'Extreme dog' Opee loves riding motorcycle in motorcross
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:36 a.m.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - Mike Schelin has trained Opee, his Australian shepherd "extreme dog" to ride motorcycles and endure the jumps, turns, dust and mud pits of competitive motocross.
Opee, 8, is "an extreme dog," said Schelin, 41, explaining that the dog rides in front of him on their dirt bike in motocross races. Opee is not attached to the bike in any way, but wears a helmet, protective goggles, and motocross jersey. Schelin says they have never won a race, but they've never come in last either.
Together, Opee and Schelin have ridden in the Harvey Mushman 100 at the Lake Elsinore Grand Prix and the Baja 500, he said.
Plenty of coastal dog owners have trained their pets to surf, Schelin said. Now the inland area of California, a mecca of motocross, has its dirt-bike racing dog.
"We want to be the goodwill ambassadors to the sport," the Perris, Calif. resident said, adding that he also likes to take Opee to visit children with disabilities.
For the most part, Schelin said, riders and audience members seem delighted by the sight of Opee in his motocross gear at events. Occasionally people accuse him of mistreating Opee when they see him on the sidelines in his helmet, and some riders dismiss them as "a circus act," he said.
For the record, the Humane Society takes a dim view of involving dogs in potentially dangerous sports such as motocross racing.
Schelin said Opee removes the helmet on his own if he wants to, and if Opee isn't in the mood to ride, they don't.
"This dog has been over 150 mph and absolutely loves it. He just looks like he's having a blast. The faster we go, the more fun he has," Schelin said.
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