Toby maybe a little dog but he sure knows how to ride in style
In rural communities, the sight of a horse-drawn cart - while novel - isn't all that unusual. But when Terry Duff drives his 2,000-pound draft horse, Jake, around his small North Carolina town, the sight draws much more than a passing glance.
It's not just Jake's size that catches people's attention. What really causes people to stop and stare is that tiny dog sitting on the huge horse's back.
As Jake trots along, Toby, a five-pound Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix, stands confidently atop his back, with his tiny front paws firmly planted on the harness collar. When Jake comes to a halt, Toby runs back and forth on the horse's broad back until Duff jiggles the reins, Jake's signal to move and Toby's signal to get back in position.
Duff, a lifelong resident of Wallace, NC, had owned and driven Jake, a Percheron, for about five years before Toby arrived. The small dog came into his life three years ago and Duff said he discovered the dog's equestrian talent quite by accident.
"One day I was just wondering how the horse would react if I put the dog on his back," he said.
He tried it, and Duff said the pair easily tolerated each other, so he began placing Toby on Jake's back when the big horse was in the pasture. Although the little dog did fall off a couple of times in the beginning, he soon became steady enough to confidently ride around town.
That was two years ago, and today Toby looks forward to the rides, barking with excitement whenever he sees Jake getting harnessed. On a recent Saturday, the pint-sized dog vaulted from Duff's arms onto Jake's back, his body wiggling in enthusiastic expectation of the ride.
Duff said he has yet to get tired of onlooker's reactions to his odd animal couple.
"The public is what I enjoy," he said, guiding Jake onto the road toward town. "Just to see the children smile and laugh is the enjoyment I get. They like seeing something so big carrying something so small."
Mayor Charley Farrior said while the area is growing fast, Duff's trips through town with Toby and Jake help preserve some of Wallace's small town flavor.
"I don't think I've ever been to another town and seen anything quite like it," he said. "It's certainly unique."
After more than an hour in town, Duff turned the cart onto N.C. 11, toward home. Jake, knowing his familiar stable was getting closer, picked up the pace, his harness jingling as his hoofs clip-clopped on the road. Almost on cue, Toby struck a hood-ornament pose, chest out and fluffy tail flying like a flag in the breeze.
Duff said if he had more pasture space he'd love to have another draft horse, not only to keep Jake company but so he could drive them as a team.
"It would be nice to have two of them," he smiled. "Of course, I'd have to get another dog so he could ride with Toby."
http://www.dogflu.ca/02282007/13/a_real_life_dog_and_pony_show
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