Future of Dogs on Trains

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Do you think there will ever be a time when Amtrak allows large dogs on trains? As long as owners are willing to pay for the space I do not see why not. Large dogs are no more violent then small dogs. Also, will dogs ever be allowed long distance? Most smoking stops I have been to have a grassy area that could be used for dog walking. I think expanding the pet program could be a big success considering that if you do not have a car the only option for traveling with a dog is on a plane, which is dangerous to the animal.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Pre Amtrak, I traveled with my family on an overnight LD train. Around dinner time my sister took our dog out to do his business. He got out of his collar. The conductor came to the diner to get my mom and told her that if she didn't get the dog ASAP he would be left behind.

I would not want to risk delaying the trains because a dog got loose while doing it's business.

Plus, many people are allergic to animals and Amtrak is not in the position to be able to provide "animals only" cars on all trains at all times.

 

[Thirdrail7]

I do believe that currently, only animals that can travel in a carries that fits underneath the seat can travel. In other words, they can not take up any space. Why would someone want to sit in a seat that was previously occupied by a large dog? Granted, there may be humans that i wouldn't want to follow but I'm willing to take my chances with the human being who hopefully won't escape from the seat when their companion is sleeping and bite me.

Not only do I not foresee it, I hope it doesn't occur.

 

[tomfuller]

Last year I boarded the CS at Chemult for a day trip to Eugene. The Conductor gave me a seat assignment in the rear half of the car. At the top of the steps there was a large (over 60 lb.) dog with its nose ore than halfway across the aisle. The dog and owner seemed to be asleep (9:30AM). I stepped over the dogs head and so did several others including the Conductor.

This dog did not have a vest or other indicator that it was a service dog.

When I got back to my assigned seat, there was a guy sleeping across the two seats. I woke him up to sit in my assigned aisle seat. After a few minutes he got up and went to the lounge car.

I have no idea whether the dog and owner got on in KFS or somewhere further south

 

[andersone]

Nothing other than service animals. Keep Fido and Fifi at home.

 

[Lonestar648]

Dogs and cats get stressed when they smell another nearby, thus the reason airlines limit animals to under the seat in a carrier and with a paid reservation so number on board is extremely limited, even to one per flight on some airlines. Service animals are always excluded, they are special animals with special temperaments. Trips could be too long for large carriers to be placed in the baggage car. Small dogs or cats in under the seat carriers with a rule that they can only be taken out of the carrier after exiting the train, like for a smoke stop. I think you might have to limit the number to no more than one per car to avoid barking because another animals is sensed.

 

[PVD]

Baggage cars are not air conditioned, summers would be tough, especially for certain breeds. Airlines have started to refuse breeds as baggage with characteristics that make them prone to those (breathing) problems. They don't want the liability risk. Dogs are great, but my dog should not be your problem.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Baggage cars are not air conditioned, summers would be tough, especially for certain breeds. Airlines have started to refuse breeds as baggage with characteristics that make them prone to those (breathing) problems. They don't want the liability risk. Dogs are great, but my dog should not be your problem.

That kind of gives me an idea.

Should Amtrak allow larger dogs in coaches, they should, perhaps, design the new coaches (that is if Amtrak ever gets any new coaches soon enough), with folding seats. Ones that fold up like theater seats when you stand up and unfold when you sit down. That way, if you bring a larger dog onto the train, it could fit in front of the seats and you won't have to worry about putting it under the seat.

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

Baggage cars are not air conditioned, summers would be tough, especially for certain breeds. Airlines have started to refuse breeds as baggage with characteristics that make them prone to those (breathing) problems. They don't want the liability risk. Dogs are great, but my dog should not be your problem.

That kind of gives me an idea.

Should Amtrak allow larger dogs in coaches, they should, perhaps, design the new coaches (that is if Amtrak ever gets any new coaches soon enough), with folding seats. Ones that fold up like theater seats when you stand up and unfold when you sit down. That way, if you bring a larger dog onto the train, it could fit in front of the seats and you won't have to worry about putting it under the seat.

