Drive-Thru Surprise!

Yesterday’s Post included a photo of Ray in his typical traveling position. He does also stand, particularly when he senses something interesting outside, or simply believes that he knows where we are going, and we are nearly there! His standing is an interesting position for us because, if I make a sharp turn, he will usually rest his head against the nearest head or shoulder, seemingly to just stabilize himself.

Going through a Tim Horton’s drive-thru (especially in warm weather) can be a little precarious because he gets very excited at the thought of possibly  a plain TimBit! Given that he has significant freedom to move around, the positioning of the car at the pick-up window is rather crucial.

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“Let’s see.  He’s turning into Timmies drive-thru entrance and my window is down a little. This has possibilities!”

The goal is to stop such that I can receive our order easily, while stopping Ray from attempting to intercept it.  He has two strategies to try and expedite getting his TimBit. One is to try and force himself between me and my open window. He really does not have enough freedom to be very successful, although he has surprised a server or two! His alternative is to reach out through “his” window which can have potential if I have it down too far!

It therefore becomes critical to stop at the earliest opportunity that allows me to  receive  our order. If I only slightly overshoot the pickup window, then Ray will have his head and shoulders out of his window if remotely possible!

He did surprise a server once, and I can only imagine how things unfolded for her. She was probably having a perfectly normal routine kind of day, and was preparing two coffees and a plain TimBit for the next car (us) in line. I always fold my driver’s-side mirror in so that I can get really close to the window as it makes things easier for both me and the server.

She would have seen me pull up really close, and picked up a tray with our two coffees and a bag with a TimBit in it. As she reached out to so that I could take it, Ray was trying to climb out of his window! She was clearly startled by this large furry head trying to intercept our order, but quickly regained her composure with the all too common “Oh………… he is so cute!”

I wonder what she would have thought if he had snatched the bag, containing the TimBit, out of her hand!

42 thoughts on “Drive-Thru Surprise!”

  1. Well, that would be a big surprise because Ray is a whole lotta dog. PS. She did well not to swear or shriek. Some people don’t like dogs or are afraid (as you were for a good reason) so all in all I think Ray and her accidental face to face came out rather well. -Deborah at DLM

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            • Absolutely. Sadly, if anybody had been bitten (as a result of an over enthusiastic reception) by Ray, it would have been seen as his fault… even though he would have been reacting intuitively based on his prior experiences with people. I have told a number of Moms to teach their child to always ask before approaching any dog they do not know. Sometimes they understand, and sometimes…….! Well I can only do so much.

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              • We have been on that end of the equation, our child suffered a bite to her face. She had ask the mom & been told that the dog did not like young kids. One day the father was out front & I was inside. My husband did not know the dog’s temperament so after asking & being give the okay, Well we spent the next five hours in the ER. Luckily the bite did not damage her eye. Perhaps I should write a post or page on this topic. The event did not make our kid fearful or shy of dogs. She had grown up with our accepting, gentle Keeshonds.

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                • It would be a good informative Post because so many people do not understand that a dog can be rebellious/aggressive as a result of abuse from its owners. I knew nothing about the habits/traits of dogs until forced into an instant education with Ray. It never crossed my mind that, much as a child’s upbringing can affect its perspective on the world, so can a dog be impacted in much the same manner. A parent who persistently physically punishes a teenager will likely drive the teenager out of the home. A dog does not have that option… so it will often turn to biting to resolve a situation.

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                  • You are so right, this topic tends to be so far from peoples thoughts. There are several reasons why a dog may bite. They bite each other in play & due to fit rarely scratch each other but a canine tooth caught on a child’s leg or finger can be seen as a bite. If a dog has an injury or illness he may bite to protect that sore or inflamed spot. Our Sydney had been weaned too early and never learned what mother dogs teach “stop biting cause you are now too grown-up to bite.”

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  4. My dog trainer once told me about a client of hers who had her dog with her when she went through the McDonald’s drive through window. She forgot that she had the back window down a bit too low, and the next thing she knew, her dog had jumped out of the car, into the window and disappeared in the kitchen! I can’t even imagine how that one ended…..

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  9. Ray is a big dog to restrain in the car, but he looks like he knows the ropes – and how best to get that treat 🙂
    LM has her own seat belt on the back seat and sits there very nicely – unless she sees a dog while we drive! 🙂 (I often have to stop the car and sort her out!)

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