Passionate about his pooch and motorcycles, Steve creatively found a way to bring together his two favourite things.
“I love hiking with my dog and I love my motorcycle,” explains Steve. “The struggle I always had was if the weather is nice do I go for a hike with the dog or ride my motorcycle? Combining the two seemed pretty natural.”
Steve picked up a trailer in British Columbia, customized it for safety, and invited his furry best friend for trips on the road.
Just like that, puppercycle was born.
“My old dog Bricklin spent a lot of time on the road with me,” Steve recalls. “Bricklin was a great learner and was comfortable anywhere. He was always just happy to be with me anywhere I went.”
“We used to road trip everywhere together. We often looked for the most out of the way, nonsense roadside attractions. Specifically, ‘world’s largest’ roadside attractions. It was always just an excuse to drive to new places across Canada and the US and often do big hikes and camping trips together.”
Then one day Steve brought home a new addition to the family – Datsun.
“Datsun immediately adopted all of Bricklin’s great characteristics,” Steve reminisces. “Last year was Datsun’s first motorcycle trip. Both dogs and I rode to Savannah, Georgia. Megan, my partner, flew down and the four of us came back together as a full family road trip across the Eastern Seaboard. This was for sure the best of many long-distance trips I’ve ever had.”
Sadly, Bricklin passed early this year at a very ripe old age after a good life. “He lives on in Datsun,” says Steve.
Now a duo, Steve was determined to have Datsun closer to him while riding. “COVID lockdown was tough on all of us but I had some extra time,” Steve explains. He began building the Datsun Box and tested out different models to make sure Datsun would be comfortable and safe.
Normally a long-distance rider, all travel plans were cancelled due to the pandemic. Steve and Datsun decided to do the most Nova Scotia thing they could. They googled where all the lighthouses were in the province and set an arbitrary goal to visit every lighthouse in Nova Scotia – together.
“Datsun and I have now put more miles on two wheels this year than I have ever done on any of my big trip years,” laughs Steve. Many lighthouses are on islands and require kayaking so Steve got a 19-foot dual kayak for him and Datsun.
They have almost hit their goal. In fact, they have visited 124 lighthouses so far and traveled on nearly every road in Nova Scotia.
And Datsun? He can’t get enough. “He treats the bike with the same excitement as a normal dog gets for a car ride.”
“Every time I see a new part of Nova Scotia, I come home saying that it’s my new favourite,” Steve says. “I don’t think I ever realized how much I like my home until I started all this. This has unexpectedly been the best motorcycle year of my life rediscovering Nova Scotia.”
Seeing how happy Datsun and Steve are on their adventures together is truly heart-warming and inspiring.
Pets are so special. They make us laugh. And comfort us. They give unconditional love.
If you have a pet who brings you joy or has left paw prints in your heart, please donate to the Nova Scotia SPCA to help pets who are waiting for their furever friend.