Pets on Long Distance Trains

[fillyjonk]

Fleas in the sleepers?

And yes, I know, human pax can carry on some nasty stuff themselves, but here in the South, it seems that fleas are endemic for much of the year and are hard to eliminate. Shoot, I don't have pets and I still occasionally find fleas in my house. Do I carry them in on my shoes? Do they come up the pipe-chase? It's a mystery, but it's also a misery.

Also, I could definitely hear a dog barking in a sleeper with a closed door. I have heard babies crying, people cursing someone out over the phone, someone playing a loud dvd on their laptop all with their room doors closed.

I dunno. I sympathize with those who want to travel with pets but human behavior being as crappy as it is these days, I can see pets on LD trains just adding a burden to the car attendants' job and making it less pleasant for the other pax. It just takes one person with an ill-behaved animal. Or one person who thinks the rules about carriers and such shouldn't have to apply to them and their pet. And yes, there's the "put them off at the next stop" clause, but would that really happen?

 

[andersone]

I am grateful that service animals can bring relief to those with need and welcome them. Tony however can have Fido and Fifi all he wants in his house, but not a sleeper I might be booked in tomorrow. To think someone would be that inconsiderate is despicable.

As for my pet fish Eric (apologies to the Pyrhons) she can do nicely at home without me.

 

[HenryK]

I am sympathetic to Peter's point of view about never burdening a disabled person, being one myself, but we still have to deal with real-world problems like service dog fraud. While the burden of proof should NEVER be on the disabled person, a voluntary identification system like Michigan's might help. It just went into effect and we'll just have to see how it works out.

Meanwhile, here's a good resource for those interested in combating service-dog fraud.

 

[tonys96]

I am grateful that service animals can bring relief to those with need and welcome them. Tony however can have Fido and Fifi all he wants in his house, but not a sleeper I might be booked in tomorrow. To think someone would be that inconsiderate is despicable.

As for my pet fish Eric (apologies to the Pyrhons) she can do nicely at home without me.

Fido can ride in coach, by a seat that might be booked tomorrow, but YOU do not want Fido in a sleeper, because YOU might be booked in it tomorrow? Isn't that a bit elitist?

 

[tonys96]

Fleas in the sleepers?

And yes, I know, human pax can carry on some nasty stuff themselves, but here in the South, it seems that fleas are endemic for much of the year and are hard to eliminate. Shoot, I don't have pets and I still occasionally find fleas in my house. Do I carry them in on my shoes? Do they come up the pipe-chase? It's a mystery, but it's also a misery.

Also, I could definitely hear a dog barking in a sleeper with a closed door. I have heard babies crying, people cursing someone out over the phone, someone playing a loud dvd on their laptop all with their room doors closed.

I dunno. I sympathize with those who want to travel with pets but human behavior being as crappy as it is these days, I can see pets on LD trains just adding a burden to the car attendants' job and making it less pleasant for the other pax. It just takes one person with an ill-behaved animal. Or one person who thinks the rules about carriers and such shouldn't have to apply to them and their pet. And yes, there's the "put them off at the next stop" clause, but would that really happen?

Li'l Fido can bring fleas into coach, why not sleepers? Are sleeper pax somehow " better" than coach pax? Same goes for barking, peeing. Pooping, etc......can happen in coach, why not in sleepers, or the SSL? Are sleeper pax special?

 

[Cina]

I come back a year later, and people are still freaking out about pets in coach :lol: Good ol' AU.

 

[niemi24s]

I'm with Tonys96 on this. And just to insure that no Amtrak passenger is ever discriminated against and all are given equal treatment, Amtrak simply must insure the carpets in all passenger areas are treated with cat urine. On the other hand, perhaps there's just a bit of this going on in this thread: http://www.striperkiller.com/uploads/5/5/1/3/55137563/6920140_orig.jpg

 

[tonys96]

I'm with Tonys96 on this. And just to insure that no Amtrak passenger is ever discriminated against and all are given equal treatment, Amtrak simply must insure the carpets in all passenger areas are treated with cat urine. On the other hand, perhaps there's just a bit of this going on in this thread: http://www.striperkiller.com/uploads/5/5/1/3/55137563/6920140_orig.jpg

