Otto is seven years old and has once sneaked into the trolley car hidden between the feet of its owner, Alexis. Yesterday, both expressed their joy at being able to access the light rail without having to do it irregularly.
Of course, they know that they have to use it respecting the rules established by Metropolitano de Tenerife, the company that manages the tram, and which are to travel on a short leash, with a muzzle and in the space set up for pets, which is located in the last module, with a double door, in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and always only one dog per tram, so that if a pet was already traveling in the area set aside for them, the users with dogs They will have to wait for the next one.
Photo: Sergio Mendez
Photo: Sergio Mendez
Photo: Sergio Mendez
Photo: Sergio Mendez
Photo: Sergio Mendez
They also know that they will not be able to do it between seven and nine in the morning, and between one and three in the afternoon, the slots with the highest number of users, in order to avoid problems between pets and humans.
Yesterday morning, small dogs continued to travel in a carrier, something that has been allowed for a few years now, although some owners were encouraged to try freedom for their pet, even if it was only for a few minutes, since it did not have a muzzle. with the consequent joy of the dog in question.
Other pet owners, like Carmen, who was walking with Scooby, a 14-year-old grandpa, celebrated being able to ride the streetcar with him. “I don’t have a car and many times I would like to be able to go up to La Laguna with it, but I couldn’t do it on the bus or the tram, and there are even taxis that don’t allow it either,” she said. He acknowledged that he had heard about the tram, but did not know when it started and the rules.
The muzzle is what he likes the least. “I’ll have to buy him one, but the poor thing has never used it. He will have to get used to it,” he said. For Carmen, that the tram allows them to get away from her walking area (she says that Scooby can be on the street for up to two hours), is great news.
Alexis, with a patient, Otto, lying on a step, defends the importance that pets have for many people. “That you can travel with them on the tram is to celebrate. We do not realize the importance that pets have, especially as a result of the pandemic, with their ability to provide company, as one more member of your family, ”she indicates.
And it is that, as Alexis recalls, “the dog is part of the family and one is limited wherever the walk takes you, and that can be at most two kilometers around. The fact of being able to open the radio now and say ‘Otto, we’re going to La Laguna’ is wonderful”. Otto’s owner says that he adopted him after his previous owner abandoned him, and for him he is a member of the family.
From the Metropolitan of Tenerife they confirmed yesterday that the morning had developed normally, although it is also true that few were the pet owners, if not almost none, who were encouraged to travel with their animal on the tram.
The tram management company insisted that people must take into account the rules so that the coexistence between passengers and pets is the best possible. To this end, posters have been placed both inside the trams and at the stops, with information and the rules that should govern the use of the tram by pets. Metropolitano insisted that the dog must go with a muzzle, a short leash and in the module space set aside for the dog, one per tram.
For those who are concerned about possible allergies, the company reminds that the space for pets is located at the back of the tram, the last one with double doors, so those users who may be allergic can travel on the opposite side of the tram. trolley car.
“In the end it is about common sense and respecting the rules, we all have to do our part to facilitate coexistence,” says the company, which also recalls that pet owners are responsible for their well-being, as well as their safety. behavior.
Regarding the possibility of increasing spaces for pets, the main complaint from users who have one dog, or more, Metropolitano recalls that this does not depend on them, that the regulation has been approved by the Cabildo and that they have limited themselves to putting it into effect. March.
In the buses of Titsa this regulation was also released yesterday, so that only one dog is allowed per accessible vehicle (with a platform and space for wheelchairs), with a muzzle and a short leash. In neither of the two cases, that is, tram and bus, does the transport insurance cover the animal.
