COLUMBIANA COUNTY Most dogs love a walk, but Griz is ready to ride

The motorcycle duo has logged thousands of miles.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- This is the tale of a man, his dog and a motorcycle.
A $6,500 gamble in 2000 has paid far greater dividends for John Rothbrust, who plunked down the extra cash to equip his new 2001 Harley Davidson Electra Glide with a sidecar for his dog, Griz.
Rothbrust and his dog have logged thousands of miles together and turned lots of heads.
"He surprises a lot of people, especially at stoplights," Rothbrust said. "On long trips he'll curl up in the bottom of the sidecar, but when the bike stops, he pops his head up to see what's going on."
Now Rothbrust is hoping for one more summer on the Harley with Griz at his side, and is planning the annual trip through Pennsylvania.
Rothbrust said a veterinarian diagnosed Griz with terminal cancer and doesn't know how long he'll live.
'My shadow'
"It could be a year or two, or four," Rothbrust said. "He's my shadow. I've had him since he was a pup -- nine years. It's going to be tough without him, but it will be tougher when I have to start leaving him at home.
"Just with his age he might only have a few more years," he said. "He still wants to go, but I know it's getting harder for him to jump in and out of the sidecar, and on cold or rainy days he doesn't enjoy riding like he used to. He'll always want to go, but I'm not going to take him if he's going to be miserable."
Except for days when Rothbrust drives a tractor-trailer or goes on Harley trips where conditions would be less-than-ideal for dogs, the Husky-Saint Bernard mix has barely left Rothbrust's side.
"I'm a biker by trade and a trucker by profession," Rothbrust said. "Griz stays with my parents when I'm out with the truck. He's not happy about it, but he'll stay with them."
For one trucking job, Rothbrust parked the truck trailer in the parking lot of a Salem business several blocks from his parents' home.
"I'd drive past my parents' house and give the truck horn a short blast," he said. "Griz would hear that and take off, and by the time I pulled the truck in to park it, Griz would be there."
Griz enjoys riding in the sidecar, but he's particular about whom he rides with, Rothbrust said.
"My niece took the bike out once, and Griz jumped in," Rothbrust said. "She took off, and pretty soon, he came running back. She said the first stop she made, he jumped out and ran home."
Rothbrust has a cover on the sidecar so Griz can stay out of the rain. One of three leather bags on Rothbrust's Harley is just for dog food, treats and other on-the-road items for Griz.
No passion for fashion
Rothbrust has tried outfitting Griz with Harley logo leather caps, and other items, but Griz won't wear most of it.
"We put the hat and goggles on him once and he looked so cool, we all laughed," Rothbrust said. "He knocked them off, and he won't leave anything on his head now. I think he thought we were laughing at him and got mad."
Griz has visited 12 states besides Ohio with Rothbrust, including Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New York. In other vehicles, Griz has traveled to Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.
"He jumps in and out by himself and I don't tie him in there or anything," Rothbrust said. "I only tie him in if I go to a restaurant or something and can't take him with me. I try to park under a roof or awning when I can. Once it was raining when I stopped to eat, and there wasn't any cover. Wow, the look he gave me with those big, miserable brown eyes ..."
Rothbrust said for the first few years the dog wouldn't ride in any vehicle, but when he moved from Alliance to Salem a few years ago, the dog didn't have a choice. He rode, and then he wanted to follow Rothbrust everywhere.
Took a chance
"I didn't know if he'd ride in the sidecar or not, but I bought it anyway," Rothbrust said. "When I first got it I jumped in the sidecar and Griz jumped in after me. We've been riding ever since. He didn't have any obedience training or anything. He's just a laid-back dog."
One of Rothbrust's annual trips with Griz each summer is to visit friends in Pennsylvania. In Wellsboro, Pa., a town in north central Pennsylvania near the New York border, the owners and patrons of The Wellsboro diner look forward to the duo's annual visit.
"People know us there," he said. "We're kind of like celebrities. You could go in there now and ask anyone. They'll tell you all about 'that Harley guy and his dog.'"