Heads turn as two best friends, nearly identical facial hair blowing in the stiff January wind, ride tandem on a motorcycle in downtown Chattanooga.
Kenneth Skinner is at the controls. Perched on the front of the red and black, two-wheeled vehicle like a 55-pound hood ornament is "Fifty Caliber Skinner," a young but large German shepherd-husky mix.
Skinner said he was raised with dogs around the house. He grew up and moved out on his own, bought a motorcycle and began working third shift as a delivery driver at City Cafe.
But he missed having a pup in his life, so just over a year ago, Skinner prayed about it and decided to get one. He was ecstatic after adopting "Cali," but quickly realized that he now had to divvy his time between his two loves: His motorcycle and his new dog.
"I got tired of going places without her (on the motorcycle) so one day I decided to strap a pillow on and put her on there," the 24-year-old explained. "I was thinking what an idiot I must look like, trying to put a dog on a motorcycle, and then I just thought, there are billions of people in this world, I'm sure somebody has tried this."
Cali took to riding on the motorcycle nearly instantly and was completely comfortable by the second trip. She now goes everywhere with Skinner except to work -- on daily errands, hiking trips to the mountains and even to church on Sunday.
The Chattanooga native is not really concerned about the added danger in riding with his pet, but he did rig up a harness tethering Cali to himself so his new friend wouldn't accidentally fall off while traveling along the interstate or curvy mountain roads. He also makes an effort to keep his trips under an hour so Cali stays as comfortable as possible. Overall, he believes any risk involved is outweighed by the amount of quality time the two get to spend together.
"I've had people follow me on the interstate and take photos." Skinner said. "I like people seeing her on there because it might give someone else the idea to get out with their dog."