And you would pay for that 2nd seat so your dog may accompany you?

 

[Lonestar648]

For safety reasons all dogs and cats would have to be crated. There isn't space for a large dog crate in Coach no matter how you configure the seating. Under the seat animal carriers is the only solution for space and safety.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

For safety reasons all dogs and cats would have to be crated. There isn't space for a large dog crate in Coach no matter how you configure the seating. Under the seat animal carriers is the only solution for space and safety.

Now let's see, the largest dog crate is approximately 46L x 30W x 33H, but is that in inches or centimeters?

And what's the average space between seats? AND also, what's the average space in the overhead baggage racks?

 

[A Voice]

Baggage cars are not air conditioned, summers would be tough, especially for certain breeds. Airlines have started to refuse breeds as baggage with characteristics that make them prone to those (breathing) problems. They don't want the liability risk. Dogs are great, but my dog should not be your problem.

Should Amtrak allow larger dogs in coaches, they should, perhaps, design the new coaches (that is if Amtrak ever gets any new coaches soon enough), with folding seats. Ones that fold up like theater seats when you stand up and unfold when you sit down.

Providing comfortable accommodations for passengers is far, far more important than designing a seat which folds (and presumably is then compromised in other areas).

 

[John Bredin]

I agree 100% with the present rule that only pets that can fit in an under-seat carrier should be allowed. But the perennial topic of pets on Amtrak tends to go a bit off the rails. :giggle:

Nothing other than service animals. Keep Fido and Fifi at home.

And keep the passengers who won't travel without Fido and Fifi off Amtrak too. Who needs their money and support?

There's a $25 fee for taking a pet along under Amtrak's limited (IMHO correctly) pet scheme. As a flat fee, that can be more than the pet owner's own fare for some shorter rides. Amtrak charges various bicycle fees, because it has various arrangements for handling bikes, but I once paid $8 for me and $10 for my bike (each way) to travel Chicago-New Buffalo, MI. Had I not been able to do so, I would've reluctantly driven to New Buffalo -- I was going there for a bike ride (Apple Cider Century) -- and Amtrak/MDOT would've foregone $36.

Look, I get that dogs on a train can be a problem. So can children, drunks, and music on loudspeakers. But Amtrak and pretty much every other common carrier in the world, rail or otherwise, deal with those problems rationally; they don't ban children, they don't stop selling alcohol but deal with drunks if/when they make trouble, and they don't ban electronic devices but warn users who get too loud. Some people are allergic to pet fur, but some are allergic to strong perfumes and colognes, and Amtrak doesn't ban those.

I have no pets, so I have no dog in this fight. But I do take my bike on trains -- transit, commuter, and Amtrak -- and I've dealt with my share of Metra conductors who think bicyclists on "their" trains are usurping "real" passengers. (I've also dealt with many more who are bike-friendly or neutral.) No, I am a real passenger, as my monthly pass should make particularly clear, and the trains are as much mine as anyone else's.

If Amtrak (or Metra, or CTA, or whoever) adopts reasonable bike & pet regulations, as I believe they have, then it's my own damn business why I want to bring my bike or my dog with me, just as much as it's any passenger's business why they're going where they're going. I can get around downtown without a bike, and that gal can visit her relatives for a week without her cat, but she'd prefer not to and I'd prefer not to. And as rail supporters, I would hope we'd all prefer that I and she be on the train rather than driving (pun intended) us onto the highway.

 

[PVD]

I for one am happy when anyone chooses to ride the rails, up to the point where accomodating them might deter a greater number of people from making that choice. It is a very difficult balance point to find. Bike racks make sense, as do small pets in carriers. Obviously, if someone put a bike on seat or in the aisle, or someone insisted on putting a pet carrier on a seat or removing the animal from it, they need to be dealt with. So do drunks, nut cases, inconsiderate people taking 2 seats, screaming children, and a host of other problems. With all of the gnashing of teeth and whining by a small but vocal group of people before the trial of the revised pet policy, there were very few reported problems.

