Bleu sits smugly on the pallet of a cargo bike with my son, Asa. It was not always that way for Bleu. We adopted Bleu last year, and he is a wonderful addition to our family.

We were new to dog ownership and relatively clueless. However, we knew we would make many visits to our local dog park (Alberta Park) so Bleu could play with buddies. We also knew that we would get there by bike, cargo bike.

I knew riding a cargo bike with my dog was possible, but it would take time. My neighbor’s dog sometimes rides with him to work. Check out her ears as they glide to work.

Would Bleu be as comfortable on a bike? On a whim, my wife and I cajoled Bleu into the cargo bike box with treats and overly enthusiastic, high-pitched voices to see if it would just “work,” and as we walked the cargo bike down the block with him in the box it did … not work.

To help Bleu get comfortable with riding on a bike we brought the box into the living room thereby making it a fixture in his life. In addition, we

• Put his toys in the box
• Gave treats when he went into the box
• Stood in the box with him
• Taught the command “box” which he seems to understand as he will head to the box or pallet closest to him and jump in

After acclimation to the box, it was time for the next step. With box on bike, we went for a push around the block. Then we worked our way up to slow biking around the same block. Then biking around neighborhood. After a couple of days, Bleu was on board, literally.

These days, getting to the dog park is a leisurely ride. It makes for a good family outing, and with all six of us on bikes and a dog in the front, it makes for a good sight.

Set of photos of Bleu in the box, box training.