Finlay's explorations of the exciting world of public transport continue

[juliet]

Today Finlay took 2 x lifts, 3 x tube trains[0], 2 x regular trains[1], and a small down escalator, with minimal hassle. Bless him.

We did have some discussion on the train about where it is appropriate for a dog to lie. Finlay felt that right across the aisle was the best place. I preferred "in the footwell out of the damn way, dog". I won (eventually).

He wasn't wild about the down escalator (nearly refused to follow me on, then kind of half-lay-down across two steps & refused to budge until we got to the bottom, causing a small but understanding traffic-jam) but he was v brave and didn't seem flustered afterwards.

He and angelmine's Oscar *mostly* got on OK. There was some controversy around the fact that Oscar doesn't really like angelmine petting other dogs, and Finlay doesn't really like me petting other dogs. But no actual damage done (just some snapping and snarling), and we explained that *actually* it is up to neither Finlay nor Oscar who angelmine & I talk to, and they were on reasonable terms by the end. Plus there was a lovely long walk.

Finlay is sleeping the sleep of the tired dog now.

[0] The lift at Waterloo wasn't working in the morning, so we went back to Southwark & walked up.
[1] He has done this before but only for shorter journeys; this was 1 hr 10 min.

Comments

[juliet]

Oh god, cattle grids. I have no idea how I'd cope with those - he's really just too damn heavy to carry (36kg). Mostly I'd expect there to be a stile or *something* if I was walking somewhere & encountered a cattle-grid, so he might be able to wiggle under one of those.

No dogs on public transport? Blimey. Here they're not only allowed, they travel free. (Fin being the ginormo-hound he is, it would be difficult to take him on a longer-distance train which I expected to be mostly full, e.g. London-Edinburgh at any kind of popular time. We'd probably have to go sit in the carriage-ends for the duration. He can fit in the footwell, but not really just in one person's footwell.)

[samvara]

Aussie cultural tendency to drive everywhere... no dogs on public transport unless he was assistive technology ;)

Shame, Kenobi is very good at mournfully implying he hasn't quite been loved enough while sitting meekly at my knee.

[juliet]

I confess that that is probably the thing that bugged me most about Australia when I was over there earlier in the year - the car culture. (In general I absolutely loved it & was very very sad to leave!)

Not that the UK doesn't have its own car culture, but our public transport system is much more comprehensive. Especially in London, of course. My major transport-related woe with Finlay is that I am pretty sure he's just too damn big for one of those bike-dogtrailer things. Bah.

[samvara]

I want to blame it on the huge distances, but we also just don't have the infrastructure :(

bike-dogtrailer things - probably - he looks pretty large :)

[juliet]

My investigations say that he will fit in a full-size DoggyRide trailer! We shall see... (it would make life a lot easier; I'm fed up of having to take trains & tubes)

[samvara]

Win!

He sounds pretty sweet natured, I've never tried to train a dog to use one - do you think he'll take to it?

[juliet]

We-ll. On the one hand: he's not the sort of dog who always likes to be underneath something. On the other hand: he will basically do (sometimes after some negotiation) anything I ask him to. And it would probably be more comfortable than the train seat he lay under for an hour last week (and certainly less alarming than the escalator!).

I reckon I could probably convince him.