I did not know that yesterday!

Everyone has witnessed the rapturous joy dogs experience while sticking their heads out of car windows. Amazingly, I couldn't find any scholarly research to explain the behavior. Here are three theories I came up with...

1. The sensation of a brisk wind against your face carrying with it scents and fast-moving sights is appealing to many humans. So imagine speeding against the wind with the ability to sniff up to a million times better and to perceive movement at a much quicker pace. For a dog, sticking its head out a moving car must be an all-around sense-sensation the magnitude of which we olfactory-challenged humans can only imagine!

2. Everyone wants a better view. Dogs are no different.

3. Dogs sense what every teen instinctively knows: it's inherently cooler to travel on wheels than by foot.

While dogs may love the easy rider sensation, some pup-lovers believe the practice isn't safe. They recommend doggie seat belts or crates be used. This may sound extreme, but some dogs have actually mastered the use of automatic windows. In fact, lawmakers in Pennsylvania may pass a law requiring dogs to be constrained while traveling in cars. Freedom-loving dogs had better watch out -- the K-9 unit may soon be on their tails.