Doggy doo… and doggy don’ts on BC Ferries this long weekend
Posted September 4, 2015 8:32 am.
Last Updated September 4, 2015 8:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As BC Ferries gets ready for a busy Labour Day long weekend, passengers are getting ready for line-ups, crowds and in some cases, to scrape the bottom of their shoes.
There have been complaints about the cleanliness of the pet areas for foot passengers.
Laura (who prefers not to reveal her last name) travelled from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo last weekend and says the metal enclosure set aside for dogs and their owners on the car deck was in rough shape.
“It was horrible. There was dog hair mixed with dog feces on the floor, a garbage can with a broom, and another garbage bag behind that. I took pictures to show my friends because it was so bad,” she tells NEWS 1130.
“I literally would not take my dogs out of their crates.”
She claims the pet area appeared to not have been cleaned for some time and that after posting her pictures on Facebook, she started hearing from other disgusted dog owners with similar complaints.
(Story continues below photo)
(Photo courtesy Laura)
Laura admits she did not say anything to the crew during the sailing and that she understands it’s her choice to travel with her dogs. “But we are all paying the same price and everyone else gets to sit upstairs in the warmth and get their coffees and look out the windows. We couldn’t do anything.”
BC Ferries says it does sometimes get “feedback” from customers about the pet areas for foot passengers.
“We do have regular cleaning routines on our vessels, we do spot checks, and if a customer brings something to our attention, we can certainly attend to it,” says BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall.
But she says passengers also have to take some responsibility.
“Pet owners should be taking care of their own pets. We do have plastic bags and in some of the areas we have a hose or something else that a customer could use to clean up, as well as our staff.”
Marshall says the crew is supposed to take care of the pet area at least once per sailing.
As for vehicle passengers travelling with dogs, she points out there are options before they board. “We do have areas at the terminals that are pet areas. It’s a good idea to ‘take care’ of your pet before they actually get on board the vessel. That certainly helps everyone out.”
Great Dane owners take note.
