New DOT Service Animal definitions

[tgstubbs1]

There is a demand for pet transport on mass transit. A Pet car could bring many more paying passengers.

A train with a full pet lounge might have a car load of human passengers. They could ride upstairs and the pets downstairs.

 

[Qapla]

A train with a full pet lounge might have a car load of human passengers. They could ride upstairs and the pets downstairs.

Hard to do with a single level car ... those superliners do not fit through some of the tunnels

 

[PVD]

 

[Barb Stout]

People who are allergic to certain animals often have allergies to multiple things. I am one of those people. Instead of trying to avoid items that I'm allergic to which would be difficult, I take loratidine every day and that has greatly reduced my allergic symptoms to tolerable levels. Nevertheless, I still try not to let cat fur touch my face, but at least I can have cats as pets now whereas before my daily allotment of loratidine, I couldn't be in the same house/building with a cat. However, I don't let my cats into my bedroom.

 

[me_little_me]

There is a demand for pet transport on mass transit. A Pet car could bring many more paying passengers.

A train with a full pet lounge might have a car load of human passengers. They could ride upstairs and the pets downstairs.

More paying passengers? you mean like more revenue. Are you out of your mind? We at Amtrak only want to cut service to cut costs, not increase service to bring in more revenue. Next you'll be asking for more auto trains, more LD and other intercity service, trains more often and other terrible things. Go away.
/s/ Amtrak leadership

 

[tgstubbs1]

It can be difficult for people that,need to transport animals. A woman that traveled with show dogs enlightened me on the dangers of jet cargo holds.

There are pet transport services that offer coast to coast van service but that is slow and expensive.

This DOT rule could be an opportunity for Amtrak.

 

[me_little_me]

It can be difficult for people that,need to transport animals. A woman that traveled with show dogs enlightened me on the dangers of jet cargo holds.

There are pet transport services that offer coast to coast van service but that is slow and expensive.

This DOT rule could be an opportunity for Amtrak.

NOTHING could be an opportunity for Amtrak because Amtrak is not interested in opportunities. Amtrak just sees problems and has no interest in increasing revenues. It apparently has little spare money but even less interest in cooperating with outside groups (e.g. private railcars) to make additional money using its trains.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

I remember when the signs used to say "Seeing Eye Dogs". Then it was changed to "Service Dogs". After this change the definition of a "service dog" kept changing until it became "Service Animals" and included a vast array of animals that are not documented as "service" like seeing eye dogs were.

The ADA never covered a vast array of animals. It was the constant violators who perpetuated that kind of lie. Basically, if one repeats a lie enough, people start to believe it is true (gee, I heard/read that before so it must be true).

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

It can be difficult for people that,need to transport animals. A woman that traveled with show dogs enlightened me on the dangers of jet cargo holds.

True. Several top Samoyeds were killed, on their way to a National Show, because the airline pilot forgot to flip the switch to pressurize and heat the plane's cargo hold.

However, even with a tragedy like that, doesn't give dog owners the right to falsely claim their show dog is an ADA service dog.

 

[tgstubbs1]

True. Several top Samoyeds were killed, on their way to a National Show, because the airline pilot forgot to flip the switch to pressurize and heat the plane's cargo hold.

However, even with a tragedy like that, doesn't give dog owners the right to falsely claim their show dog is an ADA service dog.

I doubt anyone on this forum believes in fraudulent pet qualifications. I don't. But if I thought there were animals dying in the cargo hold I would gladly allow them to sit on my lap for the duration of the flight. I can always take allergy medicine and while it might be unpleasant I would live.

"The United States Department of Transportation Air Travel Reports recorded 302 deaths, injuries and disappearances over 6 years with 35 deaths in 2011.[9][10] Two dogs died in as many months on United Airlinesflights in 2012."

 

[PVD]

Well, the whole question of whether they should be put on display in shows is another long debate. Is the display beneficial to the animal, or to the collective egos of the owners? I don't think that's a topic for this group or board, but it does color the argument of what animals "have to be" transported, or "their owners want them to be somewhere"

 

[Skyline]

Ringling Bros. used to get ELEPHANTS off trains, along with a whole bunch of clowns! Nothing is impossible!

