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If you’re a dog person, nothing’s guaranteed to make your morning like getting a lick from a canine commuter on your way to work. And while the rest of us love to moan about the tube’s patchy air conditioning and the baffling dearth of Northern line trains at rush hour, it seems that four-legged passengers might have an altogether rosier experience: a study has just named the London Underground the world’s best subway for dogs. Woof!
The im-paw-tant announcement was made by London rental company Essential Living, which scored ten different underground networks on a range of criteria, including the areas that pets are allowed in and whether muzzles are mandatory. London was the only city to score ticks across the board. The least dog-friendly systems are Shanghai, Beijing and Mexico City’s underground networks, which don’t permit pets anywhere.
Getting around the city with your pooch can still be fraught with logistical difficulties, though: dogs, other than trained assistance animals, should never stand on escalators because of the risk of their claws getting caught. And while lovingly carrying a dog is always a heartwarming sight for onlookers, it’s often not practical. To find the most large-dog-friendly route between two points on London’s transport network (in other words, one with lifts), check out The Blue Cross’s dog-friendly tube map.
Here’s our guide to dog-friendly London.
Introducing London’s most pampered pups.