Or this: https://www.google.com/search?q=sarcasm+pic&client=safari&hl=en&prmd=inv&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&fir=7d0jLnr-RlPzXM%253A%252ChhESPTSSuSYYmM%252C_%253BnXB4ASUtBU7EEM%253A%252CLGehh3pvjX978M%252C_%253BsfaS1rn7RaLeeM%253A%252CErmxXuQ6r23psM%252C_%253BRYLyH8oFnEHg2M%253A%252CFxdTuprICfLWlM%252C_%253B_8DfrIgI7fxEmM%253A%252CRz-jelCEYGjVqM%252C_%253BpTsA03Fa4882fM%253A%252Cr8OGWJCbYljaWM%252C_%253B6nyv6TKmEEZmdM%253A%252CXsAp9aF2-80sjM%252C_%253BHLszTK_au586sM%253A%252CLepGwvcyOnCnaM%252C_%253B9uxzf8bwrZfv9M%253A%252C6l_SSzjHuxi6yM%252C_%253BxaeBDYHD2T8dVM%253A%252CJ2FBwGJylDqR6M%252C_&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_grbT_NvKAhUBuYMKHVGFBfsQ7AkIMw&biw=1024&bih=672&usg=__Phf_pxsd7xX3_lseQ5XqJR9-HrE%3D#imgrc=xUrKD3-msVjAuM%3A&usg=__Phf_pxsd7xX3_lseQ5XqJR9-HrE%3D

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I'm with Tonys96 on this. And just to insure that no Amtrak passenger is ever discriminated against and all are given equal treatment, Amtrak simply must insure the carpets in all passenger areas are treated with cat urine. On the other hand, perhaps there's just a bit of this going on in this thread: http://www.striperkiller.com/uploads/5/5/1/3/55137563/6920140_orig.jpg

Or this: https://www.google.com/search?q=sarcasm+pic&client=safari&hl=en&prmd=inv&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&fir=7d0jLnr-RlPzXM%253A%252ChhESPTSSuSYYmM%252C_%253BnXB4ASUtBU7EEM%253A%252CLGehh3pvjX978M%252C_%253BsfaS1rn7RaLeeM%253A%252CErmxXuQ6r23psM%252C_%253BRYLyH8oFnEHg2M%253A%252CFxdTuprICfLWlM%252C_%253B_8DfrIgI7fxEmM%253A%252CRz-jelCEYGjVqM%252C_%253BpTsA03Fa4882fM%253A%252Cr8OGWJCbYljaWM%252C_%253B6nyv6TKmEEZmdM%253A%252CXsAp9aF2-80sjM%252C_%253BHLszTK_au586sM%253A%252CLepGwvcyOnCnaM%252C_%253B9uxzf8bwrZfv9M%253A%252C6l_SSzjHuxi6yM%252C_%253BxaeBDYHD2T8dVM%253A%252CJ2FBwGJylDqR6M%252C_&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_grbT_NvKAhUBuYMKHVGFBfsQ7AkIMw&biw=1024&bih=672&usg=__Phf_pxsd7xX3_lseQ5XqJR9-HrE%3D#imgrc=xUrKD3-msVjAuM%3A&usg=__Phf_pxsd7xX3_lseQ5XqJR9-HrE%3D

Not me I caught your sarcasm right away.

 

[andersone]

As chairman of the Socialist Workers Party in Jackson County I am grinning from ear to ear being called an elitist. I misspoke and should have included coach as well. My apologies. But you can still keep Fido or Fifi at home unless they are a service animal. Mother taught not to disturb others with your peculiarities.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

There are plenty of legitimate service animals on Amtrak every day. I've never had a true service animal or their handler cause any trouble. Ever. Extra minute dwell for a restroom break? Yes, and I have no problem with that.

People traveling with illegitimate service animals seem to be the ones who carry "certification" cards, wear bright "Service Animal" vests and immediately get confrontational and threaten to sue. Except for guide dogs wearing a harness, I don't think I've ever seen a true service animal wearing any certification card or vest. They are quiet, well behaved and don't get a second thought from anyone.

This is roughly a conversation I had train-side a few years ago. Small dog with an orange SERVICE ANIMAL - DO NOT PET vest.

Me: "Good afternoon, is this a service animal?"

Pax: "Duh, yes."

Me: "Ok, great. What task is the animal trained to perform?"

Pax: "YOU CAN'T ASK ME THAT! I CAN SUE YOU FOR ASKING! WHAT'S YOUR NAME? I'M REPORTING YOU!"

While this brief conversation is going on the dog is barking at anything and everything around. Needless to say in this particular instance the passenger and dog did not travel and I never heard a word from anyone.

There are also a few instances where I have turned away a small pet in carriers that are now permitted under the new rules. These passengers didn't get upset or cause a scene. They just didn't know the policy and accepted it when advised. Now they can pay $25 and bring their pet. I don't think these passengers/pets will be a problem and it opens up Amtrak to a new clientele and revenue stream.

 

[tonys96]

As chairman of the Socialist Workers Party in Jackson County I am grinning from ear to ear being called an elitist. I misspoke and should have included coach as well. My apologies. But you can still keep Fido or Fifi at home unless they are a service animal. Mother taught not to disturb others with your peculiarities.

Amtrak allows Fido in coach. What makes sleepers different?

