Riding Boston’s “MBTA” With Your Dog
When I first learned you could take your dog on the MBTA in Boston I was skeptical. I assumed you could, but would be treated like social pariah and the whole situation would be incredibly uncomfortable. Granted I love living in Boston and I think nothing of walking from one end of town to the other; especially when walking with my dog. However on some days, I either have places to be on time or quite frankly don’t feel like walking. Boston’s subway or trolly, known as the “T”, is a great way to cut across town. Whenever Boston is listed as one of America’s most pet friendly cities, the pet friendly MBTA is reason for Boston making the list each year. Still, when you mention to others you can take your dog on the MBTA, they are surprised. So here is a little write up of our experiences….
Keep in mind, Boston’s entire MBTA system is open to well behaved dog’s unless it is rush hour (7 a.m.-9 a.m. and 4 p.m.-7 p.m.) . The ultimate decision is left up to the operators, if you are getting on a bus, the driver can turn you away, if they feel your dog will be a problem. So, your dog needs to be well behaved. You can imagine, other riders would not be pleased to spend any time with an out of control dog in a confined space; shocking as it may seem.
When we have brought our dog along on the “T” the MBTA staff as well as other passengers have been outstanding. Usually someone comes over to say hello and give our pooch a good scratch. An experience far from what I had expected beforehand. These days I think nothing of grabbing the “T” with our dog. Here is a little of what I have learned along the way.
When taking the “T”
Keep in mind, the MBTA can be very busy and loud, especially when underground in the stations. Make sure you have a good collar on your dog, one that will not slip off. The last thing you would ever want is for your dog to get spooked, slip out of their collar and run off willy nilly into a tunnel full of trains. Especially during your dog’s first few experiences, a reassuring hand will help your dog cope with all the new noises and movement.
Use the stairs or elevators; do not let your dog stand on the escalator. Unless you can easily carry your dog, avoid the escalator unless you are looking to save on getting your dogs nails clipped. Actually, this is very serious; every couple of months an unlucky dog or two find their way to the animal hospital after getting their paws caught in the escalator. Sometimes this results in an amputation of a paw. Use the stairs or the elevator if you are not going to carry your dog. I would like to thank the MSPCA-Angell for making me aware of this issue.
Keep a short leash and be aware of how other people are reacting to the presence of your dog. Most people are thrilled to see a dog, but there will always be others who are terrified of even the cutest puppy. I would argue the confined space and noise can make the presence of a dog for some a little tougher to deal with.
Overall, riding the “T” with your dog is easy and kind of fun. Our dog loves it, but then again he knows where to go to get his belly scratched by strangers.
Water Shuttle and Water Taxi
The MBTA operates a water shuttle where dogs are certainly welcome. Our dog rides the shuttle from the Charlestown Navy Yard to Long Warf in the Financial District in Boston regularly. On the water shuttle, rush hour is not an issue, there is always plenty of space for everyone. The water shuttle is a fantastic way to commute to Boston. You will also see plenty of tourists riding the shuttle for a ultra cheap way to see Boston from the water. Our dog loves riding on boats, especially on the bow.
The rush hour policy is more strict for commuter boats so you will need to plan accordingly.
Riding the MBTA Buses
When you are riding the buses with your dog make sure you are respectful of those around you. The driver makes the ultimate decision whether or not your dog can come aboard. Rush hour is not really an option and you need to keep your dog off the seats.
MBTA iPhone Application
I just thought I would make other Bostonian dog owning iPhone users (bit of a mouthful) aware of a great application which provides all the schedules for the entire MBTA system on your iPhone or iTouch. The best part it stores the data on your phone so this works even when you are underground without a connection.
When you have a connection MassTransit will find the closest T stop for you and provide T alerts as they happen. No more standing around wondering when the next train, ferry, commuter line or bus will arrive. Now you can spend more time goofing off with your dog instead of standing around wondering when the T is going to arrive.
The MassTransit iPhone App was created by Cambridge based Sparkfish Creative and is incredibly well designed. You can follow this link to the App Store to add this to your Apple iPhone or iTouch.
Here are some links to the MBTA websites:
Todd Edelman, Dogs on Board project
November 24, 2009 at 8:15 pm //
Nice one! In terms of how a dog is treated – the social part – this is quite similar to taking dogs on public transport in Berlin (where I have lived for a year) and Prague (seven years there).
