25.09.2025, 06:31
Dear Supporters
Today, we formally submitted our petition, "Deutschlandticket: Time for Fair Play in the Canine Commute," to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and Deutsche Bahn. What began as an open letter grew into a national project, thanks to your voices, stories and unwavering support.
Our Final Demand:
We called for an end to the discriminatory pricing and treatment of dogs on public transport. Dogs should either be recognised as passengers with fair pricing and facilities or travel for free, like luggage. The current system is indefensible, and the time for change is now.
What Happens Now?
The petition is closed, and the decision is up to the authorities, but pressure remains on Germany until it aligns its policies with fairness, accessibility and sustainability.
Thank You
To every supporter, journalist and traveller who spoke up: thank you. You exposed the inequity. You made the absurdity clear. The next move is theirs.
🐾
20.06.2025, 04:04
With near 30 days left in the active phase of this campaign, it feels like the right moment to reflect and say a heartfelt thank you.
Thanks to your engagement, we’ve successfully activated over 1,000 people around the simple but powerful idea that fairness for dog owners on trains matters. That’s no small feat - especially given how little public awareness or media attention this issue tends to receive.
To put it in perspective: we represent roughly 0.1% of dog owners in Germany. We don’t believe that reflects the true level of frustration many feel. The fact that dog owners are still expected to pay €30 or more for a single train journey with their companions to travel in cramped, muzzled conditions - entirely at the mercy of inconsistent policies and other passengers - is deeply unfair and frankly, an unkind system that needs change.
We’ve reached out to hundreds of organisations, contacted media outlets and done our best to stir up conversation on social media. But truthfully, the steam for continued outreach has run out. With only a month left, we’ll begin preparing the final submission of this petition and leave the rest in the hands of fate (or perhaps, the next campaigner who picks up the cause).
Massive thanks to everyone who signed, commented, made suggestions and shared the petition. Your voices have shaped this campaign.
As a final gesture, the comments section will be transferred to a searchable database - so that journalists, researchers and interested parties can better understand the shared concerns, lived experiences and common frustrations behind the signatures.
Maybe this isn’t the end - just the first chapter. 🐾
26.05.2025, 16:19
After days of copy-pasting press contacts, my brain may have melted slightly, because no, 3 people per signer does not magically get us to 30,000 but 3,000. A case of fatigued optimism over basic arithmetic. Still, the point stands: it’s about reaching a tipping point.
Over 350 press emails have gone out across the country, and... crickets. It seems this campaign isn’t considered headline-worthy. PR and social media aren’t exactly our home turf, so if you’ve got experience in either and a few sharp ideas, we’d love to hear from you.
There are two months left before this campaign is shelved. Two months to push, build momentum and show that this issue does matter.
Request #1
The platform hosting the petition hasn’t made it easy to access supporter comments in a usable format. If you know how to build a simple web scraper, that would help immensely.
Request #2
So far, we’ve reached out to vets, dog trainers, pet stores, dog clubs and animal welfare groups. What we could really use now is a bit of celebrity endorsement. If you have a connection to a Martin Rütter type or other public animal advocate, please consider giving them a nudge.
If you can share, connect, advise, or help in any way - now is the time.
13.05.2025, 14:17
We’re at a pivotal moment. If everyone who has already signed the petition asked just 3 more people, we’d reach 30,000 signatures — a key milestone that gives the campaign real credibility.
I’ve been doing the slow, painstaking work of sending press releases to newspapers and media outlets across the country — as much data collection as anything else. Still no word on the previously mentioned TV segment.
In the meantime, I’m looking for press representatives — people interested in representing the campaign at a regional level — in case this press push starts gaining traction. If that’s something you’d like to be involved with, please reach out.
And if you can support in other ways — whether by sharing the petition, connecting us to the right people, or volunteering — we’d love to hear from you.
Thanks so much for your continued support. Let’s keep building.
23.04.2025, 10:01
This Easter, I embarked on what can only be described as an adventure with Deutschebahn - one that included my trusty pup and a series of frustrating, exhausting and somewhat absurd moments.
Despite paying over €40 extra for my dog on the return trip, she spent nearly eight hours collectively crammed on the floor, with barely enough room to turn around.
On the outward journey, the person opposite me had two gigantic suitcases blocking the aisle—which travelled completely free of charge — both ways, undoubtedly.
