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The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry: Dogs allowed

In an earlier post, I mentioned taking the Hampton Jitney to Boston by way of the Port Jefferson ferry. Small dogs in carriers are allowed on the Hampton Jitney buses, but what if you’re not taking the Hampton Jitney? Can dogs travel on the Port Jefferson ferry? The answer is not on the ferry website, so I wrote and asked. Here’s the official word: “Dogs are allowed on the ferry, and there is no charge for them. They must be on a leash or in a carrier and they are not allowed in the main cabin where the food is served.”

PetEgo’s Pet at Work Travel System for a small dog

Photo by PetEgo

Photo by PetEgo

I have been racking my brain, trying to come up with a scenario where I actually need this carrier — it’s that cool. It’s a backpack, carrying both your laptop and your small dog — once you get to your destination, the included Pet Dome, stowed next to your laptop, folds out into a small enclosed crate, complete with a padded floor. PetEgo makes Chloe’s beloved messenger bag, so I know that it’s a good-quality product.

Toy breeds will fit best in the backpack, especially in the compact and standard (shown on the left side of the picture) configurations, but it has a third, fully expanded configuration that even Chloe can fit in. It comes in black and tan.

Amazon link:
Petego Pet at Work Small Pet Carrier with Pet Dome Crate, Black

Taking the Dungeness Line to the Olympic Peninsula with a small dog

I saw a “Dungeness Line” bus in downtown Seattle for the first time yesterday, and I hurried to Google to find out more about it. It turns out to be an Olympic Bus Lines route providing two trips daily between Port Angeles, Sequim, Discovery Bay, Port Townsend and Kingston and several destinations in Edmonds and Seattle (the Edmonds Amtrak station, the Seattle Greyhound station, the Seattle hospitals, the Seattle Amtrak station and Seatac Airport).

Olympic is an independent agent of Greyhound, and Greyhound only allows service dogs on board, so I was astonished to learn that the Dungeness Line allows small dogs in carriers on board, for $5 each way. This is really exciting news, from my point of view, because the Dungeness Line’s destinations are lovely, but a heck of a drive from Seattle. How very nice to have someone else drive you to gorgeous Port Townsend, and the lavender fields of Sequim, and to Port Angeles, the base camp for trips to Hurricane Ridge, the Olympic National Park, and Victoria, B.C.

Rolling in-cabin airplane carrier for a small dog: Creature Leisure’s Pet Pilot XL

Chloe in her Pet Pilot XL

Chloe in her Pet Pilot XL

[1/31/13 Phooey!! It looks like this product has been discontinued.]

I have long wanted a rolling airplane carrier for Chloe, and I think Creature Leisure’s Pet Pilot XL is the answer. Ours just arrived yesterday, and as usual I’m very happy with how it’s made and designed (I believe that we now own one of every product Creature Leisure offers!).

In its normal configuration (9Hx19Lx14W), the carrier exceeds the airlines’ maximum sizes, but it’s just barely workable nevertheless (please note that it lies horizontally in the under-seat space). The 19″ dimension is rigid, so the under-seat space must be at least 19″ wide. The sides and top do flex a bit, so I’m not worried about those dimensions.

The carrier has a gusset that can be unzipped to give your dog several more inches of breathing room during flight, if you choose to move the carrier out a bit from under the seat in front of you. The sheepskin pad liner flips down to occupy the newly-expanded space, adding comfort and structural support to the gusset.

It has three small but useful external pockets, plenty of mesh ventilation panels (each with a privacy panel, so you can configure things to your dog’s satisfaction), and an internal lanyard that clips to your dog’s collar or harness. There are two straps on the back of the carrier, through which a car’s seatbelt can be fastened. The faux sheepskin liner is, for once in the history of such things, actually thick and soft; when the carrier is lying on its back under an airplane seat, your dog will still be comfortable even though she’s resting on the two uprights of the collapsed handle.

Gripes? A couple of the zippers stick — run a finger underneath to keep fabric from interfering with their operation. And the carrier is heavy (10 lbs.), so you’ll likely be over some airlines’ maximum weights. On the other hand, no one at the airport has ever weighed Chloe or her carrier, so you’ll probably be okay.

