our top five:

• We like adventures.

Support Red Rose Inspiration Animal Shelter today! Tell ’em Harley McGuire sent ya!

This doesn’t apply to every dog, of course – some of my pals are shy and crave comfort — but in general we’re curious by nature and really enjoy any kind of adventure, from taking a new hiking trail, to meeting a new pal, to ‘ploring interesting smelling crawlspaces under the house or deck. A car adventure though is as good as it gets – it’s new, unpredictable, longer than many walking adventures, and offers all kinds of opportunities for an exciting time, maybe even an ice cream cone or new park filled to the brim with pals! Where will we go today? Who will we see? Yippee!

• There’s a smorgasbord of smells in the air.

We dogs are all about smells, and for good reason! According to Nova’s website, scientists found out that my pals and I have about 3,000,000 olfactory receptors in their noses – you only have a paltry 30,000. Our sense of smell overpowers yours because our noses are 10,000 to 100,000 times better! Whose your dog now, baby?

I bet you want to know what does this mean ‘zactly? Well, as dog-cognition researcher Alexandra Horowitz explains (she wrote a book called Inside of a Dog) my pals and I can sniff out a teaspoon of sugar in a million gallons of water.

Be jealous!

When I invited you over I thought you were nuts about car rides! You’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do Lucy!

So, when you crack open the car window, you’re cracking open a whole fascinating, unseen world for my pals and me to entertain ourselves indefinitely. We’re happy sniffing in the backyard cuz there are thousands of new smells every minute, that’s right, folks! Flowers in bloom, the smell of food cooking at restaurants, to that javelina or deer that ran by two hours ago and left his scent!

Show your manners! Stay outta my yard ‘less I says you can come in!

• There’s something new to see everywhere.

We get ‘cited when we see stuff! You’ve probably noticed? Some of us, maybe yours truly but I’m not ‘fessin’ up, can get manic at the sight of a squirrel or rabbit in the yard or, okay maybe, the mail delivery or garbage truck. On a car trip, there’s no end to the things that can catch my pals attention – from squirrels, to pedestrians, to other doggie passengers! Unlike our human travel companions, busy trying to get where they’re going but stuck going round and round the roundabouts, my pals and I have the luxury of gazing out the window throughout the whole trip.

Mom, I knows ya passed that exit twice! Turn around already would ya? I smelled hot dogs back there!

• We’re comforted by the close presence of our “pack”!

A car creates close quarters and this us feel safe. We can see you, smell you, and be near you, while still getting all kinds of sensory stimulation we can’t get on the couch at home! In a sense, you’re my pack and we’re on an adventure together — just the way things would be in the wild. ‘Cept we’re traveling in a familiar vehicle, with comfy spaces to curl up in if we gets tired of looking at the scenery!

My pal, Herkulees, curls up in the back window of his dad’s car and takes naps – between checking out the other cars. Herk’s dad says he’s training him to spot radar but Herk says he’s stretching his “I’m too sexy for my paws” in the window while on the lookout for cute four paws gals!

• It triggers our hunting instinct!

Kevin Behan of Natural Dog Training believes we love to take car rides because it puts us in the same state of euphoria that hunting does.

Kevin wrote, “…the car causes synchronized movements among the “pack members” as they sway along with the twists and turns of the road. These synchronized movements trigger a feeling in dogs similar that of moving in unison with a pack on the hunt. In addition, to your dog the objects outside the car appear to be moving quickly, which can trigger his instinct to give chase.”

So I write, “If you say so, Kevie! Personally my mom doesn’t drive so crazy that the car is swaying all the time – but she’s had her moments! She makes me feel safe in the car and that’s way more ‘portant! So pals, keep heads and paws inside the car at all times and be properly secured. See the sights, sniff the wind and feel the excitement of our new adventure knowing our pet parents will enjoy the ride more because we’re all happy and safe. But personally, let me ask you pet parents to hold that car swaying down to a minimum – unless we’re chasing a deer or somethin’ then you better let ‘er rip! Then it better be all paws to the floor with lots of swayin’ allowed!”

Check out my pal Kim Salerno’s website called TripsWithPets for a list of pet friendly hotels, then let’s all race to the car and head out for a new ‘splorin’ adventure! Buckle up!

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