Moment two passengers are kicked off the Oakland-Chicago Amtrak train after their pet Pomeranian ‘continued to bark and poop in the aisles’.
- Two sisters were evicted from Amtrak after drivers claimed on December 21 that their pet Pomeranian barked and pooped as they went on Christmas vacation
- The couple were en route to Chicago but were removed by police when the train stopped in Grand Junction, Colorado
- Passenger Brent Bell took video knowing he would be “witnessing an injustice” and claiming he was “tired of injustice”.
- The video has since gone viral, garnering hundreds of views
- Amtrak had issued a statement and later apologized to the sisters, who were back on the train with their four-legged friend
Two sisters heading to Chicago for the Christmas holidays were forced off an Amtrak train after their pet Pomeranian barked and pooped in a spectacle that appeared to disturb other passengers.
The couple, who have not been identified, were escorted off the train by police officers in Grand Junction, Colorado on December 21. The women then had to rent a car and drive through storms to get to their loved ones in time for Christmas.
Brent Bell, a dog trainer and passenger on the train who took video of the harrowing ordeal, told KTLA News it was “gone, a little bit of dog poo that they cleaned up right away.”
“These poor shy women were just shocked that they were being treated that way,” he said, beginning the recording because he “knew he was going to be a witness to an injustice” and claimed he was “tired of the injustice.”
Amtrak claimed the dog “caused a disturbance by repeatedly barking, urinating, and defecation” on the train. After the pair were removed, Amtrak later apologized and said they were welcome back on the train with their dog.
One of the sisters, whose name has not been released, is seen here speaking to an officer before being escorted off the Amtrak train in Grand Junction, Colorado
Police confront the sisters on December 21 on the Amtrak train
Bell, a dog trainer, said he was familiar with Pomeranians and their temperament, and sympathized with the two women holding the dog on their laps during their journey to keep the pup calm.
One of the sisters spoke to Nextstars KDVR off-camera. She told the news outlet that she picked up feces from the train, but claimed it wasn’t her dog’s and did it out of courtesy to the other passengers.
She also claimed that the train conductor and others targeted her on the train during her robbery, and one of them was apparently molested going to the toilet, which angered her, she said.
Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said in a statement, “We apologize for the inconvenience and disruption to our passengers’ December 21 vacation travel.
“Out of concern for all of our customers on train 6, two passengers were ordered to disembark after their dog caused a disturbance by repeatedly barking, urinating and defecation in the customers’ seating area.
“The dog’s owner was warned several times about the dog in the seat and was informed in advance of stops where dogs could be taken. Several passengers nearby also asked to be moved because of the noise and smell.
One of the women gathers her belongings as she exits the train while an officer stands by
Both women are seen with police officers with their dog and belongings on the sidewalk after being escorted off the train December 21 in Grand Junction, Colorado
Passenger Brent Bill chronicled the ordeal the sisters endured during their Amtrak ride. He posted the video on his TikTok, which has since gone viral
After the women exited the train and waited on the sidewalk with their pet and all their belongings while two officers stood nearby, the conductor asked Bell to put his phone away.
Bell said to the conductor, “You have no choice, I can record the scenery.”
But the conductor told Bell that he “has every choice on this train, that’s mine.”
In a Zoom interview, Bell said he told KDVR he asked people in the car they were in if anyone was “disturbed by that little, tiny dog,” but he said no one answered .
Bell, whose video received hundreds of views, said he has a soft spot for “old ladies,” said he’s started a GoFundMe that has already raised over $500.