Service dog on San Joaquin Venture cars

[mountainsdtraveler]

Hello all! Taking my first Amtrak trip with my trained service dog soon- she's a seasoned plane traveler, but thought I'd mix it up this time- it'll be my first time on Amtrak too! I'm curious if anyone has traveled on the new Venture cars on the San Joaquin line and can speak about the let room. My dog (50lbs) easily tucks in the "personal item" space underneath a tiny Frontier airline seat for a cross country trip, but I don't know if the train seats have a similar setup.

Do Amtrak seats generally have that room underneath them for my service dog to tuck under? If not, would you recommend booking the accessible seating? I don't love the style- I avoid booking bulkhead seats on planes because my dog sleeps better in the cozy, enclosed space under a seat rather than out in the open. I'm traveling alone so, unless the train is empty, I won't have the option of letting my dog stretch out a bit if she can't fit under the seat in front of me.

Thanks!

 

[Asher]

Hello all! Taking my first Amtrak trip with my trained service dog soon- she's a seasoned plane traveler, but thought I'd mix it up this time- it'll be my first time on Amtrak too! I'm curious if anyone has traveled on the new Venture cars on the San Joaquin line and can speak about the let room. My dog (50lbs) easily tucks in the "personal item" space underneath a tiny Frontier airline seat for a cross country trip, but I don't know if the train seats have a similar setup.

Do Amtrak seats generally have that room underneath them for my service dog to tuck under? If not, would you recommend booking the accessible seating? I don't love the style- I avoid booking bulkhead seats on planes because my dog sleeps better in the cozy, enclosed space under a seat rather than out in the open. I'm traveling alone so, unless the train is empty, I won't have the option of letting my dog stretch out a bit if she can't fit under the seat in front of me.

Thanks!

I’m curious, what type service does a sleeping dog provide.

 

[Trollopian]

I’m curious, what type service does a sleeping dog provide.

In the past, I've worked with two blind professionals whose guide dogs accompanied them to work and napped in the desk kneehole or alongside during the day. And "came to attention" when it was time to go to the restroom, a lunch, a meeting, or home. So sleeping on the job is standard for some types of assistance animals. An Amtrak trip seems to offer plenty of nap time. Mind you, mountainsdtraveler doesn't tell us what his or her 50-lb. service dog is trained to do, just that she's a seasoned and apparently polite traveler.

Having said that, I can't answer the question. I occasionally see service dogs on Amtrak Superliner and Viewliner coach and they seem generally to fit in the generous leg room. But I don't know the San Joaquin's new Venture cars. Anyone?

 

[mountainsdtraveler]

Great to know, thank you! I was worried that the legroom might somehow be tiny without that big space under the seat in front of you planes have.

And yes, Trollopian, you've got it exactly right! The majority of any service dog's day is napping as their owner works at their desk, sits in meetings, and travels. If a service dog isn't always with their handler, they can't do their job when needed. For guide dogs, this is leading their handler around safely. For my dog, this is detecting medical episodes with her good ole nose and alerting me before they hit. Hopefully she won't have to do her job at all on this trip, but the reason I have her is to act as an added layer of defense to ensure my safety when traveling alone.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Here's a video of a Siemens Venture car on a midwest run. It starts out with a lot of unnecessary detail about getting to, and on, the train. About 8 minutes in, it gets down to the seating details, and should give you a good idea of what a regional Venture Car seat would be like.


Good luck on your trip! I hope you and your dog have a great time, with no unpleasant medical events to disturb your enjoyment. We love it if you could do a trip report afterwards, and let us know how it went.

 

[mountainsdtraveler]

This is perfect, thank you for the kind words oregon pioneer! I'll definitely do a trip report.

Looks like the seats have the perfect amount of room underneath them. I'd much prefer a window seat so my dog can stay out of sight and we can minimize the (very well-meaning, but a bit overwhelming) deluge of questions from overenthusiastic fellow passengers. It looks like most Amtrak lines don't have reserved seating, so should I just be able to beeline for a window seat when I board?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Asher]

Thanks for the look at the venture car seating arrangement OP. My former service dog sleeping habits probably wouldn’t fit.

 

[Mary Stackhouse]

I’m a seasoned single day Amtrak “California coast” traveler with a 50 pound service dog. She easily “makes herself small” under the seats in the Observation cars, dining room, cafe table and downstairs disabled seating. Coach seats upstairs have more room as well. My biggest issue is that she is a bully breed and lets out a long, deep sigh when she goes off duty sleeping at my feet. Folks tend to think she is growling and complained. A quick hello from me (pointing to her sleeping) as they board has saved most complaints.
The most difficult part for her is traveling between cars to the cafe or observation deck (the swaying and opening/closing of the doors needs to be done quickly and if I remember correctly she must go single file in front of me to activate the doors and walking single file through the coach seats without gaining love and attention from fellow passengers.
I often use the train stops to travel between the cars and let her relieve herself. (We have a 30 second “better hurry- the trains leaving” command to signal we need to board. I also found using the restroom myself prior to a stop signaled it was her turn when the door opens).
We will be taking a cross country trip and staying in an accessible sleeper 5 of 16 days, with my husband next month. I will be feeding her a broth diet (no carbs) for our long haul days.