A National Guard soldier was traveling in the vestibule of a Ukrzaliznytsia train with his Labrador service dog because they were not allowed into the carriage because of the dog's large size. This was reported on Instagram by passenger Daria Bronska, UNN reports.
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The girl saw a military man standing in the vestibule of the train with his dog and belongings on the floor. They had to travel for more than 2.5 hours. When Daria asked him why he was standing there, he replied that he was not allowed to enter the train because of his dog.
Ukrzaliznytsia replied that a dog taller than 45 cm cannot just ride in a compartment: the owner of the animal must buy the entire compartment - these are the rules. The girl noticed that the train they were traveling in was full of empty seats.
Isn't there some corner, a place at least near a shelf for suitcases? I've traveled the world and noticed in many places that an animal is a human friend and has access wherever the owner needs it. But, unfortunately, not in Ukraine. How are we going to go to Europe if we still have such an attitude towards our smaller brothers?
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Ukrzaliznytsia stated that the soldier was traveling with his dog in an Intercity train, which does not allow transportation of large dogs.
Our employees respect our defenders and know how important it is for them to be at home or elsewhere on time, so despite the narrow rules, they found a way to allow a military passenger with his pet to board the train
However, Ukrzaliznytsia reminded the rules for transporting animals on trains.
Thus, dogs of large breeds (over 45 cm at the withers) with a muzzle and leash are transported in a separate compartment of a compartment car for no more than two animals. In this case, the passenger is obliged to pay the cost of travel documents according to the number of unoccupied seats in the compartment at the full rate.
In regional trains, large dogs (over 45 cm at the withers) are transported in the outer vestibules of the first and last cars under the supervision of an attendant. A muzzle and leash are required.
UZ also admitted that the rules are outdated and the team is working on updating them and collecting recommendations on this issue.