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Home > The Alliance in the News > 2006 Alliance News Items > Animals get ride in storm: TA: Critters would be OK on buses & subways TA: Critters would be OK on buses & subways by Pete Donohue, New York Daily News Sunday, May 21, 2006 City buses and subways could become modern-day Noah's Arks if a Katrina-like hurricane hurtles toward New York, the Daily News has learned. The Transit Authority has drafted proposed changes to its strict pet policy to allow New Yorkers to board subway trains and buses with their dogs and cats if an emergency evacuation of the city is ordered. The draft comes at the request of the city Office of Emergency Management, "which is concerned that without the ability to transport these animals, people may ignore evacuation orders," according to a TA memo obtained by The News. As Katrina showed, that fear is well-founded. Some New Orleans pet owners refused to abandon the four-legged loved ones, remaining in their homes while the hurricane slammed the city. The strong animal-human bond cost some Big Easy residents their lives. New Yorkers are just as loyal to their pets, city officials and animal advocates noted. Without adequate pet evacuation plans "there's a lot of New Yorkers who are not going to leave their animals behind," Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, said. "New Yorkers are very stubborn." Pets currently are prohibited from subways and buses unless they are in carriers. Guide dogs used by the disabled and police pooches are exempt. The memo, which is being circulated among top TA staffers for comment and possible revision, would allow uncaged pets — as long as they are legal in the city limits — and are leashed and muzzled. "Exotics and other illegal pets will not be permitted," the memo says, so leave your ferrets and chimps at home. Bus drivers and conductors would have the right to boot overly "aggressive" pets, the memo warns. In addition, pooch owners would be required to have documentation showing their dogs are licensed and are up to date on their rabies shots. And in case of emergencies within the larger emergency "all owners should carry supplies to clean up animal waste," according to the proposal. There are a bunch more rules: The leashes can't be more than 6 feet long and must be in the hands of adults. Owners on board should stand so as to exert control over their pets. Pets should be taken to the back of buses, and on trains they should be ushered away from doors, the proposal states. Gary Kaskel, president of United Action for Animals, said the TA is on the right track, pointing to the Katrina example. But Kaskel said some of the proposed rules seem onerous — particularly requiring owners to have muzzles and veterinarian records in hand while gale-force winds are blistering the city and they are trying to escape. "I think they will have to relax some of those requirements or they are going to have a lot of very angry New Yorkers confronting them during an emergency," he said. "We all know the temperament of New Yorkers when they are told they can't do something." "Am I really going to be expected to carry a muzzle for my 10-pound poodle?" he fumed. "That's ridiculous." A TA spokesman declined to comment on the memo.
Copyright © 2006 Daily News, L.P.
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