Travelling any way except by car is a problem for the rambling dog-owner, reports Iva Pocock
As a car-less part-time dog-owner (I share custody) I was recently forced into taking extreme measures to get me and my dog from Killarney to Letterkenny. I'd checked the back of the Bus Éireann timetable, read the Road Traffic Act, 1961, which says pets travel at the discretion of the driver, and was suitably confident that Splash (my dog) and I could charm our way on to the northbound bus. We failed.
The driver took one look at my four-legged companion and said "There's no way that dog's coming on here. If he bites someone there'll be f***ing war".
Given that there is no railtrack to Donegal, and being determined to travel up the west coast, I decided to try my luck hitching. "Stark raving mad" reverberated through my head as I stood thumbing on the roadside, but thank God there are plenty of dog-lovers left. "I saw your dog and knew you had to be genuine," said the first woman to stop. The longest we waited was 10 minutes, even in the pouring rain. It took two days to get to Letterkenny, not much slower than if we'd been allowed on the bus.
It turns out Bus Éireann now has a policy of "no animals whatsoever on buses except for guide dogs". According to Cyril McIntyre, manager of media and PR with Bus Éireann, there were more problems from drivers having discretion than having a blanket ban.
When I suggested that not allowing dogs on board when Bus Éireann's logo is a red setter is unfair, he pointed out that the Greyhound buses in the US don't carry greyhounds and Midland Fox buses in the UK don't carry foxes. The red setter was apparently chosen as a logo because it is "warm, friendly, fast, reliable and not smelly". Mr McIntyre did mention that "at times it's been said they're thick, but I'd hope we're not that".
On Dublin Bus vehicles, the driver still has discretion on whether an animal is allowed on board. "Obviously if the bus is crowded, someone with a pet budgie on the way to the vet is more likely to get on board than someone with a Great Dane," says Christy Dorman, Dublin Bus press officer.
One dog-owner I met, Gráinne O'Kelly (who doesn't own a car), thinks the policy is ridiculous. "I once saw an old woman trying to get her dog on a bus turned down, which wasn't very fair as both of them looked like they couldn't walk very far," she said.
Twelve-month old Rocky, who was only recently rescued from the pound by his new owner, Billy Burke, has never been on public transport. "It's understandable in a way. What would a bus be like with 50 dogs on it?" said Billy. He doesn't think permitting muzzled dogs on public transport is an answer. "Not every dog needs to be muzzled. So either you're allowed bring them on or you're not."
When it comes to the DART or suburban trains, you're not allowed bring any animals (except guide dogs) on board, which is regrettable given all the great dog-walking spots along the line. Instead it seems you need a car if you have to travel to walk your dog on Howth or Bray Head.
But they are permitted on Intercity trains, either in a travel box or in the guard's van. The one time Splash and I travelled by train to Cork the ticket inspector was a bit of a dog-lover and let me sit in the first class carriage so I could be near Splash, who is far too big to go in a box.
