Pets on public transport: yes or no? 👍👎

The other day I saw a social media post with a picture of a pet dog 🐕 on a train in Adelaide, Australia 🚉

The reaction from Aussies was huge... and mostly negative (!)

To quote...
🤬 "Your not allowed to bring dog's on train's. Think of the children!"
🤬 "Selfish! What about people with allergies to dogs?"
🤬 "That's not rite. I'd hit that person in the face if I was on that train..."

Now considering how much Australians usually adore pets, this negativity does first appear surprising 😮

📜 Regulations regarding pets on public transport in Australia have changed considerably in the past few years, but in true Australian style they vary depending on state/territory, type and/or size of animal, form of animal containment, mode of transport, capacity, staff permissions and times, and all come with codes of conduct.
For instance...
🚍 Sydney: pets are allowed on all buses, trams and trains (except those of the underground Sydney Metro) free of charge at all times, but for light rail, buses and ferries, pets are only allowed if the transport staff agree and not if any of those services are nearing capacity.
🚍 Melbourne: small animals can travel with you on trains, trams and buses in a suitable animal container, while dogs on a lead and wearing a muzzle are allowed on trains.

😬 However, most Australians are ingrained with the former blanket rule that apart from trained guide dogs, bringing any animal on a bus, train or tram was strictly verboten, and as with most rules in Australia, this was followed to the tee. So despite the current rules, Australians are often not comfortable with seeing pets of any kind on public transport.

I know the feeling! The first time seeing a pet dog (not a guide dog) at a London tube station more than two decades ago was a shock for this Aussie. And I went into major panic when a friend suggested that I bring their pet dog to them on a London bus. "There's no problem with that" the friend said, and you know, she was right.

🐓 Then I've been in other places where seeing animals on buses and trains never raises an eyebrow, whether it be the live chickens I saw on a bus in the outskirts of Baku, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿; the live fish flipping out of a bucket on a bus leaving the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria 🇧🇬; or the friendly and very well-behaved goat a boy brought onto a minibus heading to León, Nicaragua 🇳🇮

So attitudes vary considerably between countries and regions.
Would you have been aware of attitudes in Australia?