Tube etiquette for dogs

I'll start this blog by saying unconditionally I am a dog lover. I have one, he's wonderful. However, I do not impose my dog on other people, least of all strangers.

Which brings me to last Friday. I was waiting patiently (of course) for passengers to 'disembark' (there goes that strange word again) the tube at Moorgate from a fairly packed rush hour carriage.  The lady next to me, also waiting to get on the tube, had a gorgeous multi-coloured setter of some sort, on a lead.

So far, so good you might think - nice friendly dog, on a lead waiting to get on the tube.

WRONG.

This dog was yapping along the doors of the carriage, tripping every one up who was getting off and in some cases preventing people from disembarking while pushing in front of those (I included) waiting to get on. The owner then let it bound on before the last person had stepped off - the number one rule break remember folks - then let it sit on the only seat left available.

This is pretty poor etiquette in itself but the creature then went on to clamber around the seats and the laps of the poor fellow travellers shoving its snout in their faces while the owner stood there beaming with pride and laughing at its antics.

I can't express how big a no-no this is.  I wondered with astonishment why nobody said anything but I guess that is also part of the desire never to strike up a conversation with anyone else that our London Underground is so famous for.  Luckily I was several rammed armpits away not to be directly assaulted by the dog, cute as it had originally looked.

I got off at London Bridge for my overground journey home, thinking that I should have walked again and kept up my New Year's resolution.

But then, I couldn't share with you my experiences of the Underground could I...

In summary: cute dog, not for travelling. Thanks.