Charlotte coughs, but it might have been a cover-up for something of a laugh. “So, what do we do now? We can’t just leave him there. He seems to be in distress.”
I give the corner of the lattice board between us and the cat a tug. “We could try to pry this off.”
She frowns. “Sounds like a lot of work.”
“Do you know any cat experts?” I ask.
“I’m not well-versed on the whole owning-a-pet thing,” she says with a groan.
“Neither am I, sadly. But…” I hold up a finger. “I have a resource that might help.” I take my phone out of my pocket, pull up the Fur-ever Homes website, and tap into the forum. “This has a place where you can ask pet owners questions. They even have veterinarians and vet techs weigh in sometimes.”
“Fur-ever Homes?” Charlotte asks, taking my phone from my hands. She scrolls through the list of threads and then giggles. “What is bikejoring?” She shows me the screen.
“Oh yeah. I saw that one. I guess it’s where you attach a lead to your bike and your dog pulls you along.”
“Like a dog sled situation? Only on wheels?”
“Something like that.” I take my phone from her hands, my fingers brushing against the back of her hand.
How can someone’s skin be that smooth?
“Looks like he crashed, though.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen some good posts on there.”
“How do you even know about this if you’re not a pet parent?” Her brow scrunches together.
I tilt my head to one side. How much should I tell her?
Fur-Ever Homes Forum
ForumThread:Bogeyjustturned my $3K carbon bike into a sled dog chariot—send help. (Dog is alive and well. I, on the other hand, am a bit bruised).
@HoleInOneToBogey:
My Ex/dog trainer suggested bikejoring. I bought a $200 harness and got started. Bogey saw a squirrel, hit Mach 1, and yanked me into a ditch. Bike’s fine. Ego? Massively bruised. Tips??
@MushOrBust:
Start on grass, not pavement. Also—helmet cam. We need footage.
@Bikejoring4TheWin:
Classic rookie move. Use a kickbike first—no pedals, full control. Your Tour de France legs can handle it.
@NicoleandCocoa25:
Pics or it didn’t happen. Bonus if you have footage of the chase.
@HoleInOneToBogey:
[blurry selfie: Luke face-planted, Bogey mid-zoom, leash taut]
@FurMissileMom:
I’m crying. Maybe you can frame it and call it *“Fore-ced Proximity.”*
@PawPedalPower