 

[Blackwolf]

The Brits figured it out, and advertised it, decades ago. Just saying.

Courtesy of my dining room wall. ^_^

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

Call me crabby but (not Crabby Butt) I don't want to sit on a seat previously occupied by a dog, nor have a caged dog on the floor next to my feet in front of the person sitting next to me.

But (again?) my personal preference is to be traveling in a roomette on all future trips.

 

[neroden]

Do you think there will ever be a time when Amtrak allows large dogs on trains? As long as owners are willing to pay for the space I do not see why not. Large dogs are no more violent then small dogs. Also, will dogs ever be allowed long distance? Most smoking stops I have been to have a grassy area that could be used for dog walking. I think expanding the pet program could be a big success considering that if you do not have a car the only option for traveling with a dog is on a plane, which is dangerous to the animal.

CARRIER MANDATORY. All dogs except service dogs (who are trained to behave) can be very pushy to strangers. If you can't keep your pet in a carrier, I don't want your pet on the train. (Sometimes I think the same should apply to toddlers...)
If you can somehow fit your large dog in a carrier and carry it, go for it.

 

[Bob Dylan]

If you want a Large Dog why not just buy a Horse so you can ride it?

 

[Lonestar648]

The logistics of transporting a cat or dog with you when traveling is complicated whether flying or going by rail. ONLY small carriers should be allowed on the train. They should not be permitted in any Emergency exit areas due to potential blockage. The animals need to be travel capable, not prone to motion sickness, not excitable due to strange surroundings, able to wait for a bathroom stop and be able to quickly go on demand. The person with the carrier should be considerate other passengers as far as odor and barking. Many animals become agitated with the smell of another animal, so a limit of one carrier per car should be enforced, plus there should be animal free car(s) for those allergic to cats and dogs hair, oils, and dandruff. Most hotels do NOT accept pets, Airlines severely restrict pet carriers in the cabin for safety reasons. Amtrak can not differ for the same reasons.

 

[Rob Creighton]

I'm a dog owner and I wouldn't want to bring my dog with me on a train. Travel is hard on dogs. When I moved cross country with my dog, it was difficult. She got nervous. She got tired of the car trip. We got in a car wreck, and had to pay a car service to drive us four hours-- and the unfamiliar human in the car just freaked her out more. She probably got nervous because we got nervous and frustrated over the situation. It took her several weeks to get back to "normal" after that experience. Even driving 5 hours to our in laws on a couple of occasions was difficult with her. So I couldn't see it necessarily being a pleasant experience for human or dog. At least it wouldn't be for me and her. My current dog, I suspect would be much better with travel, he doesn't have some of the separation and anxiety issues she had, but I still wouldn't want to chance it. It's difficult.

I was on a flight last year, and a young college woman had her purse dog with her. The little mop head just barked her little head off in her carrier under the seat and wouldn't shut up. So she ended up TAKING IT OUT OF THE CARRIER, and she's holding it on the drop down tray table. And it's wiggling and wagging it's little tail... and the guy (the girl was in the middle seat) on the aisle, 30 years her senior, is making nice sort of hitting on her. And she's giggling and baby talking to the dog. And I have to deal with all of this. And I paid EXTRA to get a better seat and sit up front. Now I like dogs, I don't particularly like small dogs, and on a 10PM flight after a long weekend I just didn't want to deal with the circus this created. The flight crew, I suspect, after a long day wasn't interested in dealing with it either. Because aside from a warning that other flight crews probably wouldn't tolerate the dog being out of their crate. A couple of the flight attendants were all what a cute dog. It might have created a more quiet flight for most. But I spent an hour having to deal with all that B.S.

So in short, I'm not a fan of pets on trains or planes. If you have to bring fido and fifi... drive.

 

[Asher]

I recently flew on Southwest where a full size BIG dog was on the flight. I asked the lady if she had to pay for a extra seat, she replied she sat in a bulkhead seat like she always did many times before at no extra cost. So I guess SW Has no problem with dogs.

 

[PVD]

Unless it was a service dog, much of that is clearly contrary to SW stated pet policy.