To think that a handbag full of dogs should give up their seat for me?

[RainforestGym]

I agree I'm pretty much at the bottom of the pile of who should get the priority seats by the wheelchair/buggy area on the bus. Today I got on, parked my buggy and asked the woman taking up the two seats directly behind if I could please sit down. She had two dogs on her lap, and three handbag type bags with dogs inside on the seat next to her.

She said "No. I've got my dogs with me."
I said "Well I've got my baby with me."
She just shrugged and said "Well I can't put then on the floor!"

I thought - Erm... Yes you can! But didn't say anything and just stood by the pram for the rest of the journey.

Obviously it didn't do me any harm to stand, but dogs-really- should they get the seat?

Definitely multiple heads sticking out of each of three bags?

We're entering demented old biddy territory aren't we?!

she had her award winning multiple headed puppies with her, how could you ask for their seat OP? Tsk Tsk! Some people are just so entitled thesedays!

5 dogs in bags on a bus?!!!! Makes no difference whether you were BU or not, you'll never be able to reason with someone that mental.

Chunderella- that's terrible! I was thinking 'I really hope she'd move them if I was pregnant/elderly/disabled etc.'

Right- checked TFL website (secondary consideration after AIBU, obviously) and pet dogs are welcome on buses at the driver's discretion. They must be on leads or in a suitable container - and must not go on the seats.

HTH anyone else who comes up against harassed mother of octuplets on the bus!

Wish you'd taken a photo of all the cuties in the bags, I'd love to have seen them.
However, the bus driver should have ordered her to give up that seat for you and put the bags on the floor. I'm sure our bus drivers allow only one dog per bus.

.

There are the new handbag dogs. They have no legs.

I'm amazed she was allowed on the bus with so many dogs. Maybe the the driver didn't notice the ones in the bag. Love all the bonkers bus dog threads on here.

I remember standing on a bus for 50 mins during rush hour a few summers ago. With a 8 month pregnant bump on my front and 14 month old ds in sling on my back. Surrounded by what seemed like hundred of chinese tourists all carrying those lucky Chinese waving cat statues! Huge ones! They all just sat there looking at me like I was crazy whilst they stroked their wierd wooden cats!

No one offered a seat

at the title... A handbag full of dogs! Hahaha!

I probably would have stayed away... She sounds a bit unhinged!

Feel sorry for staggering bloke by hospital though... He wasn't necessarily drunk, could have had something quite wrong with him.

Dog tickets are 50p here and they aren't allowed on seats OR to take up the 'foot space' of the seat next to you. Spend journeys with a stinky border collie squashed between my legs and the person next to me huffing

she didn't pay for 2 seats so is ridiculous taking up 2.

And don't forget, your children don't get a seat each while I'm standing. Control them some other way.

Don't worry, if she never puts them on the floor they will turn into terrors and will eventually bite her on the nose!

I once sat on a small dog in a restaurant in France. I didn't notice it.

If I'd have seen it, I'd have politely asked the owner to move it and she'd have ignored me and I'd have stood there like a lemon.

As it was, I got to sit down and she got to bitch all night about rude, pissed English people.

YANBU. You should have asked whether the dogs had tickets. Loudly, so the driver can hear.

Speaking of the increasing phenomenon of the 'handbag dog' that must be carried at all times and must never be let run around in a normal canine manner, I saw a couple with a dog in a special dog stroller last week. At first I thought it was a child's stroller but no, on closer inspection it looked slightly different and it had some name like 'Pet mobile' or something written on it and a shopping basket type affair which they had full of water-dishes and toys for the pooch. 'Now I've seen everything!' I said to myself while tut-tutting inwardly and shaking my head at the madness of the world.

How about the Rulebook method? Very very nicely admire her pooches - naming the breed and point out that they are not allowed on the seats and kindly plonk them on the floor and sit down - and bore her for the rest of the trip talking about your dogs - you can make it up if you haven't had any! Doing the unexpected is often effective - and good for distracting children from tantrums too I have found (but I'll admit that suddenly pretending that a can of soup is talking to you in a supermarket is not for everyone!)

Of course she should have moved her dogs.
Can't think of any good quips you could have said. I'm a bit speechless tbh.

You should have told her she was barking.