Driving with a 12-pack isn’t usually the smartest idea. But when the “12-pack” is a dozen adorable dogs, it’s genius.

Meet creative thinker Meg Vogt, affectionately known as the Dog Bus Lady of Sullivan’s Gulch. When Meg launched Dogs Rule, a bus service for dogs in Portland, Oregon, the locals really got on board.

Dogged Devotion

Throughout her life, Meg has solved canine challenges that would overwhelm most people.

Viciously attacked as a puppy, Mr. Diego was soon making his mark on the world—specifically on its inhabitants. But Meg, who was then a dog walker, spent years working through his issues, gradually enabling him to socialize peaceably.

Chelsea, a retired police dog, had degenerative myelopathy. Every morning, said Meg, she’d “ease the dog’s rear end into a special wheelchair and drive to a park where Chelsea could chase after squirrels.”

“We totally bonded. Still, I told myself that when Mr. Diego and Chelsea passed, I would move on to a real job. But there was no way. I had all these soul connections with dogs.”

After a series of remarkable careers—paginator at USA Today, audio engineer, video producer, camp counselor, radio show host, and concierge, Meg had found her real job.

How Much Is That School Bus in the Window?

In 2008, Meg bought an old school bus and figured out how to operate it on the drive home. She parked it beside the house that she shares with her very supportive wife, Deb (“Not a Dog Person”) Bridges. Then she invited the neighborhood over.

The dog bus was born. And wow, did it ever bus a move. Who let the dogs out? Oh, I see: In Portland, Oregon this is not a rhetorical question.

Blue Rover, Blue Rover

Recently, I joined Meg on her rounds. Our destination? Thousand Acres—open land, berry bushes, and a delta. It’s off-leash paradise.

Because her passengers lack opposable thumbs, Meg uses house keys that clients entrust to her. Eagerly anticipating their day out, the dogs trot to the bus door, race up the steps, and take their usual seats.

It’s Spring Break. Several dogs are on vacation, taking their humans with them, so we’re down to a six-pack and a bonus pup. Our seven riders range from petite Moe to a pony-sized Irish wolfhound named Grendel. (Which technically makes Grendel a Beowulf-hound.)

Now add Meg’s “god dog” Piper the Scottie, Ida the yellow Lab, Max the French poodle, Porter the black Lab, and Finn the fantastic medley. It could be a recipe for chaos. Instead, it’s like the best buddy movie ever.

Grendel leans his massive head out the window, breezing. Moe snuggles. Porter seems pensive, as if composing a bestselling bark-all. Max, Ida, and Piper look out the windows. Finn reclines but casts a supervisory look over the pack.

Go, Dog, Go!

The dogs somehow contain themselves as Meg parks. Once out the door, they run merrily down the path, splitting off occasionally to run in broad, looping arcs.

Porter, the quiet one, turns daring explorer, scouting the perimeter. Piper and Moe hold court with adoring fans.

Finn wades into the water. There is no branch so big, no stick tossed so far, that he cannot retrieve it.

The Leader of the Pack

When it’s time to go, how do you gather a pack of dogs from 1400 acres? The secret is to be Meg Vogt. At her call, all seven come running. Together, they lope along as one big family and board the bus.

To be tuckered out after a day of fun is the best kind of tired in the world. While the dogs rest, Meg shares her story.

Incredible Journey

“I was that white kid on the Rez,” she says. “It was a beautiful experience, growing up in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.”

Most nights, Meg would take her bedding out to the screened-in porch. There she’d sleep with her dog Carly, whom her mom had rescued as a puppy.

“It was sweet waking up to the sound of an Evinrude motor on the lake. I’d get in the canoe with Carly in front. Then I’d take off across the lake, go hiking in the National Forest. That was my childhood.”

Lassie (and Buddies), Come Home

One by one, the dogs are returned home. I feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, sad to bid farewell to my new friends.

It’s the community, says Meg, who helps keep her bus running. When the dog bus needed a new transmission, folks pitched in. “Sullivan’s Gulch is a good community that way. We all take care of each other.”

Dog Tales and Winding Trails

Now Meg hopes to fund a multi-purpose space for dogs and humans called Rawhide Ranch. So she’s writing books. There’s no shortage of material:

Her richly lived life has doglegged around the world. (Although we’ve only just met, Meg and I discover that our paths had crossed years earlier. We’d both been volunteer radio hosts at KAZU in Pacific Grove, California.)

