Railway Dog

Dogs and other pets travelling by train, bus and tram have different rules wherever we went in Europe. However it was generally not as problematic as it appears on paper. Rules are sometimes applied more fully than at others. Here’s what Baspie dog and I found in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Lithuania

Dogs are tolerated but not widely popular to have on public in Lithuania. On trains dogs need a ticket (not very expensive). We bought them on the train, or in the ticket office if we had time and there was one. In theory dogs need a muzzle or carrier, but this was not applied to this Railway Dog anywhere. Dogs can go in any carriage, but on the floor. They have to be moved on if someone objects.

They go free on local transport, and the muzzle rule seems rarely applied. On long distance busses it sounded a bit iffy, so I never tried.

Latvia

Dogs are loved or loathed in Latvia, so there’s quite an inconsistent response. Generally they are tolerated okay, except by bus drivers with bad breath.

On trains they need an inexpensive ticket you can get from the conductor. They should wear a muzzle or be in a bag, but this was never enforced for my smallish dog. There can be up to 10 dogs per carriage, and 2 per person.

On regional buses in Latvia, the rules are rigorous. Muzzle, vaccination certificate, and probably more. I gave up as the bus drivers were so nasty when I even asked about it.

Estonia

Dogs travel for free on Estonian trains, but must be in the smallish C section of the train, reserved for bikes, wheelchairs, prams and pets. So I can imagine it’s quite a melee on crowded services! On the plus side, this is the area of the train you have to be in to get off at small stations (most stations).

I’ve also done a post on train timetables in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and ways to cross these Baltic State borders.