For three years he has been traveling with the means of Arst and Trenitalia on the routes from Orosei to Oristano and Cagliari, always in the company of his dog, once a week . Today a nasty surprise awaited Daniele Mele, 39 years old from Orosei.
“I don't have a driving license and I have no other way to move. Having to go to Sassari for work and being away from home for many hours, I couldn't leave the dog alone» as happened on many other occasions, he tells L'Unione Sarda. So this morning he took the train to Macomer, then the bus, always in the company of Brian, a mestizo he rescued from the road a year ago and trained to travel on public transport. As soon as I got off in Sassari, I was reprimanded by the foreman who informed me that I would no longer get on the bus with the dog, given that the Arst regulation has changed».
In fact, the company confirms that the mobility charter, which came into force in 2022 , establishes that: " Free transport of small-sized animals is permitted provided that they are not in visibly poor hygienic conditions and are contained exclusively in special carriers , of the dimensions allowed for the free transport of luggage (50x30x25 cm). Large dogs (i.e. those that do not fit in carriers, ed) cannot be allowed on board. The stay on board is subject to the behavior of the animal; in case of manifestations of aggression, his stay on board will not be allowed. The customer is required to compensate for any damage caused by the animal”.
One exception: “Guide dogs for the blind are always allowed on board and are exempt from paying the ticket. The assessment of admissibility and permanence on board is entrusted to the drivers and/or ARST control personnel”.
So far it's clear to Daniele, the problem is that no one, neither on the train nor on the bus, has ever pointed out to him in all this time that Brian couldn't travel . "And to think that he always has a muzzle, he doesn't bark, he doesn't disturb, I carry the vaccination booklet on every occasion and I have also always paid the full fare for him".
Consequently dog and owner remained in Sassari, with no possibility of returning to Orosei . The foreman was adamant. «I tried to explain the situation, given that no one in Macomer or Nuoro had pointed out the ban to me (Brian weighs about 15 kilos, ed), and I had no other way of returning home. My attempt stiffened the reaction even more».
After hours of waiting, Daniele's partner managed to pick him up in Sassari. But the bitter taste remains : «If not even the drivers knew about this rule, should I go through it? Abandoned like this on the square?». There is only one hope: "That other people would not have to face similar hardships, it would have been enough to stop my departure already in Orosei, a communication and I would not have experienced all this".