Everyone’s Favorite Shotgun Rider

Just because it only takes one person to drive a side-by-side doesn’t mean off-roading has to be a solo adventure. On the contrary, one of the best parts of cruising in your favorite UTV is the company that comes with it: your family, your friends, those random dudes you just met yesterday at the ride park. But for many, their all-time favorite shotgun rider is a little smaller, a little furrier, and has a couple extra legs.

If you’re familiar with the team here at SuperATV, you know we’re big dog fans. We have dogs roaming the office, many of us treat our fur-babies like our own children, and of course, we love taking them on as many off-road outings as possible. So you can imagine how happy it makes us to see you doing the same!

We thought we’d take a few minutes and share some of our favorite photos of some of YOUR favorite canine adventurers, because who doesn’t love a good doggy shoutout? Check out these off-roading pups and then head down to the comments to tell us all about your favorite shotgun rider.

Monkey from Colorado Springs, Colorado

This is Monkey, a Chihuahua/Terrier mix from Colorado. Monkey’s mom Amber says he absolutely loves riding! Their family’s first off-roading experience was in Moab, when they rented a UTV while on vacation. After that, they had to buy one of their own because they loved it so much. They’ve owned three side-by-sides since then, and Monkey has been riding with them from the very beginning!

River from Huntington Beach, California

River is a three-year-old Labraheeler (Lab/Blue Heeler mix). She’s been adventuring with her “paw”rents since she was twelve weeks old—paddle boarding, hiking, snowshoeing, you name it. Her family recently moved to Southern California and that’s where River was introduced to her first RZR ride. She is perfectly happy to ride shotgun and feel the wind in her fur! To keep her safe on the go, River’s parents have invested in rattlesnake aversion training and recall training. She uses a Ruffwear harness and Rexspecs Goggles while riding, both of which are made specifically for dogs.

Tallie from Suffield, Ohio

Tallie, known affectionately to her parents as “their little rider pup,” is a Yorkie/Blue Heeler mix. She’s been riding ATVs and side-by-sides since she was only eight weeks old. She’s now four years old and has over 8,000 trail miles under her belt! Like River, Tallie owns several pairs of Doggles to stay safe and comfortable on the go. Her family never goes riding without her, and she’s often stopped by strangers who want to take her picture. (Can you blame them?)

Ralph from Havana, Illinois

Ralph is a Beagle/Lab/Pit mix from Illinois who loves riding with his fur-dad, Bob. In fact, all of the pups in this family love off-roading! We talked to Bob’s son Chris, who shared that one of their family’s favorite pastimes is hitting the trail with their dogs. Their favorite places to ride are Brick’s Off Road Park in Missouri and Badlands Off Road Park in Indiana. As for the dogs, they don’t have a preference, as long as they’re along for the ride.

Wilbur from Madison, Indiana

Wilbur is actually part of the SuperATV family, since his dad Corey is our in-house social media guru. Wilbur is an American Pitbull Terrier/American Staffordshire Terrier mix who is always ready to ride—in the RZR, in his dad’s truck, wherever. Progressive retinal atrophy has left him almost completely blind, but that doesn’t slow Wilbur down in the slightest. As soon as he hears that motor fire up, he finds his way into the passenger seat or, even better, onto Corey’s lap. (Because 80 pounds doesn’t make you too big to be a lap dog, does it?)

If you’ve never tried off-roading with your favorite four-legged pal, we strongly recommend it (as long as the appropriate safety measures are taken and your pup doesn’t hate it, of course). As they say, everything’s better with a dog—and hitting the trails is no exception.