A group of pet advocates is fighting for the right to bring their furry friends on Ottawa transit buses with them.

The National Capital Coalition for People and Dogs has so far collected 400 of what they hope will be thousands of signatures on a petition to city council demanding that dogs and cats be allowed on board.

Sarah Jane Cuff wants to be able to bring her Yorkshire terrier Little Sparkle on the bus with her.
(CBC)

Ottawa allows disabled passengers' service dogs on OC Transpo buses, but prohibits other pets.

Many other cities such as Toronto and Vancouver allow pets on buses provided the owners abide by certain conditions, said Sarah Jane Cuff, who is on the coalition's board of directors. For example, the Toronto Transit Commission requires dogs to be on a leash and Vancouver's Translink allows pets to ride in carriers or cages.

"After finding that out, I just wondered, 'Why doesn't Ottawa have something in place?'" said Cuff, who would like to be able to take her two kilogram Yorkshire terrier Little Sparkle on bus rides across the city.

Alain Mercier, director of OC Transpo, said transit officials are concerned that other passengers might be allergic to dogs and cats and that there might not be enough room for extra four-legged passengers.

"We do have overcrowding in many parts of the city so we have to weigh those elements," he said.

Those concerns and others, especially at a time when the city is trying to make transit more accessible for wheelchair users and parents with strollers, prompted the city not to allow pets after a "lengthy and thoughtful" debate in 1999, he added.

But Mercier said that if enough citizens of Ottawa want the rules to change despite those problems, then the city's public transit company would be willing to discuss it.

The National Capital Coalition for People and Dogs plans to bring the petition before city council in the new year. Until then, they are circulating it in pet stores and in animal clinics.