DOGGIE TAILS #11 - IS THIS THE ANSWER TO FUEL PRICES?

Here’s an interesting Doggie Tail from Melbourne, Australia…

POOCH POWER

FUEL prices are a constant worry for some, but they don't concern Skye Bloomfield one bit. The student and sometime vegetable picker, bricklayer and DJ has a novel answer to her transport needs -- Lily, a five-year-old border collie. Her pet provides the torque for Ms Bloomfield, 27, towing her aboard a wide-bodied skateboard. The pair are a familiar sight on the pavements of Bairnsdale, regularly cracking 30km/h.

"It was all Lily's idea," said Ms Bloomfield, who has been skating for 17 years. "One day I was fooling around on the board and I had Lily's leash in one hand.

"Next thing she starts to pull me along and hey, we're both having fun.

"We tried it again and now it's a daily event."

Lily tows Ms Bloomfield into the centre of town and back each day, which is a round trip of about 4km. "We do about 30km a week together and she just loves it," Ms Bloomfield said. She found Lily in the Keysborough pound and carried her 10km to the nearest railway station to take her home.

"She'd just been de-sexed and the wound was dirty and uncomfortable," Mrs Bloomfield said. "So I cleaned her up and started to give her the love and care she'd never had and we've been the best of mates ever since."

Just about everyone she meets and talks to says it is a fabulous idea. "But I did have one women recently give me a mouthful of abuse telling me I was being cruel to the dog," Mrs Bloomfield said.

"But border collies are farm dogs who like to run and the exercise keeps Lily fit and healthy. Also, the leash is not around her neck but is connected to a harness around her shoulders and tummy."

Ms Bloomfield said she has a novel way of getting Lily to accelerate. "I must say first that I have nothing at all against cats," she said. "But when I say to Lily, 'Get the cats', she's off like a rocket."

Lily's diet is fresh meat and pasta, some vegetables and for an extra treat, chicken necks. "She costs about $30 a week to feed or about $1 a kilometre. She's great company and I love her to bits."

What do you think?
GBYAY