Ferry Dog ‘ban’ upsetting regular travellers - Derry dog owner

A ferry operator’s ban on pet owners bringing their dogs on board in hand-held pet carriers has caused enormous distress for Derry woman, Claire McWilliams, and her dog, Murphy.

Speaking to Derry News, Claire McWilliams, who lives in Glasgow in Scotland and is home at least once a month to visit her mum, Anne, in Tamnaherin, says Stena Line has imposed the ban by stealth, without consideration of the disruption it might cause to travelling pet owners.

Claire received a phone call last week from a member of Stena Line’s customer service department regarding bookings she had made to come home in November and at Christmas. She was told Stena Line was cancelling both bookings for Murphy, as she would not be allowed to bring him on board the ferry, rather he would have to go into one of the kennels or stay in the car.

Clearly stressed, Claire said: “Murphy was booked on in his hand-held pet carrier as normal. He comes all the time with me. He suffers really badly with separation anxiety. Because I live in Scotland and love getting to Derry all the time, I did all my homework before I got a dog. One of the things I looked into was could I get him home.

“It was great to find out, yes, if I bought a dog, he could come with me in his pet carrier, if he was small enough. Stena Line had been doing that on their Belfast to Cairnryan route for years.

“So Murphy was trained from day one to go into the pet carrier for the boat and he has been over and back loads of times. It is one of the things he is really quite good at, going into the crate. He just goes to sleep on the boat and does not bother anybody.

“Now, some dogs are totally fine to be left on their own for an extended period of time but Murphy is not. He has separation anxiety. He would scream the place down if he had to stay in that kennel. He would not stay in it. I know for a fact he wouldn’t,” said Claire.

Claire said she was “really upset” after the phone call.

She explained: “It is a big deal. I just love getting home and now Stena Line has knocked that on the head. I am not bringing Murphy on board to sit in one of those kennels, to sit in faeces. They are just so dirty.

“The other option is to put him in the car but he wouldn’t stay in the car either. I would be afraid to leave him in the car as well because of the incident in 2018 when a lorry fell on top of several cars during a crossing.

“It seems Stena Line thinks it is okay to leave a dog in a car but not human beings, in case a vehicle topples over and injures them, or worse. It’s okay for a dog to get crushed to death.

“We are not people who don’t follow the rules. Murphy is in his closed crate. He is not bothering anybody. They subsequently sent me an email saying pet owners were breaking the rules. However, we didn’t break the rules.

“Murphy is always booked in. Stena Line only allows 15 dogs at once to come in their crates so I travel around that.

Sometimes the ferry is full and I have to go at night and that is fine, it does not bother me,” said Claire.

Claire said Stena Line had imposed its “blanket ban” on dogs without even considering a Plan B.

Claire (right) and her partner Dani with Murphy.

“They just listened to one cohort of consumers,” she said, “and have not considered anything to do with people who are pet owners.

“I think a lot of people didn’t catch onto the ban as it was all done during the period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, when no one was really taking the news on, apart from what was going on in Britain. We were not paying attention to things like this.

“Stena Line did it strategically. The company did not announce it on the website. It was all done through phone calls directly to customers. It was all done in a backhanded manner.

“I think a good plan for Stena Line would be to either allow dogs to come on night sailings or have specified dog areas on the boat.”

Claire said the whole experience had been extremely stressful.

Getting home to Derry was something I took for granted for so long. It was not really an issue but what it means now is that I will not be able to get home.

“Thankfully Stena Line backtracked over my November and December bookings. Murphy got a stay of execution and can come on board in his pet carrier. However, after Christmas he is going to have to go into the kennel or stay in the car.

“I am home up to 12 times a year on that boat but Stena Line is only considering one section of their customers. It has not really considered the impact the ban will have on peoples’ lives.

“Some people like myself may have got a dog knowing this service was in place for them. I am a gold class customer, I travel so regularly on that boat and I just can’t believe it,” said Claire.

In response to Claire’s complaint, Stena Line said: “Over recent years, on its Belfast-Cairnryan service, Stena Line has permitted passengers to bring small pets onboard, via handheld pet carriers, into its various lounges and accommodation areas. Larger pets have been accommodated via onboard kennels or remaining in customer cars on the car deck.

“Unfortunately, an increasing number of issues, including pets not being kept in their carriers and a lack of control over their pets by some owners, has led to an increase in health and safety concerns for customers and staff alike as well as a regular and increasing number of complaints from passengers.

“It is with regret that as a result of these ongoing issues, Stena Line has taken the decision to stop allowing pets into lounges and accommodation areas and are, instead, advising customers to either book one of the available free kennels or leave their pets in their vehicle. Official guide dogs and ADI (Assistance Dogs International) registered or accredited assistance dogs will continue to be permitted in all areas onboard.

“Providing a safe, secure and relaxing travel environment for all passengers is a priority for Stena Line. The proposed changes, which come into effect from November 1, and will bring the Belfast-Cairnryan route into line with all Stena Line routes to England and Wales from the island of Ireland as well as all other Irish Sea ferry operators.

“Stena Line would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause some customers, but the escalating scale of the problem has unfortunately left the company with no alternative.”