Evidence that the world is becoming more and more pet friendly, Washington lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow dogs and cats to travel on trains. Currently non-service animals are not allowed to travel by Amtrak, and this bill would designate that at least one car per train to be pet friendly.
Rep. Jeff Denham is the bill's main sponsor, and he introduced it for personal reasons. “My dog, Lily, is part of our family and travels with us to and from California all the time. If I can take her on a plane, why can’t I travel with her on Amtrak, too?” he said.
If the Pets on Trains Act of 2013 is approved, traveling pets would need to be kept in a kennel and they wouldn't be able to go more than 750 miles. Passengers would pay a fee for each dog or cat they want to transport.
We'll see how it goes, but as an overall trend we like that this issue is even being discussed. By the way, are you traveling with a pet anytime soon? Take our Pet Travel Survey and tell us about it!