Most dogs simply cannot be trusted to leave the house by themselves.
Dogs are known for being pretty much the opposite of street-smart, and they are always much too easily tempted by passing cars, squirrels, or other dogs. Because of this, the safest thing to do is keep your dog on a leash and not let them outside the house by themselves – but this next story goes to prove that exceptions can always be made.
When a dog began getting on a bus in Seattle completely by herself, people were mind-blown as to how she not only managed to navigate the roads safely, but she also knew which stop to get off at for the park! Within no time, the bus-riding dog had become the talk of the town, and when the story hit the local news, her owner came forward to explain just how he learned that his dog was clued up when it comes to public transport.
People first speculated that the dog didn’t have an owner.
After all, how many dogs can be trusted to use public transport by themselves? The dog’s actions even sparked the curiosity of local radio host Miles Montgomery of KISW-FM, who recalled:
“It doesn’t really appear to have an owner. The dog gets off at the dog park. I just look out the window and I’m like, ‘did that just happen?’ She was most concerned about seeing out the window, and I couldn’t figure out what that was. It was really just about seeing where her stop was.”
It was then that the dog’s owner came forward and the full story emerged.
Apparently, the black Labrador and Mastiff mix named Eclipse was waiting at the bus stop with her owner, Jeff Young. As the bus pulled up, Eclipse grew impatient while waiting for Jeff to finish his cigarette, and she decided she wasn’t going to wait any longer. The 2-year-old pup decided that she was going to take a leap of independence, and she boarded the bus herself, getting off at the park.
“All the bus drivers know her. She sits here just like a person does,” commuter Tiona Rainwater told Komo News, as she rode the bus through downtown Monday. “She makes everybody happy. How could you not love this thing?”
Since the day that Eclipse essentially took herself for a walk, Jeff often lets her go ahead, knowing that he can catch up with her at the park. Eclipse is able to ride the 3-4 stops on the D line on her own, and the smart pooch always knows where to get off.
“We get separated. She gets on the bus without me, and I catch up with her at the dog park,” Jeff explained. “It’s not hard to get on. She gets on in front of her house and she gets off at the dog park, three or four stops later.”
“She’s been here the last two years, so she’s been urbanized, totally. She’s a bus-riding, sidewalk-walking dog,” he added. “Probably once a week I get a phone call. ‘Hi. I have your dog Eclipse here on 3rd and Bell.’ I have to tell them, ‘no. She’s fine.’ She knows what she’s doing.”
Eclipse is apparently a very friendly passenger, and she has been spotted wandering around the aisles, climbing up onto seats next to strangers, and licking everything she comes into contact with.
The passengers love the novelty of seeing Eclipse on the bus, and so far she hasn’t received any complaints.
“It makes their day,” A spokesman for Metro Transit said. “It’s a good part of their day and it works out for her so I just let it go.”
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