Dogs on Metro North

[fredevad]

I too was recently in Germany and the dogs on the trains was something I quickly noticed (the second week after we returned the car and started using our rail passes), no matter if it was a U-Bahn, S-Bahn, RE, ICE. Germany seems to be pretty dog friendly. There was a food vendor at the Hamburg harbor with a dog dish full of water next to the window labeled "Hund-Bar" that made me laugh.

I have to disagree about the German people not being friendly - I didn't talk to any strangers I would have considered unfriendly, they're just not as likely to start a conversation with someone they don't know. Everyone was helpful when I asked typical tourist questions (like where do I stand for second class, how do I know what car my reservation is in, etc).

BTW - Yes, I did buy a mug with a picture of an Inter City Express on it. Now every morning I can have "ICE Coffee".

 

[Chris]

The problem in the USA doesn't rest with the dogs, obviously, it rest with the PEOPLE who don't train, clean-up after, or have control over their dogs. I imagine the US insurance carriers also have a say in this matter.

People who don't train, clean-up after, or have control over their dogs are a whole lot less likely to want to take them on trips, or to to the trouble (and risk) of bringing them on mass transit--I saw plenty of badly-behaved dogs in Germany recently--I saw only well-behaved dogs on the trains. In fact, by allowing well-behaved dogs on trains (since all systems that allow leashed dogs stipulate the dogs must behave themselves) provides an incentive for people to train and socialize their dogs.

I don't believe insurance carriers have anything to do with the current policies. I've heard this before, and I've never seen the slightest evidence that it's true. If so, how come Metro North, the Boston T, and the Seattle & San Francisco transit systems allow large leashed dogs on their trains? Why is this practice so prevalent in Europe--and so successful that you almost never hear about it, because nothing ever goes wrong?

Honestly, I don't get why some people are so eager to bash their own country--America can handle this fine. There may have been a time, a century ago, when allowing dogs on trains would have meant scrubby backwoodsmen with fleabitten curs and coonhounds riding around with gentlefolk, but most dogs are cleaner than your average human--they don't sweat, they're usually treated with compounds to prevent fleas and other nasties, they're inoculated against rabies and other diseases (canine rabies is eradicated from North America--official), and the worst most of them would ever want to do is lick you. My dog wouldn't even do that unless you gave him reason to think you'd like it.

Amtrak stopped allowing dogs in baggage cars because (prepare for irony here) animal welfare groups were concerned over the dogs going too long without water or rest stops. They decided it would be easier to just ban them outright--somehow never occurred to them to look at the superior solution embraced by the superior European railway systems.

You can rationalize it nine ways to Sunday, but it's a dumb misguided misinformed misbegotten policy, that is holding back mass transit in this country. The number of households with dogs is massive, and perpetually on the rise, and people will do what they have to in order to travel with their best friends. Which means more cars on the road. Which means fewer dollars for Amtrak.

And yes, this thread is five years old, but it's still the second search result on the page when I google "Metro North, Dogs". And that's because the Metro North still allows dogs. On a leash. As it has for decades. And not a single lawsuit. Because dogs on trains WORKS.

 

[Chris]

I have seen a number of dogs while traveling on Amtrak. Of course, they were painted on the sides of buses going the other way . . .

I think the regulations against taking dogs on LD Amtrak trains make a lot of sense, especially if issues regarding pet waste, allergies from pet dander, etc., are taken into consideration. Given that most European trains are short-haul, those issues, while perhaps still present, are not as likely to be a problem for travelers (and train crews) as they may be for American LD trains.

A fair point, but dogs are banned from ALL Amtrak trains, not just long distance ones. A valid compromise would be to allow people to book a series of shorter hops to get where they're going--more revenue for Amtrak, more options for American travelers with pets. Dogs can go a long time without relieving themselves--after all, people with house trained dogs go to sleep every night, and wake up knowing that their chums are patiently waiting for them to get up and take them out--dogs have a very devout policy of not ****ing where they sleep, which they only break when absolutely necessary. The occasional accident would happen--not nearly as bad as the state of the bathrooms I've seen on some U.S. trains. Ew. :\

Here's a brief piece on how Amtrak's current policy came into being--

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/resources/more/pet/

I'm sure the problem was worse at one time, but the dog-keeping culture has changed, and Amtrak should change with it. Or else resign itself to being dismissed as a travel option by millions of Americans.

