Rooftop Rider: Autaugaville Dog Turns Heads While Riding High on Owner’s Truck
AUTAUGAVILLE, Ala. (WAKA) — If you’ve driven through Autaugaville lately, you may have done a double take at the sight of a big white truck with an unusual passenger riding on top.
Action 8’s Chief Photographer Bill Gill says even after years behind the camera, what he spotted along Highway 14 in Autauga County made him pull over to meet a new friend.
The man behind the wheel is Cole Collins, and the four-legged rooftop rider is Emmylou Harris — a spirited redtick cur dog with a fearless streak and a love for the wind in her face.
“We got her when she was probably three months old from a fellow named Jimmy Boswell, who breeds cur dogs for squirrel and raccoon hunting,” Collins said. “I never did any training. It just clicked with her. She started treeing squirrels and hunting on her own.”
Collins said his Labradors prefer the truck bed, but Emmylou quickly found her favorite spot.
“I put her in the bed one day and she went straight to the roof — that’s where she likes to ride,” he said. “She’s probably about 2 1/2 years old now, so she’s been doing it for two years.”
Emmylou’s rooftop rides have turned heads across Autaugaville.
“Every time we come here to the gas station, there’s somebody taking a picture or asking about her,” Collins said. “Down in our community by the river, if I take my truck anywhere — even just hanging out playing music — she’ll want to ride on the roof. Sometimes she’ll even get on the hood if I’m driving 10 miles an hour.”
“They’ll probably be people who will love it, and there are going to be people that hate it,” he said. “Some people have told me ‘you’re treating that dog badly for letting her do that.’ Well, I’m letting her do what she wants to do and live her life. She’s a dog!”
So if you see a big white truck rolling down a back road in Autaugaville, look up — you just might spot Emmylou Harris standing tall, ears flapping, living her best life with her best friend by her side.
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