[nagdu] Take the menagerie off the bus

[helene ryles]

As a rat guardian I can't see any responsible rat guardian letting
their rat off the bus since you'd have to spend a lot of time kneeling
on all fours in the isle desperately trying to call your animal back
while they explore the bus. Even if they did I doupt the rats would
bite anyone.

My mum had an untrained dog. I don't think he went on the bus with her
much. He didn't bite but some of my rats have a better recall.  So he
was at home most of the time.

I think people just have to be sensible. Keep all small animals in
carriers. Muzzle big fierce dogs. Sometimes though, the owners of
these dogs can be even more scary then their dog. I've had experience
with some of these people.  Once (as a hard of hearing person) I
complained that their dog had chewed up some of my things. I was
shouted at:  "what do you expect it's only a dog".

Helene.

On 31/10/2008, Sam <sam at tcq.net> wrote:
> I am all for training!  It's about time we get some regulations.
> Thanks for the article.
>
> Sam
>
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com
>>To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>Date sent: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:45:09 -0400
>>Subject: [nagdu] Take the menagerie off the bus
>
>>Take the menagerie off the bus
>>A dog's fatal attack on another illustrates why the feds must
> tighten their definition of "service animal"
>>Thursday, October 30, 2008
>>The Oregonian
>>Editorial
>>No offense, ferret lovers.  (And we know you're out there.  More
> than a
>>million ferrets now live in U.S.  homes.) Your pet may be clever
> and
>>adorable, in your
>>view.  It may offer emotional support.
>
>>But it shouldn't be roaming the aisles of a TriMet bus or train.
> And, in our
>>view, neither should any other animal with sharp teeth.  The only
> pets that
>>should be traveling, uncaged, on buses, trains and planes are
> trained
>>service animals.
>
>>These animals today -- mostly dogs -- can be trained to do truly
> astonishing
>>things.  For them to travel with their owners is only right and
> fair, and
>>it's
>>also the law under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.  But
> this week,
>>Portlanders learned that the law has been stretched in a
> loosey-goosey way.
>
>>On TriMet and other transit systems around the country,
> increasingly, almost
>>any "companion animal" can go almost anywhere with few questions
> asked.  The
>>death of Buddy, a 7-pound Pomeranian, bitten by a 50-pound
> Rottweiler mix on
>>a bus, is a painful reminder of all the snarling, growling,
> biting seatmate
>>possibilities.
>
>>If you haven't encountered a ferret yet, well, it's just a matter
> of time.  A
>>2003 ruling by the U.S.  Department of Transportation, in effect,
> propped
>>open
>>the door of the veterinarian's office by saying people with
> emotional
>>ailments had the same right of access for their animals as people
> with
>>physical ailments.
>
>>We have no quarrel with that broad notion.  It's certainly true
> that
>>"invisible" problems are every bit as real as visible ones.  It's
> also true
>>that animals
>>can be trained to soothe people who have a variety of
> afflictions, including
>>those that come with aging.  The aging of the population makes it
> likely that
>>we will see a boom in the training of such animals.
>
>>Unfortunately, though, the ruling didn't say anything about
> training.  Since
>>the 2003 ruling, "a veritable Noah's Ark of support animals" has
> emerged,
>>The
>>New York Times wrote.  Airlines have accommodated "monkeys,
> miniature horses
>>and even an emotional-support duck." (Dressed up in a costume, no
> less.)
>
>>In the wake of the Pomeranian's death this week, TriMet plans to
> take a look
>>at its rules and procedures, to see whether there's a way to
> tighten them
>>within
>>the confines of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  We hope
> there is.
>>Transit agencies should lobby for tighter definitions.  The
> operative word
>>should
>>be "training."
>
>>Those who stand to be hurt the most by the current free-for-all
> include the
>>owners of the well-trained dogs.  They could suffer a backlash --
> or maybe we
>>should say a back bite -- from the untrained ones.
>
>>There are 72 million pet dogs in the United States, and nearly 82
> million
>>pet cats -- and all can be classified, loosely, as "companion
> animals." Add
>>a
>>few rabbits, rats and ferrets to the mix, and you can imagine a
> bus ride
>>that veers a little too uncomfortably close to the zoo.
>
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