Allergies keep getting raised as an issue, but again, there's just no evidence this is real. There are enough trains around the world that do allow dogs and cats, in or out of carriers, to know that's not a serious problem. People with pet allergies need very close prolonged contact to be affected, and can always change cars--or avoid cars designated as pet-friendly. In practice, probably even this measure would be unnecessary--it's not a problem on Metro North. No transit system can guarantee an allergen-free environment--might as well ban all peanuts from the trains--they can actually kill people. Nobody goes into anaphylactic shock from being near a dog. Can I get strong perfumes and colognes banned from public conveyances because they make my eyes water?

In Moscow, feral dogs routinely enter the Metro (enabled by the type of gates they use), and ride around on their own--they've learned to use the trains to get around. People mainly don't mind them--many actually enjoy seeing them. Incredibly adaptable animals. Now if they were leaving messes all over the floors, and bringing on serious allergic attacks, don't you think there'd be some kind of public outcry to stop this?

Americans have a lot of good qualities, but we seem to have a larger percentage of anal-retentives than most countries.

 

[Chris]

I too was recently in Germany and the dogs on the trains was something I quickly noticed (the second week after we returned the car and started using our rail passes), no matter if it was a U-Bahn, S-Bahn, RE, ICE. Germany seems to be pretty dog friendly. There was a food vendor at the Hamburg harbor with a dog dish full of water next to the window labeled "Hund-Bar" that made me laugh.

I have to disagree about the German people not being friendly - I didn't talk to any strangers I would have considered unfriendly, they're just not as likely to start a conversation with someone they don't know. Everyone was helpful when I asked typical tourist questions (like where do I stand for second class, how do I know what car my reservation is in, etc).

BTW - Yes, I did buy a mug with a picture of an Inter City Express on it. Now every morning I can have "ICE Coffee".

I met many friendly helpful people there, but they are much more reserved, particularly with strangers. There's a good deal of regional variation, as there is in any country, and younger people tend to be more outgoing. They also consider it socially acceptable to stare at you (this has been remarked upon by many travelers there). Hey, it's their country. And they have a LOT of good ideas we could learn from. Like, you know, dogs on trains.

I saw nothing about the dogs there that would make them any more suitable as riding companions on a train than most American dogs I meet (and I go out of my way to meet dogs wherever I go, as you've probably gathered). I saw quite a few German dogs who were not well behaved or friendly at all--I just never saw them on trains. Nor have I seen any bad behavior from dogs on the Metro North. Something about the environment of the train tends to mute canine behavior. They're either very subdued, or just plain delighted to be going somewhere with their people.

And as the article I posted above makes clear, they were allowed on Amtrak trains--in compartments--until 1976. They were not banned for biting people, or for causing allergy attacks, or for peeing onboard, or for making noise. They were banned from passenger cars because Amtrak couldn't be bothered to vacuum up some stray hair, and then from baggage cars because Amtrak couldn't be bothered to make sure they got to their destinations safely.

And this is just one reason why Amtrak has been such a huge success in recent decades. Irony alert.

 

[Chris]

Just a small niggle, in the interests of accuracy, I can assure you that Guest Chris' assertion in post #20, that dogs are allowed on mass transit in Australia is wrong. Official guide dogs and other types of helper dogs (but they are very rare here) are, of course, allowed.

Jean

I didn't say they were allowed on all trains (that's not true even in Europe, though most rail systems there are dog-friendly), but FYI--

http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/using-public-transport/animals-on-public-transport/

Never been to Melbourne? Hey, I've never been to San Francisco.

 

[Emily]

********************** Year Old Topic ********************************

Thank you to Chris Guest. I had heard rumors about dogs being allowed on off-peak trains. I have a friend in NYC that I vacationed with and she, her dog and her mom all love my dog. They are always asking me to come visit with her but driving to and parking in the city feels like a nightmare. Now I believe I will go by train.