Didnt know what to title this, but anyway.

A few weeks ago, was on the bus taking my son to school. A young women got on the bus at the back of us, and sat behind us she had her dog with her. The dog she promptly plonked on the seat at the side of her. The seat was a bit higher than ours, anyway I had this dog sat literally over mine and my sons head. Sorry, but I thought dogs werent allowed on seats on public transport. I turned around and politely asked if she could take the dog of the seat, and put it on the floor. She told me that "he is very friendly he wont hurt you". I replied that wasnt the issue, that seats are for passengers not dogs. Looks like it hadnt seen a bath its whole life.

As well as this, seriously  I didnt want the dog slobbering allover me, as its head was literally in the back of mine..... Not another thought

Until just out on a walk, different route to our usual one due to all the rain. And she has just stopped me and said, I had no right saying that to her, as she had paid for the dogs seat. And therefore the dog was entitled to a seat. I couldnt believe what she was saying, she was clearly out for an argument. Basically just told her look you pay for the dog on the bus, not a seat where other passengers sit. She really was spoiling for a argument, but sorry but i laughed told her not to be ridiculous and walked off..... I mean omg seats are for passengers arnt they

If she's paid the child fare for the dog (as it always used to be) it's no different to a child sitting there. And having seen the state of some of the humans who sit (and worse!) on the seats, a dog would be the least of my worries! When I used to take my dog on public transport she used to sit on the seat - but I always put newspaper down first for her to sit on; partly to stop hair getting on the seats, but also to keep her clean - the seats were often filthy!

Hmmm actually you might have a point there lol

And it wasn't that long ago smoking was banned on buses, I for one never let my dogs sit on bus seats but I wasn't happy with them sitting in cigarette ash either.

iv never heard of paying for a dog to travel on the bus , not where i live anyway, its always been at the drivers disgression as to weather you even get on the bus at all with your dog,

used to be quite easy many years ago to get on a bus with your dog sadly now the drivers are now turning dogs down i have stood at a stop with my little bully and had 4 buses that wont even open the doors to let you on, we ended up walking and now i wouldnt even bother waiting for a bus,

I take my dogs on a ferry to visit friends across the water and have to wait, firstly in the terminal then on the ferry itself.
I dont let my dogs (pristine, Pantene scented pampered pooches) on the seats. Not to avoid dirtying the seats but to avoid any further anti-dog feeling and controversy.
My dogs are often far cleaner than the upholstery but I will not give people the excuse to cause yet another dog ban in public places and facilities.

I suppose it could depend on the dog really, I mean my great hunking lab would take up 2 seats all himself.lol

If she's paid the child fare for the dog (as it always used to be) it's no different to a child sitting there.

As long as the dog doesn't have its feet on the seat! Otherwise it IS different.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a dog.  It sits on the floor.  Sheesh.

As you say, the dog is entitled to travel on the bus NOT entitled to sit on the seat

Irrespective of hygeine issues any dog would be safer on the floor.   I sometimes use Park and Ride bus routes and, without arms for bracing yourself, the erratic driving could knock your teeth out!!

Where i come from you do pay for a dog to get on the bus. Never heard anything said about where they sit. I can see from both P.O.V. If the dog was causing no harm and wasnt taking a seat away from anyone else then i dont see the harm HOWEVER i can see that having a dog milimetres away from you not smelling the nicest isnt very nice either. Common sense tells me that the 2 adults should have compromised! :-)

> As far as I'm concerned, it's a dog.  It sits on the floor.  Sheesh.

Hear! hear!

My concern here would be safety, should the bus have to make an emergency stop a human passenger would be able to brace and/or hold on but also be contained by the seat in front.
  A dog hanging over this divide has the potential to have given either yourself or your son a very nasty C-spine injury.
   Floor is definitely best and safest.
(and the folk that have the dog on their knees... urghh in the event of an RTA the impact injury on the dog doesn't bear thinking about)

Totally agree TT and HG.

My two would sit on the floor with the best will in the world even straight from the groomers Whistler loses hair you should see our office chairs!

I'm a bus driver, at home my dogs sit on the furniture but I won't allow dogs to sit on the seats of my bus. Buses are not always filthy JG. Our buses are cleaned every night, we consistently win an award for the cleanest buses in britain. We're not supposed to let people put their feet on the seats and if someone gets on with a 'personal hygeine issue' we can ask them to leave too. We carry around 11 million passengers a year, so one seat is sat on by many different people throughout the day - someone wearing a cream wool coat, people dressed up for interviews or a night out - they have the perfectly reasonable right not to get covered in mud or dog hair.

>Buses are not always filthy JG. Our buses are cleaned every night, we consistently win an award for the cleanest buses in britain.

Doesn't that just show that your buses are the exception? ;-)