 

[OBS]

As a matter of fact, I was speaking with a Conductor yesterday who put a passenger and her pet dog off the train. She just couldn't understand why she couldn't have the dog sitting on the seat next to her (out of the carrier). She would put it in the carrier, only to remove it as soon as Conductor left. She eventually told the Amtrak police to get the Conductor out of her face as she was not hurting anyone. She was removed from the train at next station. Amtrak management then promptly allowed her to board the next train to continue her trip....

 

[D.P. Roberts]

There are plenty of legitimate service animals on Amtrak every day... People traveling with illegitimate service animals seem to be the ones who carry "certification" cards, wear bright "Service Animal" vests and immediately get confrontational and threaten to sue.

Oooh, I hate it when people say things like this! Just because a service animal is a "legitimate" pureblood with the right papers doesn't automatically make it a better service animal. Plenty of illegitimate "mutts" make fantastic service animals! Please don't judge service animals based on their ancestry! Sure, that love child of a Bull Terrier and a Shitzu may look kinda funny, but still...

I like the idea that pets will be kept out of sleepers. If the travel time is limited to 7 hours including connections, chances are that almost all of those passengers will be in coach anyway. It will probably greatly reduce the amount of cleaning Amtrak has to do, and it allows those with serious allergies somewhere they can be guaranteed to be away from pets. Sure, they'd have to pay more, but the added sleeper fare for a short trip can be reasonable, and will undoubtedly be worthwhile for those with real allergy problems. Alternately, if they can stand being in coach for at least a few minutes, they could always head down to the lounge car. I'm not happy about pets onboard, but I think this is a reasonable solution by Amtrak.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

There are plenty of legitimate service animals on Amtrak every day... People traveling with illegitimate service animals seem to be the ones who carry "certification" cards, wear bright "Service Animal" vests and immediately get confrontational and threaten to sue.

Oooh, I hate it when people say things like this! Just because a service animal is a "legitimate" pureblood with the right papers doesn't automatically make it a better service animal. Plenty of illegitimate "mutts" make fantastic service animals! Please don't judge service animals based on their ancestry! Sure, that love child of a Bull Terrier and a Shitzu may look kinda funny, but still...

I'm pretty sure he meant legitimate as in a legitimate service animal (trained to provide a service), not a purebred w/papers.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

I hope they go all in on this. Not piecemeal as on some short routes. Forcing just some pax to sit in "pet cars" , while keeping others from enjoying the company of theirs and others' pets is unconscionable!

Should be allowed on ALL TRAINS, in ALL CARS, except, maybe diners ( which might be disappearing anyway ). And not just small animals that fit in carriers under the seat.....what about those of us who own Labs or German Shepherds? Why can't we take our beloved pets too? Hey, most service dogs are large breeds and they are already allowed on all trains with no restrictions.

And, for that matter....why only dogs and/or cats? I have friends who have a pot bellied pig, and another who owns two dwarf rabbits. Why can't they take their pets with them, too??

Why must pets ride in a certain " pet car "? What if their owners want to take bedrooms or roomettes? Why the discrimination? Pets ought to be allowed in sleepers, too! And in the SSL! Why keep the enjoyment of the animals confined to one certain car? Everybody should have an equal opportunity to enjoy the animals!!

This " pet car " deal reeks of discrimination........

It certainly would be nice to bring our pets on board any train, BUT I think trains should consist of coaches that DO allow pets and ones that DON'T allow pets. Why? Because there may be passengers on board the train that are allergic to pets.

If there's a passenger on the train who is allergic to pets, they should ride in the car(s) that do not allow pets.

And I also think it would especially be nice if they allowed pets of all sizes on board trains. Like from teacup chihuahuas to Irish Wolfhounds!

 

[Eric308]

I hope they go all in on this. Not piecemeal as on some short routes. Forcing just some pax to sit in "pet cars" , while keeping others from enjoying the company of theirs and others' pets is unconscionable!

Should be allowed on ALL TRAINS, in ALL CARS, except, maybe diners ( which might be disappearing anyway ). And not just small animals that fit in carriers under the seat.....what about those of us who own Labs or German Shepherds? Why can't we take our beloved pets too? Hey, most service dogs are large breeds and they are already allowed on all trains with no restrictions.

And, for that matter....why only dogs and/or cats? I have friends who have a pot bellied pig, and another who owns two dwarf rabbits. Why can't they take their pets with them, too??

Why must pets ride in a certain " pet car "? What if their owners want to take bedrooms or roomettes? Why the discrimination? Pets ought to be allowed in sleepers, too! And in the SSL! Why keep the enjoyment of the animals confined to one certain car? Everybody should have an equal opportunity to enjoy the animals!!

This " pet car " deal reeks of discrimination........

