What To Do To Take Dogs On The New York Subway?

Until recently, seeing a pet on public transport was unthinkable. However, there are more and more “pet friendly” cities that allow access to animals… albeit with some restrictions. In this article, we explain how owners bring their dogs to the New York subway, as well as to Madrid and Barcelona.

Dogs in the New York subway

It is one of the most populous cities in the United States and also has a significant population of four-legged beings. The owners of the animals take them for a walk everywhere and in many cases they use the subway to move to places where traffic is chaotic.

The mayor, however, has decided to implement a policy that prohibits the entry of dogs on the subway. Of course, the complaints were immediate. As thousands of people were outraged by this decision, it was decided to change part of the legislation. It was defined that animals could travel on public transport only if they were carried in a bag. In this way they were considered “authorized”.

Of course this was an unfair measure for large breed dogs, but it was at least one step ahead of the original law. Although at this point it seemed that all dogs over 5 kg would have to look for another means of transport, the owners have been extremely creative.

Today we can see Pitbull, Siberian Husky, Dogo, Golden retriever or Dalmatian traveling by subway, thanks to the inventiveness of their masters, who do not hesitate to put them in their backpacks, bags and even shopping bags to be always accompanied by their best friends. .

What happens in the Spanish subways?

In the case of the Madrid metro lines, users must respect certain rules to be able to bring their dogs there:

1. Animals must be identified with the microchip.
2. Only one dog per traveler is allowed.
3. The last wagon is reserved for dogs.
4. They cannot occupy seats.
5. They are allowed to use elevators to get on and off stations.
6. They must have a muzzle and a leash no longer than 50 cm.
7. The traveler is responsible for the integrity of the animal and the inconvenience it may cause.
8. The times for bringing dogs on the Madrid metro are those with the least number of travelers. They are not allowed from 7:30 to 9:30, from 14 to 16 and from 18 to 20.
9. Employees have the right to deny entry to animals for safety reasons.
10. There are no time restrictions on weekends and holidays.

And what happens in the Barcelona metro?

The law to allow dogs to travel on this public transport in the Catalan city dates back to 1 October 2014. Provided that the animals have a microchip and are registered in the municipal census register, they are welcome in the subway.

Of course, there are also time restrictions in this case. They cannot access during peak hours: from 7 to 9:30 and from 17 to 19. During the rest of the day, as well as on weekends and holidays, there are no limits.

Small breed dogs can travel at any time of the day, as long as they are in the carrier. Furthermore, only one dog per traveler is allowed and a muzzle and leash with a maximum extension of 50 cm are required during the whole journey.

To access the stations, dogs can use the lift and stairs (not the escalators), and cannot occupy seats. It is also good to know that the owner is responsible for any disturbances or damage caused by his pet and that, in times of particular crowding of travelers. security personnel can restrict access to dogs.

Source of images: diariopresente.blob.core.windows.net, rolloid.org