How does one of the most popular dogs on Instagram get around her hometown of New York City? By using mass transit, of course. Maxine the Fluffy Corgi is a seasoned train traveler, riding the subway (and bus) around the five boroughs, and venturing out along the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North lines, too.
Maxine's human Bryan Reisberg has offered MTA Away some winter travel tips, so you and your dog can move around the city like a pro.
What are your top picks for NYC dog-friendly spots in the winter?
This might come as a surprise to people, but New York City isn’t the most dog-friendly city. So, the options are unfortunately limited. Oftentimes Maxine will be in her backpack and usually when we take Maxine to places around the city, it’s up to whomever manages the bar, coffee shop and/or restaurant if they’re comfortable with a dog in their establishment.
Here are some places we’ve gone where the food is great and the staff are very dog-friendly: Grey Dog (any location); Little Roy Coffee (Brooklyn); and Captain Dan’s Good Time Tavern (Brooklyn).
Other than that Maxine loves romping in the snow in almost any park.
Any tips for traveling with a dog using the city's mass transit system?
In order to travel on the MTA, a dog must be in a carrier, or you run the risk of getting fined by the NYPD (it’s happened to us before). We carry Maxine in her backpack, which we designed after years of using subpar carriers, so we highly recommend The Maxine One by Little Chonk.
If you are traveling with your dog in a backpack, make sure to add an extra 10 minutes to your commute because you’ll definitely get stopped by people who will want to pet your dog.
We also recommend bringing snacks with you. Dogs love a little snack while they’re in the backpack. It also helps form good training habits when the dogs are rewarded!
What about tips for longer trips with a dog, say, using the Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North?
If we know the travel time is about an hour (or more) usually we’ll take Maxine on a nice long walk and tire her out a bit before traveling. We also recommend bringing a portable water bottle in case your dog gets thirsty. And, of course, snacks for the trip are required.
Does Maxine have any favorite cold-weather attire?
Before/during/after it snows in the city, we highly recommend getting your dog little boots (if they’ll allow you to put them on) because the sidewalks get heavily salted. Dogs shouldn’t walk on salt because the salt can get into their paw pads and burn their little feet. Also be careful of wet snow — that can be really uncomfortable for some dogs to walk through.
Do you have a little chonk of your own? Share your photos with us! Tag @MTAaway on Instagram.
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