There’s true love conquering all as Meg’s wife faced down metastatic colon cancer. Deb played soccer between rounds of chemo and went from having a 6% chance of survival to becoming a world-class race walker.

Then there are Meg’s “myku,” her version of haiku. Doggerel? Hardly! But the dogs clearly are muses:

That night, I make a wish on the Dog Star: May Meg’s dog tales and other writing find a loving home. And may the dog bus and the dog pack always roam free.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

$\"Meg$

Dog’s Rule! is a\u00a0(p)awesome bus service based in Sullivan’s Gulch, Portland, Oregon.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n

Creative Thinking for Canines
\nin Portland, Oregon<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Driving with a 12-pack isn\u2019t usually the smartest idea. But when the “12-pack” is a dozen adorable dogs, it’s genius.<\/p>\n
Meet creative thinker Meg Vogt, affectionately known as the Dog Bus Lady of Sullivan’s Gulch. When Meg launched Dogs Rule, a bus service for dogs in Portland, Oregon, the locals really got on board.<\/p>\n
$\"Creative$
The dogs on the bus go woof-woof-woof<\/em> all around the town\u2014en route to leash-free parks.
\u00a9 Ryan LaBriere @LabrierePhoto<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n
Dogged Devotion<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Throughout her life, Meg has solved canine challenges that would overwhelm most people.<\/p>\n
Consider Mr. Diego.<\/p>\n
Viciously attacked as a puppy, Mr. Diego was soon making his mark on the world\u2014specifically on its inhabitants. But Meg, who was then a dog walker, spent years working through his issues, gradually enabling him to socialize peaceably.<\/p>\n
$\"Mr.$
By 2015, Mr. Diego had become the poster pooch for the local humane society.\u00a0
\u00a9 Meg Vogt<\/p><\/div>\n
Chelsea, a retired police dog, had degenerative myelopathy. Every morning, said Meg, she’d “ease the dog\u2019s rear end into a special wheelchair and drive to a park where Chelsea could chase after squirrels.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWe totally bonded. Still, I told myself that when Mr. Diego and Chelsea passed, I would move on to a real job. But there was no way. I had all these soul connections with dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a series of remarkable careers\u2014paginator at USA Today, audio engineer, video producer, camp counselor, radio show host, and concierge, Meg had found her real job.<\/p>\n
$\"Creative$
Meg, Max, and Grendel practice howlistic therapy.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
How Much Is That School Bus in the Window?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
In 2008, Meg bought an old school bus and figured out how to operate it on the drive home. She parked it beside the house that she shares with her very supportive wife, Deb (\u201cNot a Dog Person\u201d) Bridges. Then she invited the neighborhood over.<\/p>\n
$\"Families,$
Sullivan’s Gulch neighbors gather for a paint-and-pizza party.
\u00a9 Meg Vogt<\/p><\/div>\n
The dog bus was born. And wow, did it ever bus\u00a0<\/em>a move. Who let the dogs out? Oh, I see:\u00a0<\/strong>In Portland, Oregon this is not a rhetorical question.<\/p>\n
Blue Rover, Blue Rover <\/strong><\/h4>\n
Recently, I joined Meg on her rounds. Our destination? \u00a0Thousand Acres\u2014open land, berry bushes, and a delta. It’s off-leash paradise.<\/p>\n
Because her passengers lack opposable thumbs, Meg uses house keys that clients entrust to her. Eagerly anticipating their day out, the dogs trot to the bus door, race up the steps, and take their usual seats.<\/p>\n
$\"Dogs$
Why chase your tail when you can catch a bus?
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
It\u2019s Spring Break. Several dogs are on vacation, taking their humans with them, so we’re down to a six-pack and a bonus pup. \u00a0Our seven riders range from petite Moe to a pony-sized Irish wolfhound named Grendel. (Which technically makes Grendel a Beowulf-hound.)<\/p>\n
Now add Meg\u2019s \u201cgod dog\u201d Piper the Scottie, Ida the yellow Lab, Max the French poodle, Porter the black Lab, and Finn the fantastic medley. It could be a recipe for chaos. Instead, it\u2019s like the best buddy movie ever.<\/p>\n
Grendel leans his massive head out the window, breezing. Moe snuggles. Porter seems pensive, as if composing a bestselling bark-all. Max, Ida, and Piper look out the windows. Finn reclines but casts a supervisory look over the pack.<\/p>\n
$\"Several$
The dogs are poised for that first sight of green fields.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Go, Dog, Go!<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The dogs somehow contain themselves as Meg parks. Once out the door, they run merrily down the path, splitting off occasionally to run in broad, looping arcs.<\/p>\n
$\"Meg$
Best dog run ever!
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
There is no happiness like that of dogs roaming free.<\/p>\n
\u201cIda Idaho\u201d spots a puddle and knows just what to do.<\/p>\n
$\"Dogs$
