National Pet Day, set on April 11 every year, was founded by American animal activist Colleen Paige. As a renowned animal-friendly city, Taipei, Taiwan has celebrated this festival in both 2023 and 2024 by launching a special “pet-friendly train service” with Metro Taipei.
In 2023 the event titled “One-Day Only Pet Train” was held on April 9, Sunday, to smoothen pet owners involvement. Pet owners needed to sign up to the event ahead of time and 30 groups of owners participated. The event took a leaf out of “Pet Transport Carriage” from Japan’s Shinkansen, which allows furry passengers to sit in the carriage with their owners and without being caged.
With the successful experience from 2023, Taipei MRT expanded the pet-friendly train event this year, which was held on the March 31st holiday. It deployed four trains to provide 16 train services allowing pets on these special trains. Pet owners did not have to sign up ahead of time this year to experience the service.
The announcement of the event details by Taipei MRT, made on March 6th this year, was met with backlash from cat owners, however. The cat owners complained that “dogs and cats in the same carriage” and “cage-free travel”, which were the original plans of Taipei MRT, may in fact heighten tensions when felines were faced with strangers and dogs, and may even cause aggressive behaviours for cats of a sensitive nature.
To Taipei MRT’s credit, they responded quickly and adjusted its plans before the event. It divided the service into two “dog-friendly trains” and two “cat-friendly trains”. A fence is also added between the 3rd and 4th carriages of the cat-friendly train to maintain safety of the cats. In addition, pet owners are reminded that they should evaluate whether their pets are suitable for participating in the event, and they must keep their pets on harnesses and leash during the entire journey of the event.
Although it is only a one-day event, Taipei MRT not only needed to plan well in advance, but also allocated extra manpower on the day of the event. For instance veterinarians, pet trainers, security personnel, cleaning staff, maintenance personnel and service staff were on hand to provide assistance on each train. After the event, the carriages were immediately cleaned back at the train shed, while the double-layered filters specially used for air-conditioning that day were also replaced.
Upon seeing photos from the event, a veterinarian pointed out some behaviours she found inappropriate, such as pet owners allowing their dogs to fight and play in the carriage, which she believed not only lacked courtesy towards other pet owners but also showed a lack of respect for those who do not keep or like pets. She suggested that pets should wear diapers when taking the MRT and should not occupy seats. If they must occupy seats, owners should lay out their own blankets.
Many pet owners in Taiwan look on with admiration at the fact that dogs and cats in Germany can ride on public transportation without being caged. For these pet owners, it may indeed be food for thought whether their pets can follow the same etiquette that allowed their German counterparts to enjoy this privilege.