We finally gave this carrier a workout over the holidays, and I posted my review in February 2010.

Doggles’ Hemp Dog Carrier for a small dog

Photo by Doggles

Photo by Doggles

I saw this carrier for the first time today, and I was really impressed. It’s made of hemp, which will please the environmentalist in you, and it’s well-constructed. The entire top is a mesh panel (with UV protection), and there are mesh panels on each end. The bottom has some rigidity and a fleece pad, so your dog has something stable (and comfortable) to rest on. There are a couple of useful pockets, a water-bottle pocket on one end, and a lanyard inside to clip to your dog’s collar or harness. The shoulder strap is sturdy and the ends swivel, so it’s easy to sling across your chest like a messenger bag.

The carrier is dark brown and off-white, with black trim. It’s really a handsome carrier — and fairly stealthy, too (the mesh top is raised in the publicity photo so you can see it, but when a dog is inside it flattens out, and the whole bag really looks just like a messenger bag). It comes in two sizes: Small (about 8″ tall, 11″x5″ at the bottom, about 14″ wide at the top opening) and Large (about 12″ tall, 14″x6″ at the bottom, about 18″ wide at the top opening). The Small size ($50) will fit toy breeds; the Large ($60) will fit a dog up to Chloe’s size but no bigger — say 11 lbs. or under.

Amazon link:
Doggles Dog Carrier Hemp Messenger Bag

Traveling by London public transit with a dog

Photo by Salim Virji

Getting to London with a small dog isn’t easy (though the PETS scheme has certainly made it easier), but once you’re there, you’ll be able to take your dog on all forms of public transit. The types of transit included under Transport for London‘s umbrella include the Underground (“tube”), buses, the Docklands Light Railway (“DLR”), river boats, the tram, and the London Overground rail system.

Dogs, either on leashes or in a carrier, are allowed on the tube and on London buses without charge. You must carry your dog on escalators and through the automatic ticket gates, and you cannot allow her on a seat.

The same rules apply [PDF] for the Docklands Light Railway, which stretches west to Bank, north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, and east to Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal.

The same rules apply [PDF] for the Croydon Tramlink (“Tramlink“) system in south London.

The same rules apply [PDF] for the London Overground system, which currently includes four commuter rail lines (Richmond to Stratford, Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction, Gospel Oak to Barking, and Watford Junction to Euston).

And how about river boats, which serve both commuters and tourists? I couldn’t find a Conditions of Carriage that applied, so I wrote to Travel for London and asked whether dogs are allowed on board river boats, and under what conditions. Here’s what I was told: “This is at the discretion of the operator of the river boat service you intend to take. Each river boat service is operated by a different company. Please contact the operator of the route you are interested in. A guide to London river boat services which contains contact details can be found at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/river-guide.pdf.”

For other posts about traveling with dogs on public transit, take a look at Dog Jaunt’s handy guide!

Southwest Airlines publishes under-seat dimensions

Photo by Rob Speed

Photo by Rob Speed

Unlike other U.S. airlines, Southwest does not stipulate what size carrier it will accept for in-cabin pets. Instead, it has published the dimensions of the under-seat space available to travelers. Southwest has a fleet of Boeing 737s (the -300, -500 and -700 series), and apparently the same measurement applies to all of its planes.

Southwest’s under-seat dimensions are as follows:

  • Window Seat: 19″L x 14″W x 8.25″H
  • Middle Seat: 19″L x 19″W x 8.25″H
  • Aisle Seat: 19″L x 14″W x 8.25″H

I think this is a very sensible approach. You can look at these dimensions and really understand that an in-cabin carrier that’s 20″ long just won’t fit. You can test, at home, whether your carrier can flex enough to fit under an 8.25″ ceiling and still give your pet the headroom she needs. I hope more airlines follow Southwest’s lead!

A few months later I traveled on a Southwest 737 (-700 series) with a tape measure, and posted a follow-up message about choosing seats with an in-cabin dog on Southwest.