For the past couple of years I have followed a few initiatives – really just floated ideas – for taking dogs on transit in other parts of the USA, and it seems that about 1/4 of people anticipate allergy attacks, dogs fighting with each other, dirt everywhere, bitten children and of course pooping in the aisle.
The reality is that almost none of this happens.
The main difference in Prague is that dogs can go on during peaks (sure, it gets really crowded) BUT dogs need a ticket (The price has gone up by 400% since 2001, but is about 1.25 now… and monthly passes are available.) Dogs can also go on trains all over the country for about a dollar a day!
On the buses, trams, U-Bahn and S-Bahn in Berlin and its surrounding area, dogs are half-price or free if you have a monthly or longer duration pass. This also applies to some regional trains, though long distance trains are always half-price. Dogs are also allowed at all times.
In Canada and the USA, pet dogs are allowed on transit in places like Calgary, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and on Metro North Railway (NYC, Connecticut and New Jersey).
I am starting a project to encourage more public transport services in Canada and the USA to allow pet dogs. See “Dogs on Board!” at my website if you want to help.
Jay Stebbins
December 5, 2009 at 3:45 pm //
Todd,
Thank you for taking the time to write out your thoughts on dog friendly initiatives. Boston overall is a pretty dog-friendly city for the US. The toughest part of living in Boston is trying to find a place to eat when in company of your dog. I am always amazed the difference of perceptions between Europe and the US regarding dogs in restaurants or simply health codes. My dog might be one of the cleanest beings I know.
Thanks again for your comments and I will keep checking out your dogs on board program
Alex
December 31, 2009 at 11:01 am //
I just read that boston is one of the most “dog friendly cities” and it kind of made me laugh! I know that you have a pointer as well (so do I) but I have found that unless you have a teeny tiny dog, you are pretty unwelcome in my experience. I don’t know if it’s the size of my dog, but I get comments about her over and over about how she is the most chill pointer people have ever met, yet every time I go into a place that I have read as dog friendly and ask them if I can bring my pup in they say no. One time I was allowed in the Harvard bookstore, but that was it, and that’s in Cambridge. I lived on the B-line for a couple of years and could *never* get on the train with her. With the ultimate discretion up to the owner/operator of the train, some of us aren’t guaranteed the same positive experience as others. Hopefully I’ll get a positive experience one of these days and I can quit daydreaming about moving to a more dog-friendly city.
Jay Stebbins
December 31, 2009 at 11:16 am //
Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences Alex. Congrats on the Pointer, an incredible breed of dog. We will probably only have Pointers for the rest of our lives.
As for being welcomed with a larger dog in Boston. I agree with you, a smaller dog will slip in un-noticed. Over the Holiday we were in the Bonfire restaurant in the airport when a dog barked under the table next to us, a little guy tucked in a bag. Other knew they were there but were able to pretend not to notice. We never could have gotten our dog that deep into an airport or in a restaurant for that matter. We have had more luck than expected in the parts of Boston we frequent when we ask if it is OK to bring our dog in various stores. As for the MBTA I have never been turned away. I do however avoid rush hour or when a game has let out as the crowds are just too much.
I would argue Boston’s different neighborhoods have different levels of dog friendliness or acceptance. We have spent the past few months evaluating the various areas in order to get a better idea which are the best Boston neighborhoods to live with a dog are. I should have that article up in the next week. I do hope you come back an add your opinion to that article as well.
Thanks,
Jay
Alex
December 31, 2009 at 11:20 am //
Thanks, Jay!
Oh! I can’t wait to see what you find out. We are looking to move in September to a more dog friendly neighborhood as we currently live in Cambridgeport and it’s pretty bad. This last snow storm they covered the one dogs allowed park with salt, and not just on the path but the grass! We were thinking south end just because that is where we’ve heard is very dog friendly. There or Brookline, because they have *tons* of parks. I will check back here for that article. I love this site, very helpful!
john
November 21, 2011 at 8:30 pm //
Tomorrow I am taking my ten pound mutt Willie on the commuter rail and the orange line round trip to a jobsite. Thanks for the encouraging words!
Jay Stebbins
November 27, 2011 at 5:20 pm //
I wonder how your mutts trip on the commuter rail to Boston went?