It certainly would be nice to bring our pets on board any train, BUT I think trains should consist of coaches that DO allow pets and ones that DON'T allow pets. Why? Because there may be passengers on board the train that are allergic to pets.

If there's a passenger on the train who is allergic to pets, they should ride in the car(s) that do not allow pets.

And I also think it would especially be nice if they allowed pets of all sizes on board trains. Like from teacup chihuahuas to Irish Wolfhounds!

I agree. I often travel to Portland and stay at the Monaco Hotel downtown. They allow pets of all shapes and sizes and have a floor for pets and owners only. It's pretty cool to come down in the evening for the wine tasting and see a St. Bernard and a Mexican Hairless. (I'm not making this up, saw both last trip in June '15).

 

[Bob Dylan]

Only allowing small pets is discrimination towards those preferring larger animals for pets.

Roy Rogers wouldn't be able to travel on Trains with Trigger and Bullet today. Lots of Trains in the Old West used to allow horses and other animals to be carried in the baggage car.

In Mexico, I rode on many passenger Trains with goats,burros,chickens,parrots,iguanas,horses,cows etc.aboard.. Never bothered me!

 

[fairviewroad]

Official announcement was released today and is near the top of the current list of press releases:

https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1237608337144

Or, you can visit the Pet Policy page:

https://www.amtrak.com/carry-on-pet-pilot

 

[rickycourtney]

The pets on board program is now permanent on the eastern and mid-western corridor trains that currently allow pets... and Amtrak will expand the program to trips up to 7 hours in length on long distance trains (except Auto Train, for obvious reasons) beginning Tuesday, Feb. 16, and is starting a weekend-only pilot program on Acela Express starting, Saturday, Feb. 20.

A notable exception... pets still aren't allowed on the western many of the corridor trains.

That means I can bring my dog along on a trip from Seattle on Portland on the Coast Starlight... but not on the Cascades. Not sure how that makes sense.

Oh and just for fun... enjoy a picture of my dog:

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

rickycourtney:
I suspect it might be where the funds come from . the talgos are all to us a local system.

ODot and WDot might be the subborn rock in this case.

I am sympathetic to Peter's point of view about never burdening a disabled person, being one myself, but we still have to deal with real-world problems like service dog fraud. While the burden of proof should NEVER be on the disabled person, a voluntary identification system like Michigan's might help. It just went into effect and we'll just have to see how it works out.

Meanwhile, here's a good resource for those interested in combating service-dog fraud.

I never leave town as much as I want to as its soo much hassle to educate the mindless masses on ADA policy......

I would have loved to take my segway to LA on the CS last week... I ended up just hoofing it and I regret it ! . My knees are still in loads of pain...

I cringe at the idea of missing a train due to a un ediucated empolyee . Its not like a restrunat where I Can just go eat somwhere else.

same with service dogs. One mistake by a conductor and you have mucked up a persons day By 24H or more. Its not like the train goes every hour .

Henry . how do We the disabled drive this in to the heads of management in the transport industry.

Frankly If I see a dog on the train and it behaves better then a toddler then>

A) its a legit service dog as it behaves as one.....

B) it acts SO well then whom am I to care!.....

 

[tonys96]

Only allowing small pets is discrimination towards those preferring larger animals for pets.

Roy Rogers wouldn't be able to travel on Trains with Trigger and Bullet today. Lots of Trains in the Old West used to allow horses and other animals to be carried in the baggage car.

In Mexico, I rode on many passenger Trains with goats,burros,chickens,parrots,iguanas,horses,cows etc.aboard.. Never bothered me!

Here in Texas, there are a plethora of Mexican bus companies that move pax to and from border cities. Looks like Amtrak is striving to reach their level.

 

[caravanman]

Although tonys96 dislikes cencorship, I also dislike what I see as racial slurs on A.U.... ?

Ed.

 

[fairviewroad]

A notable exception... pets still aren't allowed on the western corridor trains.

Or on the Keystone Corridor, Empire Service, Michigan Service, Piedmont trains, MRR's, Heartland Flyer, Illini Service, etc.

So it's a lot more than just the western corridor trains that still won't allow pets.

As Peter suggested, it's probably something that needs to be negotiated with the state DOT's that fund those corridor services.

But yes, I see your point about the discrepancy between corridor trains and the LD trains that run along those routes. With the 7-hour limit, it would

seem to make more sense to allow pets on trains that don't even take 7 hours end-to-end than it does to allow pets on LD trains.

 

[tonys96]

Although tonys96 dislikes cencorship, I also dislike what I see as racial slurs on A.U.... ?

Ed.

If the word "Mexican" is a racial slur to you, I apologize to you. However in Texas, there are millions of people who wear it proudly as their heritage. I was engaged to one, and have posted her picture here as part of one of our trip reports.