Dog jaunt: Seattle’s Pike Place Market with a small dog

Photo by Steve Kaiser

Photo by Steve Kaiser

The Pike Place Market is one of Seattle’s delights, but the official word (in response to my e-mail query) is that dogs are banned from most of it: “Pets are allowed on the Pike Place Market’s streets and sidewalks. Because of our many open-air food businesses and restaurants, they are not allowed inside our buildings.” That’s a shame, because everyone who visits Seattle goes to the Market for at least part of one day, and it’s right next to a couple of parks and the waterfront — places where you’d like to have your dog with you for the rest of the day. On the other hand, the Market is often so crowded that it would be downright dangerous for a small dog — so I can’t really complain about the ban.

I suggest that you stow your small dog in a discreet carrier and carry her over your shoulder. There are some restaurants in the Market buildings, and you’ll have to make up your own mind about whether you want to break those rules. The bulk of the Market, though, is a bunch of small shops, food stalls, and craft stalls. A small dog completely enclosed in a carrier isn’t going to get anyone’s knickers in a twist — chances are, no one will even know she’s there.

Wagwear’s Boat Canvas Carrier for a small dog

Chloe in her Boat Canvas Carrier (Large)

Chloe in her Boat Canvas Carrier (Large)

Wagwear sells beautifully-made dog gear online and in its tiny New York store. Their stuff has the same good-quality, preppy appeal of the L.L. Bean catalog, but in a higher price range. We’ve bought their Quilted Vest and a collar for Chloe made of braided cord, inspired by those braided rope bracelets you buy at the beginning of the summer and wear until they fall off your arm. And we bought the “Boat Canvas Carrier,” which comes in a range of colors and is pleasingly reminiscent of the L.L. Bean totes that I own by the dozen.

It’s a great carrier, especially for the summertime. It’s well-made and sturdy, with a small side pocket and a rigid bottom for structure (throw a small towel in for comfort, though). There is a short lanyard sewn in, to clip to your dog’s collar or harness. The top zips closed, and whoever designed it was clever enough to include a wide canvas panel under the zipper, so that your dog’s fur doesn’t get caught.

It comes in two sizes: Small (8.5Hx12Lx 6W) and Large (11Hx15Lx8W). The Large fits Chloe perfectly. Negatives? It’s pretty pricey ($130), and you can really only spot-clean it.

Wagwear also sells a “Boat Canvas Carrier (Hampton Bag),” which is very similar except that that it closes with a cinch buckle and not a zipper, and doesn’t have a side pocket. It costs $104-120 and comes in three sizes: Small (8.5Hx12Lx 6W), Large (11Hx15Lx8W), and Extra Large (15Hx17Lx8W).

Wagwear
48 E. 11th Street
New York, NY 10003
T: 212-673-7210 or 888-WAG-WEAR
Open Mon. to Sat. 11 am to 7 pm, Sun. 12-6 pm

Dog-friendly hotels: TripAdvisor

Until recently, I thought that you had to find the names of some dog-friendly hotels in the location you want to visit, then laboriously look them up on TripAdvisor to see which of them you, the human, would like best. Foolish me. It turns out that TripAdvisor will tell you which of the hotels it lists are pet-friendly, if you coax it a little.

Here’s what you do: Go to TripAdvisor, type in your destination and select your dates (if you just want a list of pet-friendly hotels and haven’t yet chosen your dates, type dates in anyway). You’ll get a list of hotels and a couple of new options to choose among. In a sidebar on the left you can “Refine Search,” specifically by scrolling down and clicking on “Pets Allowed” under “Amenity Type.” To the right, and just below your destination and chosen dates you’ll see a couple of buttons for “All with confirmed availability” and “Regardless of availability.” If you want to see a list of all the hotels at your destination that accept pets, select “Regardless of availability” and click on “Search.” If you know your travel dates and want to find out what pet-friendly rooms are actually available, click on “All with confirmed availability” instead.

I don’t know where TripAdvisor gets its data, so I can’t tell you how complete the listings are. It’s certainly a good place to start, though — I’m a big fan of TripAdvisor.