GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KDVR) – The latest story of travelers having trouble reaching their destinations comes from a viral video of two women being forced off an Amtrak train in Grand Junction, Colorado.
It happened after officials said her small dog, a Pomeranian, was bothering other cyclists. The two women and their dog were headed to Chicago for Christmas.
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Brent Bell took the video on December 21.
“Don’t let this ruin your vacation, darlings,” Bell tells the women behind the camera as Grand Junction police officers escort the women and their dog off the train. She began filming seconds after the police closed in on the two.
“All this ended up was a little bit of dog feces that they cleaned up quickly and immediately,” Bell said. These ladies were just shocked that this was the treatment they were getting, that their holiday season was going to be cut short,” she explained.
The train left Oakland, California, just days before Christmas, headed for Chicago with the two sisters and their Pomeranian on board. Amtrak said the dog “created a ruckus by repeatedly barking, urinating and defecating” on the train. Bell said that he began recording because he knew that he would witness an injustice.
“I’m tired of the injustice and I have a little bit, I guess, I have a place in my heart for little old ladies,” he said.
Bell himself is a dog trainer. He said that he felt bad for the two women, especially since he knows how Pomeranians behave. Sometimes, he added, owners may want to keep the dog on their lap, like the women did on the train, to calm it down.
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One of the sisters spoke to Nexstar’s KDVR off-camera and said she picked up poop from the train, but it wasn’t her dog’s, she just did it out of courtesy to the other passengers, she said. She also said that she was upset that the train conductor and other people were attacking them throughout the trip and harassed one of them on his way to the bathroom.
Not long after the two were escorted off the train, the conductor asked Bell to put his phone away.
“You don’t have a choice, I can record the scenario,” Bell replied.
“I have all the options on this train, this is mine,” said the conductor.
“I even told the people in the car. ‘Hey, has anyone bothered with this little dog?’ No person spoke,” Bell told KDVR in a Zoom interview.
Amtrak, however, issued a statement stating that “several nearby passengers” requested to be moved away from the dog due to “noise and odor.”
Small dogs are generally allowed to accompany their owners on Amtrak trips for a small fee, in accordance with company policy. But restrictions apply, depending on the weight of the animal or the duration of the trip.
Bell, however, claims that there were other pets on the train that day.
KDVR contacted Amtrak to confirm their policy on that specific train, as well as their criteria for removing passengers. As of Friday, Amtrak had not responded.
There is a GoFundMe started by Bell online where over $500 has already been raised for the two women.
Amtrak, police releases
Both Amtrak and Grand Junction police released statements following the incident, with Amtrak refuting some of Bell’s claims, and police confirming that the women were assisted with their luggage and taxi services to a nearby bus station.
We apologize for the inconvenience and interruption to our passengers’ holiday travel on December 21. Out of concern for all of our passengers on the 6 Train, two passengers were told to disembark after their dog created a disturbance by repeatedly barking, urinating and defecating in the customer seating area. The dog’s owner received multiple warnings about the dog being in the seat and was given advance notice of stops where the dogs could go for a walk. Several nearby passengers also asked to be moved because of the noise and smell.
Kimberly Woods, Amtrak
The Grand Junction Police Department also released the following narrative:
On 12/22/22, at approximately 10:50 a.m., Grand Junction Police Department officers responded to a call from Amtrak personnel, requesting assistance in removing a passenger and dog from a train at 300 S. 1st Street. An Amtrak staff member stated that the dog was being aggressive towards other passengers and had defecated in the train car. As a result, Amtrak staff asked the dog’s owner to get off the train and he refused. When officers arrived on scene, two women got off the Amtrak train alone with the dog. After Amtrak removed the women from the train, Grand Junction police officers helped the women with their luggage into the station and called a taxi service to take the two women to the Greyhound bus station for could reach their destination. No one was arrested or cited as a result of this incident. Contact Amtrak for information on additional travel arrangements.
Grand Junction Police Department
The dog’s owner said Thursday night that Amtrak contacted her, apologized and said she is welcome back on Amtrak trains with the dog.
Both women arrived in Chicago for Christmas. They are expected to return to Oakland soon.
Source: news.google.com