Dive in!
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
$\"Dogs$
Max and Grendel show off for the pup-arazzi.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Porter, the quiet one, turns daring explorer, scouting the perimeter.\u00a0 Piper and Moe hold court with adoring fans.<\/p>\n
Finn wades into the water. There is no branch so big, no stick tossed so far, that he cannot retrieve it.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Finn branches out.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
The Leader of the Pack<\/strong><\/h4>\n
When it\u2019s time to go, how do you gather a pack of dogs from 1400 acres? The secret is to be Meg Vogt. At her call, all seven come running. Together, they lope along as one big family and board the bus.<\/p>\n
$\"Creative$
Anyone who thinks the dog bus is a trendy business is barking up the wrong tree.
The only high end in this labor of love is Grendel\u2019s.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
To be tuckered out after a day of fun is the best kind of tired in the world. While the dogs rest, Meg shares her story.<\/p>\n
Incredible Journey<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u201cI was that white kid on the Rez,\u201d she says. \u00a0\u201cIt was a beautiful experience, growing up in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most nights, Meg would take her bedding out to the screened-in porch. There she\u2019d sleep with her dog Carly, whom her mom had rescued as a puppy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was sweet waking up to the sound of an Evinrude motor on the lake. I’d get in the canoe with Carly in front. Then I\u2019d take off across the lake, go hiking in the National Forest. That was my childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lassie (and Buddies), Come Home<\/strong><\/h4>\n
One by one, the dogs are returned home. I feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz<\/em>, sad to bid farewell to my new friends.<\/p>\n
$\"Neighbors$
Max loves Meg’s dog bus so much, he watches from a balcony for its arrival.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
It\u2019s the community, says Meg, who helps keep her bus running. When the dog bus needed a new transmission, folks pitched in. “Sullivan’s Gulch is a good community that way. We all take care of each other.”<\/p>\n
$\"Meg$
Meg chats with Sullivan’s Gulch neighbor \u0160t\u0115p\u00e1n \u0160imek . . . \u00a0
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
$\"A$
. . . and a delighted passerby named Monique.\u00a0
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Dog Tales and Winding Trails<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Now Meg hopes to fund a multi-purpose space for dogs and humans called Rawhide Ranch. So she’s writing books. There’s no shortage of material:<\/p>\n
Her richly lived life has doglegged around the world. (Although we’ve only just met, Meg and I discover that our paths had crossed years earlier. We\u2019d both been volunteer radio hosts at KAZU in Pacific Grove, California.)<\/p>\n
There\u2019s true love conquering all as Meg\u2019s wife faced down metastatic colon cancer. Deb played soccer between rounds of chemo and went from having a 6% chance of survival to becoming a world-class race walker.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
When Moe lost a twin, the pack cheered him up.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Then there are Meg\u2019s \u201cmyku,\u201d her version of haiku. Doggerel? Hardly! But the dogs clearly are muses:<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Shut down your keyboard.<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Come! Take in the morning light.<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Can you smell the rain?<\/em><\/p>\n
Creative thinking at its off-leash best.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That night, I make a wish on the Dog Star: May Meg’s dog tales and other writing find a loving home. And may the dog bus and the dog pack always roam free.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Long may their tails wag!
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Comment<\/a> on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment<\/em>\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":30651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108,248,225,199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ideas-creative","category-makingadifference-life","category-nature-travel","category-usa-mappoints"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30649"}],"version-history":[{"count":73,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30760,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30649\/revisions\/30760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Creative Thinking for Canines in Portland, Oregon

Dogged Devotion

How Much Is That School Bus in the Window?

Blue Rover, Blue Rover

Go, Dog, Go!

The Leader of the Pack

Incredible Journey

Lassie (and Buddies), Come Home

Dog Tales and Winding Trails

Creative Thinking for Canines
in Portland, Oregon