According to the highly popular “Law and Order” section of The Cordova Times, on Nov. 9 a “caller reported a small pickup doing donuts in the hospital parking lot.”
No, this wasn’t some intoxicated baker doing his thing; these “donuts” refer to circular tire marks made by a vehicle spinning at high speed in repeated circles.
Such donuts used to be a staple on the Little League ball field, located right across from the high school. A recently completed fence has eliminated that problem, but circular rubber marks can still be found, especially at wide parking lots along the Copper River Highway, including the Mile 7 turnout and the USFS Viewing area at Mile 11.
These tire marks might not seem very noteworthy, but a video of a dog who drove donuts alone in a car for a half hour sure was. It made national news, included a brief segment on the NBC Evening News Report on Nov. 22.
Appropriately enough, it all began with a wrong turn. While trying to figure out where he was, a driver in Port St. Lucie, Florida stepped out of his car and shut the door.
That’s when his dog Max hit the gearshift and put the car in reverse, beginning a 30-minute tour round and round a cul-de-sac, traveling fast enough to leave tread marks.
The police were notified, but discovered an extra “fob” from the driver wouldn’t open the door, and finally were able to get in by entering a code in the drive-side door keypad — after the donut-making session was over.
According to accounts from Anna Sabol, who lived near the cul-de-sac, the car finally stopped after going up a lawn and hitting a mailbox.
A Port St. Lucie Police Report indicated no one was hurt, the car sustained only minor damage, and Max, the driver, was fine, healthy and happy.
Sabol, a key and sharp-witted witness, told a reporter for the Sun-Sentinel, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida newspaper, “They should give that dog a license. He drives better than some people I’ve seen on the road here.”
Cordova has had its share of entertaining dog-locking-door incidents, none of which made national news or even the local police report.
One happened at the base of the Ski Hill. I had parked to head up for a hike and noticed one of the area workers standing on the back bumper of his older Bronco, trying to pry down the window. He didn’t seem too happy, but his dog was having a gay time, merrily bounding about inside — after stepping on the button that locked the doors
I offered him a ride to the police station to get help, but he declined. When I returned from my hike, the vehicle was gone, so evidently the dog had finally hit the right button, or his master had managed to get in through the back window. Fortunately, the car was not running when the dog took over.
Cordova’s popular burn pile on Orca Road is another location ripe for potential dog-car adventures, as it is not uncommon for locals to take their pets along for the ride when visiting the site.
It is also not unusual for “dumpers,” intent on making it easy to unload their burnables, to back up to the pile while it is in flames. They might want to take the keys out of the car in the process.
Several years ago, someone was in the back of his pickup throwing brush on the flames, and noticed they were creeping rather close to his vehicle.
He hastily jumped out to pull away, and there was his dog, paws on the steering wheel, peering at him through fogged-up windows, with the doors locked, after bumping the door lock button while moving to the driver’s seat.
Fortunately, a passer-by had a tow rope, and pulled the vehicle away from the advancing blaze.
Misadventures regarding dogs and locks aren’t restricted to cars, or for that matter, dogs, alone.
For years, popular long-time Cordova High basketball coach Bob Lenz worked out at Alaska Airlines handling freight during the summers, often putting in long hours with salmon shipments.
After one very arduous day, the crew had finished loading baggage in a 737, and was back in the terminal. The jet was preparing to taxi off. Someone counted noses, and observed brightly, “Has anyone seen Lenzo?”
Instead of being locked out, he was locked in. Guess where?
One of my grandkids’ favorite books is “Go, Dog! Go.”This time, instead of “Go, Dog. Go!”, it would have been Go, Bob. Go!