Both trains were overcrowded, stuffy and consistently delayed. And worse - there was no dedicated space for luggage. On a busy holiday weekend, heading to and from the coast, this is absurd. The overhead shelves barely fit a handbag. There was literally nowhere for luggage but the aisles.
On the return trip, I did something I didn’t feel good about: I held a seat for my dog - albeit she was lying on the floor in front of it. The aisles were so narrow and cluttered with bags and standing passengers that there was no safe place for her. I couldn’t bear to see her crushed, or worse - kicked.
I’m truly sorry to the other passengers. I know seats are precious on packed trains. But this is the reality for pet owners:
🧳 A kicked suitcase? Inconvenient.
🐶 A kicked dog - who paid for the privilege of being there? That’s inhumane.
Pet owners are stuck in the middle trying to protect our animals from harm while navigating judgmental looks from passengers forced to stand.
We need a serious conversation about fair, humane treatment for dogs on public transport. Share the petition and help us push for a better, safer system for all passengers.
Thanks 🐾
14.04.2025, 05:02
We’re almost at 1,000 signatures… Help us cross this important milestone!
🐾 Share the campaign with your fellow dog friends - tinyurl.com/DBB-PetitionENG
🐾 Promote the Open Letter to the Ministry - tinyurl.com/DBB-Letter
🐾 Follow us on Bluesky and amplify our message - tinyurl.com/DBB-BSKY
🐾 Join the conversation in our Telegram group - tinyurl.com/DBB-Telegram
Many thanks and sloppy dog kisses 🐶💕
Deutsche BarkBahn
10.04.2025, 03:35
Is your four-legged travel buddy ready for their on-camera close-up? 🎬🐾
We’ve been approached by an independent television agency that produces segments for some of Germany’s best-known programmes: ZDF Hallo Deutschland, RTL Punkt 8, ARD Brisant, and Sat.1 Frühstücksfernsehen. And guess what? They want you (and your pup) to help highlight the absurd ticket prices for dogs on Germany's trains.
We’re looking for a friendly, media-curious human and dog duo who’d be up for a short, filmed train journey (with your dog, of course). It would involve a quick on-camera chat, supporting the campaign for fairer, more inclusive travel.
This would be a voluntary gig (no fee), but comes with TV exposure, good vibes, and the thanks of dog-loving train travellers everywhere. Filming would take around half a day with an experienced and professional crew – your dog would be a train-travelling celebrity.
Tick box requirements:
✅ Based in Kassel or within 200–300 km
✅ Able to spare half a day
✅ Have a dog ← obviously
Interested or know someone who’d be perfect?
Drop us a message to chat through details: deutschebarkbahn@proton.me
Let your dog ride the fame train.
10.04.2025, 03:32
Is your four-legged travel buddy ready for their on-camera close-up? 🎬🐾
We’ve been approached by an independent television agency that produces segments for some of Germany’s best-known programmes: ZDF Hallo Deutschland, RTL Punkt 8, ARD Brisant, and Sat.1 Frühstücksfernsehen. And guess what? They want you (and your pup) to help highlight the absurd ticket prices for dogs on Germany's trains.
We’re looking for a friendly, media-curious human and dog duo who’d be up for a short, filmed train journey (with your dog, of course). It would involve a quick on-camera chat, supporting the campaign for fairer, more inclusive travel.
This would be a voluntary gig (no fee), but comes with TV exposure, good vibes, and the thanks of dog-loving train travellers everywhere. Filming would take around half a day with an experienced and professional crew – your dog would be a train-travelling celebrity.
Tick box requirements:
✅ Based in Kassel or within 200–300 km
✅ Able to spare half a day
✅ Have a dog ← obviously
Interested or know someone who’d be perfect?
Drop us a message to chat through details: deutschebarkbahn@proton.me
Let your dog ride the fame train.
07.04.2025, 12:41
So we've got some news, in the form of news coverage....
A big thank you to 20% Berlin — an invaluable resource for Berlin news in English — for their early shoutout on our Deutsche BarkBahn campaign. They quoted from our open letter, which highlights the “baffling” policy of overcharging dog owners while kids under six and copious amounts of luggage travel for free. We appreciated their early support in amplifying the issue and helping us get off the starting block. Check out the post www.20percent.berlin/p/356-immigration-office-mess-big-anti and sign up to their fabulous newsletter here www.20percent.berlin/.
