Advice

mopsie

I just adopted the most adorable puppy and I only work two mornings a week so spend all my time with her and am in love!:D Only thing is I'm living in Limerick and my boyfriend lives in Cork and we have been alternating visits (one weekend I'm down there and the next he's up here) neither of us drive so we get the buses. I'm just wondering if anyone knows if I can bring my puppy on the bus in a carrier/crate or if there is any pet friendly travel service ie train? I dont want to leave her with a kennel as shes two young and hasnt been spayed yet and dont have anyone that would look after her but I also dont want to neglect my boyfriend and it wouldnt be fair on him to be the only one making an effort:(

any advice or relative experience would be greatly appreciated!!:P

SophieSakura

You can take them on trains, but they have to be in the guard's carriage and you have to pay for it, not sure how much. They'd have to be in a carrier I guess. You have to call the station before getting the train too, cos some don't have guard's carriages.

I took a cat on Dublin Bus/Luas/DART a few times and the drivers never minded, but I dunno about other buses.

daenerysstormborn3

The only irish rail services that have a guard's carriage are dublin-cork and dublin-belfast but you are not 100% guaranteed that there will be a guard's carriage. You need to sort it way in advance because sometimes even on dublin-cork and dublin-belfast they may find a reason not to carry the animal.

They seem to only agree to carry smaller breeds. I have a great dane and they have refused him travelling in the guard's carriage. I was told i was being ridiculous to want an animal of that size to make any such journey.

As far as I know DB will carry pets at the driver's discretion but they are not allowed on darts.

You may have more success getting accurate information in one of the travel forums.

scudzilla

Just get her a luminous waistcoat (10euro from petstore.ie) and tell anybody that asks she's training to be an assistance dog

ToniTuddle

scudzilla wrote: »

Just get her a luminous waistcoat (10euro from petstore.ie) and tell anybody that asks she's training to be an assistance dog

Neveeeeer would have thought of that!

Really need to learn how to lie on the spot :pac:

kylith

I bring my terriers on the Waterford-Dublin line semi-regularly and whether or not you need a ticket/guard's van/dogs are allowed on depends on who is on duty at the time. I always get a ticket (€8 each way) now because I feel it gives me leverage if they try to stop me getting on. The dogs travel in carry crates in the luggage rack and I sit facing them.

The rules on their website are hopelessly out dated; it says that dogs have to travel in a wooden crate* in the guard's van.

I've only ever had hassle in Heuston, the Waterford guys are great. I had one woman who said they had to travel in the guard's van, I said fine, she said that they couldn't get on because there wasn't a guard's van. It was only the intervention of a kindly porter who stepped in that meant I could visit my family that weekend, although he did put them in a cupboard.

Between the bus and the train we're very un-dog-friendly in this country. I've only once made the trek to the beach on Dublin Bus with the dogs because it's entirely dependant on the driver and I can't face waiting for hours at the bus stop again.


*If I had a car to transport a wooden crate around in I wouldn't need to take the train, would I?

Dinky22

I have seen small dogs and 2 cats on the Dublin/Cork train in carriers. Their owners were certainly not hiding them. I can't see the difference between taking a dog/cat in a carrier on the train or bringing on a huge suitcase. We certainly are not animal friendly. I also don't see the problem in bringing a dog/cat in a carrier on the Dart/Bus/Luas. Its not as if they are going to attack somebody.:eek: