Are Pets Allowed on the Subway?

Filed under funner times on the bus, living in new york sucks so hard, super furry animals

This morning, the bus came to a halt at the 2nd Avenue stop, the back doors opened, and through them, I spotted a girl with the cutest little French Bulldog at her side. Now, French Bulldogs are my very favorite kind of dog, and this one was blonde instead of the usual black, so I had to will myself not to bolt out the door to coo over it. When all of the other passengers had boarded, she picked up the dog, dropped it in a large tote bag, and got on the bus herself.

Now, I’m all about pets on public transportation. The sensitive part of me likes to ogle cuddly things, and the sadistic part of me likes to see them cower in the corners of their designer carriers whenever we hit a bump. But having a boyfriend who sneezes when he so much sees a picture of a cat has made me sensitive to being in close proximity to fur, so I was a little bit mad at her for having the gall to so flagrantly show off her dog. It was made all the worse when she began taking photos of it with her cellphone.

I checked on the MTA’s website, though, and it turns out that pets are allowed on NYC public transportation “when they are carried in kennels or similar containers that can be accommodated by you on your lap without annoyance to other passengers”. (Harnessed service animals are always permitted, of course.) This girl wasn’t following the rules by having her dog sticking out the top of a tote bag, obviously, but it’s interesting to know that pets are allowed on the subways and buses.

(Click here to see the article on Examiner.com and earn me a pretty penny (literally).)

3 Comments

  1. thickcrust says:

    What about people who bring their dogs into stores? When I see that I always wish I could remember to never leave the house without bringing a small quantity of fast-acting canine purgative, for use in during such encounters.

    • That’s kind of a gray area for me. On one hand, I always thought it was so fun that we had dog treats at B&N and got to play with so many puppies every night; on the other hand, I don’t want to spend $20 on a book covered in dog butt. Too bad the Taffeta stench all over you is a dog-attractive.

      Just in case you check your search engine referrals and are freaked out that someone searched “thickcrust cat”, that was me. I kept thinking it was Tabitha, but I know you’re not that normal. Not that giving cats human names is normal.

  2. I used to take Chihuahua EVERYWHERE (now that she’s old and crotchety, she’s really not into it anymore), but she ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS stayed in her carrier (the tote-bag kind) unless we were outside at a park or something or at a place that specifically welcomed pets.

    I love my dog and all, but I’m realistic – not everyone does, and a lot of people are allergic (never mind the little kids who inevitably wished to man-handle her). And she’s a DOG who, like all dogs, licks her own genitalia. Not exactly the most hygienic creature in the world.