A special thanks also to Steve Przybilla for covering the campaign in SPIEGEL, "Four Paws and a Jungle of Tariffs". His article rightly pointed out the absurdity of even trying to get a straight answer on the issue:
– The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport declined to comment on the petition, responding first with amusement and stating the demands were “clearly addressed to someone else.”
– They eventually passed the buck to Deutsche Bahn, saying pricing is DB’s responsibility.
– DB, in turn, shared only a link to their pet transport rules and stated that local transport falls under the remit of regional associations.
– On long-distance trains, they said they’d follow up — and when they did, still provided no explanation for why a dog ticket costs 50% of the standard fare.
– DB also declined to comment on broader issues raised in the petition, asking instead for “understanding.”
Read the full article www.spiegel.de/reise/deutschland/hunde-in-der-bahn-vier-pfoten-und-ein-tarifdschungel-a-dadf11fb-c0c5-4d58-9ebb-0936e8a895ff
And thanks, Steve, for also pointing out that the petition initially addressed the wrong ministry — a mix-up caused by back-and-forth translation errors. The correct contact is the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, not the Ministry for Infrastructure and Digital Affairs — now amended.
And finally, thanks to Radio Eins for bringing our petition to their Sonntagsfahrer show, where they discussed the challenges of the current system with Karl-Peter Naumann of Pro Bahn. We both agree with the broader perspective: the tariff system in Germany is unnecessarily complicated for both people and dogs alike. The federal system’s inefficiencies and duplication of work are draining public funds - and our campaign is just the 'tail-end' of a much larger issue. We need streamlined, clear regulations that benefit both passengers and their pets. Listen to the segment www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/die_sonntagsfahrer/_/petition-kaempft-fuer-guenstigere-hundetickets-im-fernverkehr.html.
11.02.2025, 09:18
What is the Deutsche Barkbahn campaign about?
We are advocating for transparency, equality and accessibility when it comes to dog travel on German trains. Right now, there is no clear or fair policy – prices vary widely across regions and operators, often leading to unpredictable and excessive costs for dog owners.
Why should dogs travel for free or at a lower cost?
- Lack of consistency: Pricing is arbitrary. A small minority of operators allow dogs to travel for free on the Deutschland-Ticket, while many others charge 50% of a full adult fare.
- Equality: Other passengers, such as children under six, travel for free. There is no valid reason why dog owners should face high and inconsistent charges.
Aren’t dogs like extra passengers?
No. Dogs do not take up seating and are required to stay under the seat on the floor. Smaller dogs can travel for free but only in a carrier (caged for several hours?). A medium-sized dog takes up less space than a normal suitcase, yet luggage is free and passengers can bring as much as they can carry. Bicycles also face non-standard pricing, but at least they have dedicated space.
How much does it currently cost to bring a dog?
- Regional trains: While a small minority of operators allow dogs to travel for free on the Deutschland-Ticket, many others charge 50% of a full adult fare. This can often exceed the cost of the monthly ticket itself (58€).
- ICE/EC and others: Dogs over a certain size need a half-price adult ticket (ranging from 8€ to over 100€ for late bookings). However, it is often the case that taking a dog on an ICE/EC is cheaper than on a regional train.
What are we demanding?
We want a clear, nationwide policy that:
1. Is fair and transparent – dog owners should know what to expect.
2. Ideally allows free travel – just like children under six. If not free, then at least consistent and reasonable.
Is this campaign focused on climate issues?
While the climate impact is a valid argument, our campaign is focused on equality of access in public transport. Train travel should be fair and accessible for all passengers – including those with dogs.
What about other pets?
Of course, other pets travel on public transport, but so far, we have yet to encounter a Shetland pony on a train. All other pets are considered transportable in a carrier – and therefore travel for free.
Who supports this campaign?
We are a group of travellers, dog owners, and advocates for fair and accessible public transport. Many people find the current rules unfair and a barrier to train travel with dogs.
How can I help?
- Share our petition
- Share your experiences – if you've faced confusing or unfair dog travel charges, let us know!
- Spread the word and help push for fair pricing for dogs on public transport.
