A Tasmanian dog lover who recently travelled on the Spirit of Tasmania with his 10-week-old Malinois puppy says the new ships cannot come soon enough after his new best friend was left traumatised.
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Duncan Ritchie is so concerned about the facilities on board during his January 24 voyage he wrote to TT-Line to voice those concerns and ask that changes be implemented now despite the delay in the new ships’ arrival.
Spirit of Tasmania IV was expected to start work on the Bass Strait run this year.
But that has been delayed until 2027 when a berth for the vessels being built in Devonport is complete.
“The experience on board was incredibly traumatic for Alé,” Mr Ritchie said.
“Rather than enjoying the touted superior pet facilities and pet cabins on board the new ships, the proposition for pets remains a 12-plus hours in a cage on a car deck amid exhaust fumes and car alarms which periodically go off.
“The dogs get no exercise or food, have no access to a toilet area, so they must pee and defecate in their cages where they sleep, and have no visitation by their owners/families.”
Mr Ritchie told the company that given the continuing delays in the delivery of port infrastructure, it should make immediate upgrades and retrofits to current facilities.
“Start by allowing owners/families to visit their pets on board,” he said.
A spokesman for Spirit of Tasmania said it was committed to animal welfare.
“For safety and security reasons, passengers were not permitted to access the vehicle decks to check on animals during the voyage,” they said.
“Spirit of Tasmania thoroughly investigates all reported incidents and, when appropriate, implements improvements to relevant processes to uphold the highest standards of safety and care.”
When the new ship arrives, passengers will be able to choose to share one of 18 pet-friendly cabins with their pets or visit them in climate-controlled kennels.
The ferry operator said the ships’ pet-friendly facilities came after listening to passenger feedback.
There have been tragic incidents with dogs on board.
In 2021, a dog went missing on a sailing between Devonport and Melbourne after escaping from its kennel.
That sparked a petition calling for TT-Line to improve onboard conditions for pets attracted more than 10,000 signatures.
In 2019, a South African mastiff died during its overnight crossing.
“When I tried to push Alé into her allotted cage, she was so frightened she peed on me twice,” Mr Ritchie said.
He said that after being told to leave the car deck, he was distressed to hear his puppy crying and moaning from two decks above where the dog was caged.
Mr Ricthie also raised concerns about how he was treated when he raised concerns with staff.
“Pet owners can’t wait until the new ships become operational in 2026/27 for change. Things need to be improved in the interim,” he said.
I have worked as a journalist for more than 20 years and have lived and worked in the North-West for the last two decades after 13 years away in Western Australia
I have worked as a journalist for more than 20 years and have lived and worked in the North-West for the last two decades after 13 years away in Western Australia
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