Newcastle woman and her pink poodle go viral for riding scooter through the city

It might look barking mad, but one Newcastle pet owner is giving her pooch a taste of life in the fast lane.

Jenny Santos, 21, loves animals and has three dogs, four cats and two birds, but it's her three-year-old poodle Bella who rides shotgun through the city on her scooter.

Ms Santos said: "When I first put her on, she would jump off quickly because she didn't know what I was trying to do.

"She already knew how to stand up on her paws, so I taught her to lean on the handlebars.

She added: "At the beginning, I'd have to pick her up and put her on and she'd stay there. But now, I just have to say get up and she'll put her paws on the handlebars - she loves it."

The animal lover had always walked her dogs until she bought her push along scooter second-hand.

She had a lightbulb moment when the woman she bought it from rode the scooter with her Doberman on board.

Ms Santos has crocheted both purple and pink outfits for Bella, as well as jumpers for her cats, one of which sometimes joins the pair on the scooter in a see-through backpack.

"The cat is the most chill cat ever, he just stays watching and I want to make it more comfortable for him with a cushion," she added.

"I take him out on a harness and a lead too but he can get out of that."Surprisingly, both dog and owner do not get quite as much attention as you would expect, especially with Bella's new pink hair-do.

"People say I bet you get stopped a lot but I don't," she continued."I think it's because when people see us they don't want to distract Bella from being on the scooter, but they do love it. And Bella loves the attention."When we go on the Metro or the bus she'll sit on someone's foot just for attention and I've taught her to ask for cuddles. She loves cuddles and doesn't want them to stop."She is keen to add that she does it to enjoy some quality time with her pet rather than for attention.

Ms Santos added: "I know some people might say I'm doing it for attention, but the reason I started it is there's a big hill near where we live and it's so fun to go down with her.

"I just love going down hills with Bella - not ones that are too steep that they're dangerous though.

"If she didn't like it, she'd jump off. It's just so fun."

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