 

[tgstubbs1]

Well, the whole question of whether they should be put on display in shows is another long debate. Is the display beneficial to the animal, or to the collective egos of the owners? I don't think that's a topic for this group or board, but it does color the argument of what animals "have to be" transported, or "their owners want them to be somewhere"

I suppose we could go down the line of thought that much, maybe even all travel is mostly "unnecessary".

That's seems to be a big problem for about all the common carriers in the country. Most of them are hoping the sentiment is temporary.

 

[Asher]

Then you are not adding to the issue of non-service animals onboard trains and planes. I do agree that travel can be very stressful for animals.

I remember one trip on British rail in1990. I was riding from London to Glasgow. This lady brought her cat on a wicker basket. It lookedvery British. Then the cat started to complain. If anybody has ever heard a pissed off cat meow, then youcan picture the scene of a bunch of stoic British sitting there on a train listening to this cat yeow. Eventually the cat urinated in the British looking wicker basket. This was not a very British moment, but every one rode quietly.

To make matters worse, the train took several diversions of the main line. The diversions, which caused the train to operate at slowerspeeds, agitated the cat even more. It yeowed louder with greater frequency as we rolled along at 45 mph vs the normal 125 mph.

Leaving animals at home with caretakers can also be stressful for the owner and the pet, to the point traveling is out of the question. That's been the problem for my wife and I over the last 8 years. It's our problem, not someone else's, I wish there was a solution.

 

[tomfuller]

A couple years ago I got on the northbound CS in Chemult. To get to my seat in the rear of the car, I stepped over the head of a large sleeping dog whose head extended more than halfway across the aisle. The owner was also asleep in the seat just behind the stairs (9:30AM). I also had to waken the guy that had his feet in the aisle seat I was assigned.
Not train related, but my daughter and SIL, just moved from Maryland to Hawaii. They flew with their old cat from BWI to Seattle stayed overnight and then flew Seattle to HNL. They did have a few anxious moments with the vet before they were allowed to take the cat to their new home in Ewa Beach

 

[tgstubbs1]

I've read they don't want people to medicate or sedate them but it does stress pets.

I've never been on a flight or train with an onboard pet. I don't think pets underfoot would be helpful in the case of an emergency.

 

[joelkfla]

I just saw a YouTube by The Helpful Vancouver Vet. He recommended sedating pets traveling in the cabin to help keep them calm and quiet, but not sedating pets traveling in the cargo hold of airplanes because (1) there is no one keeping an eye on them, and (2) even in the pressurized compartment, the temperature and air pressure may be somewhat less than in the passenger cabin, and sedation may affect the pet's ability to cope.

He said there are animal sedatives that are safe to use, but recommended trying them out at home before traveling to make sure there are no issues with the individual pet.

 

[sttom]

Last Christmas I flew from Oakland to Denver and someone got off the plane with a freaking Golden Retriever! The person didn't even bother putting a "service dog" vest from Amazon on it. I do think the emotional support animal thing has been abused and I am glad to see the rules being tightened up a bit. I remember this story from a couple years ago about flushed hamster that was a bit much. Having a set of nationwide rules is going to be a good thing.

 

[WWW]

A couple years ago I got on the northbound CS in Chemult. To get to my seat in the rear of the car, I stepped over the head of a large sleeping dog whose head extended more than halfway across the aisle. The owner was also asleep in the seat just behind the stairs (9:30AM). I also had to waken the guy that had his feet in the aisle seat I was assigned.
Not train related, but my daughter and SIL, just moved from Maryland to Hawaii. They flew with their old cat from BWI to Seattle stayed overnight and then flew Seattle to HNL. They did have a few anxious moments with the vet before they were allowed to take the cat to their new home in Ewa Beach

For animals transit to live in Hawaii with their owner mates there was an extended (6 month ?) quarantine period to insure that the new arrivals
in the islands were not bringing in uninvited guests rabies and that sort of ilk ! That has now been reduced substantially to almost none.
Things are much better now especially for the military and the pets - but still yet the traveling in the cargo hold of an airplane a minimum of 6 hours
can be real stressful for the pet as well as the owner and not all sizes of animals can fit under a cabin seat topside. Tough when those change of
station orders come down and arrangements must be made including the pets for relocation.

 

[me_little_me]

Ringling Bros. used to get ELEPHANTS off trains, along with a whole bunch of clowns! Nothing is impossible!

Wow! I didn't know congressional representatives took the Circus train!