BUGGY, YEAH NAH
You can take a dog on public transport trains and buses in the Wellington region so long as the dog can be secured (enclosed) in a carrier bag.
But you cannot take a dog in a three-four wheeler buggy (designed for small-medium size dogs) in public transport even if the buggy compartment was secured (enclosed).
But you can take a baby in an equal sized or larger buggy in the train or bus with or without a secured compartment.
Does all this seem fair and sensible? No, it's plain stupid. I don't think Metlink have thought it through.
In Auckland on public transport you can have a dog in a carrier bag or a dog of any size fitted with a muzzle and on a leash otherwise "free-wheeling".
Wellington's Metlink should think again. When I phoned them, I had to wait 15 minutes while the person I dealt with queried my query with the powers that be.
I have taken Corgis into Wellington many times in a train in a pet carrier - from one of only two manufacturers in the world able to supply such a carrier to fit a long backed Corgi with Corgis weighing up 16kg (without being obese).
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️