Amtrak may not be winning any awards for on-time performance, but it is getting special recognition from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
PETA has given Amtrak a Compassionate Business Award “in recognition of the rail company’s new pilot program, which allows passengers to take their cats and small dogs with them on certain trains. The program gives guardians the option to travel with their animal companions rather than placing them in a stressful situation by boarding them or leaving them alone at home. Dogs and cats can now ride the train instead of being left home alone or commercially boarded.”
“By allowing them to travel by train, Amtrak will spare countless dogs and cats the stress and loneliness of being separated from their traveling families,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is recognizing Amtrak for being on track by passing even more policies that help animals and their humans. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that ‘animals are not ours to abuse in any way’—urges families to travel safely with their animal companions, such as with Amtrak or in a private vehicle, and never place them in the cargo area of an airplane.”
Amtrak’s pilot program launched in Illinois, and until February will be available on Northeast Regional and Downeaster trains. For $25, a passenger may take a cat or small dog along in a “comfortable, secure carrier.”