Biker Dogs: The Irreverent Vet’s Comments on How Bikers Treat Their Dogs

Bikers and their dogs. By bikers I mean motorcycles – mainly Harley Davidson's but any motorcycle enthusiast in my book fits the definition of a biker. To be honest, I haven't had a lot of experience with bikers. That is until recently. My travels recently took me to "Bike Week" in Daytona Beach. Over 500,000 motorcycles and even more bikers attend this annual event. It was absolutely amazing.

There used to be a stigma associated with bikers – you may even have a preconceived notion yourself. My preconceived notions were from others, not from any personal experience. What are your thoughts on "bikers"?

Any preconceived notion that I had about Bikers went out the window. I recently read that the average biker has an average income of 70,000 and has a college education.

From what I saw at Bike Week, bikers come in all ages, sizes, education levels, income levels and personalities but two general characteristics that I noticed was that they are really good people and they are absolutely crazy about their dogs.

Have you ever thought about how bikers treat their dogs? Bikers take great care of their dogs. I saw more dogs pampered with every type of outfit, sunglass, collars, bandana, and more accessories than I ever knew existed.

I suppose that makes sense. Bikers have an expensive hobby as motorcycles and the accessories that personalize them are expensive. So…if one were to "generalize" this group probably has the money to pamper their pets!

If you are a biker – thanks for being you. As a veterinarian, I see that you love your dogs. I'd be happy to have you as my client any day.