pdxjim
Service Attendant
Pug running loose this morning in King Street Station. Owner could not even control the dog with voice commands and no attempt to leash it up. This occurred near the sleeper check in area, so the conductor had to have seen the commotion.
The owners boarded sleeper 1131 for a bedroom to LAX, and unfortunately I had a roomette in the same car.
I had an allergic reaction to the critter, itchy eyes, nasal/sinus congestion and plenty of sneezing.
As soon as reservations for lunch were completed, my friend and I headed for the Parlour Car to watch Puget Sound etc. from the swivel chairs.
Oh surprise, the couple with the pooch came into the PPC and the dog sits on her lap and is adjacent to me.
I calmly asked the lady if her dog was a service dog, to which she said yes. No obvious disability observed and she had already had three drinks including the welcome mimosa in the sleeper. I let her know the dog was causing an allergic reaction and she essentially closed down and ignored me.
Other passengers had already complained to the crew and when I chatted with the PPC employees, they were hastily looking up the rules for pets onboard.
I was told later that the conductor checked with his manager in Portland and he was told, "hands off, we don't want problems with ADA or a lawsuit". The OBS staff was told they could not ask anything about why the dog was required because of potential legal issues.
PPC staff said they even would have to let the dog sit on the seat with the couple in the diner.
I called Customer Relations when I got home to PDX and their response was "we'll let management know of your concerns".
I at least had an excellent SCA in Steve Delgado and great service from Shirley in the diner and Nanette in the PPC.
Jim in PDX
The owners boarded sleeper 1131 for a bedroom to LAX, and unfortunately I had a roomette in the same car.
I had an allergic reaction to the critter, itchy eyes, nasal/sinus congestion and plenty of sneezing.
As soon as reservations for lunch were completed, my friend and I headed for the Parlour Car to watch Puget Sound etc. from the swivel chairs.
Oh surprise, the couple with the pooch came into the PPC and the dog sits on her lap and is adjacent to me.
I calmly asked the lady if her dog was a service dog, to which she said yes. No obvious disability observed and she had already had three drinks including the welcome mimosa in the sleeper. I let her know the dog was causing an allergic reaction and she essentially closed down and ignored me.
Other passengers had already complained to the crew and when I chatted with the PPC employees, they were hastily looking up the rules for pets onboard.
I was told later that the conductor checked with his manager in Portland and he was told, "hands off, we don't want problems with ADA or a lawsuit". The OBS staff was told they could not ask anything about why the dog was required because of potential legal issues.
PPC staff said they even would have to let the dog sit on the seat with the couple in the diner.
I called Customer Relations when I got home to PDX and their response was "we'll let management know of your concerns".
I at least had an excellent SCA in Steve Delgado and great service from Shirley in the diner and Nanette in the PPC.
Jim in PDX