When the only way to get your pooch on the subway is by fitting them in a bag, it’s easy to imagine the tricks dog parents will use to allow their furry companion to travel with them.
The Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA), the USA’s biggest transportation network, have a strict rule which says: “No person may bring any animal on or into any conveyance or facility unless enclosed in a container, and carried in a manner which would not annoy other passengers.”
This has led to dog owners finding tactics to get past the rule, even if it means ‘carrying’ a very heavy dog in an extra large bag, with holes cut out for their legs so they can walk.
Across social media, people have shared adorable photos of their pets abiding by the subway rules. One dog owner on TikTok has gone viral after sharing videos of her large Samoyed, Lumi, travelling in a backpack on her back, via her account @littlebearlumi.
Lumi can be seen in one video, which reached over 11 million views, sticking his fluffy paws around his owner Jackie Hornung’s shoulders and peering around out of the backpack.
The duo even made their way onto TV, appearing on the chat show Sherri. When asked why she started carrying Lumi on her back, Hornung said: “There’s a law in New York City, you have to have your dog in a bag on the subway, and we go everywhere with him. Central Park, the groomers, the vet… and he loves it. He’s totally comfortable.”
Hornung told Newsweek what it is like travelling with a 55-pound Samoyed on her back. She said that Lumi “loves being carried” and is “pretty calm” when he is in the backpack. She added, “he gets a lot of pets, which he very much enjoys.”
TikTok users commented on her most viral video, describing the cute rule-abiding tactics as ‘adorable’ and even asking where Hornung got the backpack so they could try it out with their own dog.
Another user, Bryan (@madmax_fluffyroad), shared his fluffy corgi Maxine riding on his back to get on the subway. However, Maxine’s owner had got especially creative, making his very own dog backpack for the purpose. One video, showing the various prototype bags before the final product, was captioned, ‘We got tired of waiting for someone else to make it. So we did it ourselves.’ The backpack, called ‘Little Chonk’, is available for purchase, and lots of dog owners have successfully used it to take their own dogs out on adventures.
