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Tag: pets on trains

  • Get Ready for Amtrak’s “All Aboard” for Dogs & Cats

    It was just a couple of weeks ago when we asked you to "Lend Your Support to Allowing Dogs & Cats on Amtrak." The good news is that the bill we asked you to support has passed. While the bureaucrats slowly set up the program, you can get your companion animals ready to be great passengers.

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    Train on Local Trains

     

    Our Poppy is a subway pro. We take her on the MBTA often enough to keep her acclimatized to the noise, crowded conditions, and movement of the trains. But, as someone who has ridden trains along the Northeast corridor, I know that the motion of those trains is not exactly the same as subway sways.

     

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    Commuter rail photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Office of Tourism

     

    Under MBTA pet guidelines, your dog or cat is already welcome aboard the Commuter Rail. Pick a destination where you and your dog can have some fun and plan a day trip this spring.

     

    How about Salem as a first trip? It's a fairly short, half hour ride with lots to do when you get there. (In summer, there is also a ferry to Salem which can be a great way to get a dog ready for boat rides.)

     

    If that works out, you could try Newburyport for the next destination – it takes a little more than an hour to reach and should be a good test. 

     

    It would be a good idea for us to get Poppy used to riding in her Sherpa Pet Carrier because we usually travel off-peak on the subway and can hold her in a lap or in our arms. 

     

    CapeFLYER Is Pet Friendly

    If a trip to Cape Cod is more to your liking, you and your dog or cat can ride the CapeFLYER to one of its stops, once the train resumes for the summer season. Pets ride free aboard this popular service. And, I have to wonder if the pet option is one of the reasons it was an immediate success.

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    Acela photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Office of Tourism

    New York, Portland, and Philadelphia Here We Come!

    Once we are allowed to take Poppy with us, we'll be on board for three of our favorite car-free destinations: New York City, Philadelphia, and Portland, Maine. 

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    Downeaster photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Office of Tourism

    The Downeaster to Portland should be one of the first test routes considering how dog-friendly that city happens to be. And, we look forward to spending more time in New York and Philadelphia. 

    Where will you go by train with your favorite companion animal?

     

    Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

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    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: istockphoto for the traveling dog image. Trains are courtesy of the Massachusetts Office of Tourism used under this creative commons license.

  • Lend Your Support to Allowing Dogs & Cats on Amtrak

    We know that our family would travel more if the entire family were allowed to travel by train. Right now, there is a pilot program under way in Illinois and a bill pending in the US House (The Pets on Trains Act of 2015, or H.R. 674) that would begin to allow some people with dogs and cats to ride on Amtrak.

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    Poppy waiting for a ride on the MBTA

    Our Westie Poppy is welcome on the MBTA outside of rush hours. All our dogs have been passengers on ferries in Boston Harbor, Provincetown, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and in Portland Maine. We have never witnessed an incident with dogs on any of these trips. And, on ferries, there is no size limit and no carrier is required.

    If you think opening the rails to people with companion animals is a good idea, please contact your representatives in Congress and the President to ask for their support and quick action on the Pets on Trains Act of 2015, or H.R. 674.  You can find the addresses here.

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    Responsible Access Only, Please

    Not all dogs are appropriate passengers on all mass transit systems. And, it is often the worst case scenarios and most irresponsible people who ruin something like this for the rest of us. We would love to see a registry for dogs and cats allowed to participate, with microchip scanning as a part of the ticketed access.

    This way you would only have to sign the responsibility waiver once and any person with a dog who jeopardizes the future of the program could be barred. It would be much better to have barriers to behavior than to size. 

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    Here's Poppy in the back of a Zipcar. We do all we can to be sure her presence is not a problem for the next member to reserve the car.

    Learn More and Take Action

    Please take the time to learn a bit more about the value of this program to: those of us with companion animals, the environment, and businesses, then contact those who can make it happen. (As of this writing, our Representative, Michael Capuano of Massachusetts, is a co-sponsor of the bill, so we'll be sending him our support and thanks.)

    • The sponsor of the bill, U.S. Representative Jeff Denham has said, “Last year I worked in collaboration with Amtrak, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and a small working group to launch a six-month pilot program to test the idea of having pets on trains,” said Rep. Denham. “This legislation builds on the success of that pilot program and would help families nationwide save money and time in traveling with their pets while bringing in much-needed revenue for Amtrak.”
    • The original Co-sponsor, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen said, “For many Americans, pets are simply part of the family—and all of us lucky enough to have pets are incredibly blessed by the companionship they provide.” “I am proud to work with my friend, Congressman Denham, on this important legislation to ensure families can bring their pets when traveling on Amtrak and that pets aren’t left behind to fend for themselves.”
    • The working group for this bill includes:  the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), the Federal Railroad Administration, and Amtrak.
    • Allowing people to leave the car behind and travel by Mass transit helps with the congestion on the highways and is less polluting. 
    • Businesses (like hotels, shops, and restaurants) that cater to people who travel with companion animals could see an increase in business if this passes.
    • Thanks to our friend Amy Burkert over on Go Pet Friendly for inspiring this post. There is more background on this at her link.

    Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino for Poppy on the MBTA and istockphoto for the traveling dog image.

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