Please sign this petition to urge Wayne Hastie , General Manger of the Greater Wellington Regional Council Transportation Group to change the Metlink policy and allow customers to take non-service dogs on Metlink trains.

Service dogs are allowed on Metlink trains, so the matter is not one of cleanliness, more behaviour of the dog (the same rule apply to the human passengers!). Allow dog owners to prove that our pets can behave themselves in a designated canine area in one carriage of each service - Metlink needs to change their policy to allow greater mobility for pet owners.

It's simple - if you can walk a dog through Wellington's CBD on a lead then why on earth can you not take a dog on a Metlink train? There is absolutely no valid reason why dogs cannot go on trains. Obviously guide dogs cannot be prohibited as this would be unlawful but this should be extended to all customers - if not on all services then at least some should have the ability to carry dogs as is currently the case with bicycles.

At the moment, if you want to bring your dog into work - which is gaining popularity due to the positive effects that animals have on stress in the work environment - you have to drive on Wellington's already over capacity road network, often alone in your car if you are lucky enough to own one!

The current ban on dogs causes real problems for dog owners  –

If you're not a driver you're stuck,
You can't take your dog into work without major planning and costs associated with parking,
If your dog requires care or less than 4 hours alone at home, work hours are significantly reduced if you cannot drive,
Dog owners must spend longer in the car with their dog and any passengers than they would on the reliable trains during peak hour,
This is totally unfair and unnecessary.

Think of the advantages of allowing dogs on Metlink services–

Metlink could make additional profits by charging additional for dogs during a trial phase (many of us would not mind an extra $10-$20 / month to include our pets in the monthly pass)
More passengers would be able to take the train as those who currently drive in due to no allowance for dogs on the train would have an additional option for transport - taking unnecessary road users off the road!