I believe the dog is looking at the horse, not the car. Of course, a dog's sense of smell is more important to him than his vision or hearing and the horse's smell is probably more interesting to him than the car's. The car is just a smelly nuisance.

I noticed the dog looking at one of the cars going by. He, like the people, seemed fascinated by the new contraptions rolling down the road. In 1907, the automobile was still a modern marvel. Our society was gradually transitioning from the horse and buggy to the automobile. When Henry Ford began mass producing the Model T, on the assembly line, the automobile quickly replaced the horse and buggy. That happened not long after 1907.

Thank you, Dave, for all the neat photographs from history you have posted on this site! We all have the opportunity to get a glimpse of the past thanks to the person who took the picture. I'm glad this photograph captured the handsome dog, standing by his owner, looking at the car. He may have been one of the first dogs in history to chase a car!

I think it was the Fourth of July.

We spent many happy hours at the Museum of Science and Industry with our children when they were youngsters.

Shorpy should have a category just for Willoughbies!

1904 Winton (with luggage rack on roof)

I want to walk into the photo, cross that lawn in the summer sunshine—avoiding the sprinklers, of course—visit the museum, and leave the 21st century behind.

It's not quite the same building today: the exterior was originally a semi-permanent material ("staff") and had to be rebuilt for the Museum It's hard to tell but it looks like it might already be deteriorating in the picture.