Pets on the Tube is a rare moment of joy for Londoners

This week one of the capital’s most maligned institutions (TfL perhaps ranks third bottom to phone thieves and Gail’s in public opinion) caused another stir with one of its Instagram posts.

Not sitting on its laurels after its much-mocked “Ulez is Brat” campaign, the government body doubled down by releasing a video of influencer couple Lupin in London taking their cats for a ride on the Elizabeth line.

Let me be clear in saying that some of the negative reactions were justified. If TfL had wanted the Instagram pros to give a colourful glow up to the stuffy institution that brought you “MIND THE GAP,” then it only succeeded until one of the influencers was asked to robotically read out the Tube’s rules for pets. Then there was the mock-surprise performance from the actress tasked with feigning wonderment at the sight of the influencers’ cats on the platform (the felines themselves were superior actors). All in all, it was the cringiest thing in a week that included the derided lyrics in Taylor Swift's new album.

Animal charities, too, were reportedly unhappy, with Cats Protection claiming the animals might be “stressed” by such an environment. And soon enough, callers were happy to tell LBC’s Nick Ferrari that having pets on the Tube was an idea worthy of going the same way as Crossrail 2.

I, for one, have never seen a cat on the Tube, either in a container or on a harness - possibly because the pets are famously not the most agreeable to being confined, or maybe because it’s only influencers who feel it necessary for their feline to join them on a commute.

Dogs, however, are a different matter. A dog on the Tube is, I stress, a very rare event - but is something that brings joy to everyone in the carriage. The drudgery and boredom of another grey journey is completely transformed with a canine on board. Suddenly, people are willing to make eye contact and, sometimes, even talk to each other if a dog is around.

Transport for London does state the obvious in insisting on dogs being well-behaved and under control, but I’ve never personally seen or heard of a negative encounter with one on the Tube. Conversely, I’ll witness an example of poor human behaviour and disorder about once a week. Maybe the directions and warnings are being given out to the wrong species?

Despite this cringeworthy advert, pets on the Tube are not an issue to get worked up about nor something that is getting out of control. They are more of a highly-prized points banker for a Michelin I-Spy book, a collector’s item, or an enjoyable sight that can lighten up someone’s day.

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William Mata is SEO editor for LBC

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