Dog is my co-pilot

OK, this may be the worst picture ever, but you can sort of see Hathaway sitting in the front seat.

I know a lot of dogs ride in the front seat, but my boy has always stayed in his space in the back of the little SUV. We go for a ride, he sits in back. I run an errand, he waits anxiously, drooling, and with his nose smudging the back window.

So today, in Ontario during a brief stop to stretch legs, relieve bladders and fill bellies, imagine our surprise when we didn't see the silhouette of that damp little nose pressed against the tinted rear window. It was even more surprising to see him riding shotgun, nose pressed against the passenger-side glass.

For 11 months, he had a clear shot at the front seat, without any suitcases, computer bags, backpacks, smelly shoes, water bottles, juice pouches, books or beach bags to impede his forward motion. But Hath held his ground and maintained his space.

For nearly 600 miles in the last 24 hours, the pit bull sat out longer pit stops in higher temperatures. But something today, during the 15 minutes it took to hit the head and grab burgers to go, prompted him to climb over piles of stuff and plop himself in the front seat to wait. We can only imagine his motivation.

All in all, he is treating his first road trip like a great big adventure, which of course, it is.