A 2016 study found there were 2.4 million dog-related trips in private cars in Sydney every week, including for walks, trips to the dog park, visiting family or trips to the vet.
For dog owners who cannot drive, they are stuck in their local area.
Look at that face. How could you not want her to ride with you?Credit: Felicity Caldwell
Brisbane has more than 160 dog off-leash areas, including some with amazing facilities such as Downfall Creek – a four hectare doggy paradise with a creek for splashy fun – and Colmslie Recreational Reserve, which has ramps, pipes and A-frames for agility exercise.
Without using a car, I can’t take my good girl Juno to any of these places.
In February 2019, the RSPCA backed calls for pets to be allowed on buses, ferries and trains in Brisbane, with the organisation receiving more than 1000 distress calls each year about animals left in hot cars.
Juno would like to check out some of those other dog parks around Brisbane.Credit: Felicity Caldwell
A Translink spokesman told Brisbane Times there were differences with ferries versus other public transport.
“Particularly with trains, buses and trams being enclosed spaces with no opportunity to restrict pet dogs to particular areas of the passenger vehicle without impacting the reasonable enjoyment of other passengers, including those who have medical reasons to avoid close proximity to dogs (e.g. allergies, phobias),” he said.
“There is also an increased hygiene risk from pet dogs being inside a passenger vehicle.”
The spokesman said CityCats were suitable as pet dogs must remain in designated outdoor areas, leaving plenty of seats for customers who want to stay away.
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“As well as the fact that ferries run in a single council jurisdiction should any animal compliance issues arise,” he said.
The spokesman said there were no plans to change the policy at this stage “as the operational environment on buses, trains and trams is quite different”.
However, guide, hearing and assistance dogs, and other assistance animals, are always permitted on Translink services and are not required to wear a muzzle.
When I took my rescue dog Juno for a ride this week, despite being off-peak, the CityCat was packed with school students and I had to walk through the inside cabin past other passengers to the back deck.
Despite being ostensibly “outdoors”, I was still close to others. It presented no problems on our trip that I noticed.
Queensland Rail could designate some train carriages as dog-friendly, like quiet carriages where people are encouraged not to chat or play loud music.
People have been trusted to take well-behaved dogs on CityCats for the past four years. It is time to start having a conversation about buses and trains.
