The National Transport Authority is expected to announce new rules that will make it easier for small dogs, cats and other pets to travel on public transport. 

It is understood that only pets that do not threaten the safety of other passengers will be allowed to travel and they will not be allowed to sit on seats. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Russell Alford of GastroGays described himself as  “completely in favour” of the policy, as he has a five-year-old French bulldog called Hammy.

“He's been on the Dart a couple of times and quite enjoys that,” he explained. 

“You're permitted on the railway services [with pets], but you are not on the Luas and I live directly beside the Luasline. 

“So, it kind of is one of those glaring issues.” 

 

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It means that generally, Hammy has to be driven - which is often not very convenient. 

“But living near the M50, you can be stuck in traffic for a considerable amount of time, even if it is to socialise, to see friends,” Mr Alford said. 

“A lot of dog owners will have that guilt when they leave them for two hours, three hours, especially if you are able to bring them to a place.

“But driving is not a practical solution and you would rather be able to take them with you.”

However, Mr Alford continued that Hammy is “not a perfect dog” and he can sometimes react around other animals: 

“If I see another dog on the walk, I move to the other side of the road in order to avoid potential issues,” she said. 

“He either gets nervous or snappy.” 

A dog sits on the seat in the train. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Also on the programme, writer Chrissie Russell said she has concerns about what public transport users will now encounter on the bus to work in the morning. 

“This is my biggest fear that I'll get on a bus with Hammy, a wolfhound, a couple of rabbits and a cat and then all hell breaks loose,” she said. 

“I understand completely Russell's point of why you don't want to leave the dog behind. 

“But at the same time, I just don't know - do people need to be taking their pets places?” 

Ms Russell added that she wondered if dogs would even enjoy travelling on public transport. 

“We went to Pompeii during summer and this is a completely different thing, but people were walking around with dogs in Pompeii,” she recalled. 

“I was a bit like, did this dog want to go to this historical landmark or is it just the owners can't bear to leave them behind? 

“And I do wonder, on the buses, is it about the owner or is it about the dog? Do the dogs really want to be on public transport?”

Main image: A smiling woman looking through window with dog. Picture by: Alamy.com.