On Saturday, October 15, pet owners will officially be able to bring their dogs on Montreal's Metro system.
This decision comes after an online petition from the SPCA was signed by over 17,000 people supporting the idea earlier this year.
While this next move will serve many purposes, the SPCA's legal services director, Sophie Gaillard, explained that this will mainly benefit animals with low income owners. Giving them the access will help owners bring their pets around the city more freely to get the services they need without worrying about additional transportation costs.
This new decision does come with certain conditions, however. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) shared that dog owners will be permitted to bring their pets on the metro, as long as the comply with the following:
- Dogs may only be brought into the métro between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and after 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, as well as on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
- All dogs must wear a muzzle from the time they enter the station until they leave.
- Keep a firm grip on your dog’s leash, leaving no more than 1.25 metres (49 inches) of slack between the hand holding the leash and the dog.
- Only one dog per customer is allowed.
- Dogs are not allowed on any seats on métro trains or platforms.
In addition, pet owners will only be allowed to bring their pets in the middle and back train cars, as the frontmost cars are typically reserved for school groups, daycares, wheelchair users, and cyclists.
For more information on the complete list of rules and regulations pertaining to the new pilot project, visit the STM website here.
