Animal cruelty?

[Auggie]

(01-22) Perris, Calif. (AP) --

Opee is only 8, but he's already a popular veteran in the down and dirty sport of motocross.

He can pull 6 Gs. He's been the centerfold for Cycle News and poses regularly for fan photos. He's a survivor of the grueling Baja 500 and has racked up more than 10,000 hours on a dirt bike.
Sometimes, you can barely see the 70-pound pooch — a blue merle Australian shepherd — through the dust on his goggles and his custom helmet, complete with cam.

"I am his biggest fan," said Mike Schelin, Opee's owner, race partner and a purveyor of used motorcycle parts from a shop next to his mobile home.

<snip>

"We took a spill at 75 mph in the dirt and went into a 40-foot skid," Schelin said. The dog isn't attached to the bike or Schelin in any way. He skinned his nose and scraped his paw. Schelin sliced his leg. The injuries weren't enough to put them out of the race though.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/22/lifestyle/l103119S59.DTL#ixzz0dRwgoNIH



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I could see cruising. But not racing.

[Kali]

1. I say no, it's not cruelty

but I'm an evil rancher and believe it is OK to use animals for more than lap warmers - working dogs risk at least as much as that dog and Aussies are tough SOB's anyway. And anybody that has had one will tell you what can happen if you don't "work" them in some way. They NEED it. Kids too, for that matter.

[Chan790]

2. Speaking only for myself...

I think it really depends on how the dog feels about it. If the dog enjoys riding the bike, then it's not cruel.

It's dangerous but so is riding around with your head sticking out of the window or chasing squirrels into traffic...short of active efforts on the part of owners to deter them, many dogs will do both of those things every chance they get. Suffice it to say, I'd never do it to a dog but I also am never getting on a dirt-bike (again. I grew up on them just like everybody else around me for miles) myself because it's dangerous and kinda stupid (and unfun) IMO.