Off-road dog has need for speed, owner says

TRICK DOG: A man has trained his Australian shepherd to ride in motocross races with him.
Sit. Stay. Pop a wheelie. Good dog.

A southwest Riverside County man has trained his 8-year-old Australian shepherd, Opee, to ride motorcycles and endure the jumps, turns, dust and mud pits of motocross.

Opee is "an extreme dog," said Mike Schelin, 41, explaining that the dog rides in front of him on their dirt-bike in competitive 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, a mecca of motocross, has its dirt-bike racing dog.

"We want to be the goodwill ambassadors to the sport," the Perris resident said, adding that he also likes to take Opeeto 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.

Motorcycle dogs

In his garage next door to the Perris Raceway, Schelin showed off Opee's various modified while the dog and the family's latest addition, Marty, an Australian shepherd puppy and motocross dog in the making, romped around a pile of old dirt-bike tires. Schelin recently started a business, Area 74 Cycles, buying "ugly motorcycles" and breaking them down to sell for parts.

Schelin said the dog came before the motorcycles. Schelin took up motocross riding about 10 years ago after he got divorced and abandoned his office job. He hadn't ridden since he was growing up in Escondido in San Diego County.

Schelin said he didn't like leaving Opee behind when he went riding in the desert, so he decided to try bringing him along on a four-wheeler. Then one day, Schelin said, Opee jumped up on his street motorcycle and they were off.

"I thought, 'My god, he rides better than my ex-wife," Schelin said with a grin. "He's totally into it."

"It was just such fun riding with him and seeing the expressions on people's faces," he said.

The idea to race was suggested by some "old timers" who remembered John McCown, who was known for racing with his dog Kookie in the 70s, Schelin said. They appear in the 1971 paean to motorcycles, "On Any Sunday," which also shows the actor Steve McQueen riding in the Elsinore Grand Prix.

Schelin said he had never raced at all before he took it up with Opee.

"It had always been a dream of mine," Schelin said.

Schelin said he and Opee have developed their own riding style. Going around turns, the dog and the bike lean in, but Schelin has to lean out to see around Opee. They have experimented with various items for Opee to grip, such as carpets and pillows, but he learned to ride with nothing at all, Schelin said.

In some respects, having 80 extra pounds of dog and gear on board helps, Schelin said - the added weight acts as a stabilizer. He is so skinny, Schelin joked, that "together we make one real rider."

He also gives Opee cues when they are approaching a difficult spot. At jumps, for instance, he says, "Set it up," and Opee will duck down and hold on.

Asked whether Australian shepherds make good motorcycle dogs, Schelin said, "As far as being smart and always wanting to be your friend, yes. But he's too big...He takes up half the bike."

Schelin said that while it might seem crazy to ride with his dog, having Opee around lets him share the experience of riding.

"I talk to him like a human. He's my best friend," Schelin said.

Cathy Tonkovich, of Corona, who became friends with Schelin while spending time at Perris Raceway, said his dogs are like his family.

"He's got a big heart," she said. "I just get a kick out of him every time I see him and those dogs. He's something else."

Frank Loaiza, of Lake Elsinore, a paramedic who has known Schelin for several years, said that while people in the motocross community might not know who Mike is, they know his dog.

"Opee is famous."