Former Hérault MP Anne-Yvonne Le Dain and journalist Hugo Clément insult each other over a dog on a train

La réglementation de la SNCF prévoit l'obligation de museler les chiens de plus de 6 kilos. Capture d'écran X Anne-Yvonne Le Dain

The former parliamentarian protested on social networks because a dog, a golden retriever, had not been muzzled by its owner as requested by the SNCF. ;nbsp;

Former socialist MP Anne-Yvonne Le Dain certainly did not expect so many reactions when she wrote her "tweet" in a fit of anger.

This Sunday morning, while she was traveling by train, she published the photo of a dog, peacefully lying in the central aisle, but without a dog. #39;a muzzle. "We French people who complain all the time but accept everything. Here, very big dog on the train: no muzzle, but it's MANDATORY (for those). The controllers just before, nada! Neither do the passengers", she writes.

#LaFrance… Etre pris au sérieux, nous autres français qui râlons tout le temps mais acceptons tout. Ici très gros chien dans le train: pas de muselière, or c’est OBLIGATOIRE (pour ceux-là). Les contrôleurs juste avant, nada! Les passagers non plus. ⁦@SNCFVoyageurs⁩ #nous pic.twitter.com/AWvn1c5L8w

— Anne-Yvonne Le Dain #EnsembleCitoyens #AvecVous (@Ayledain) February 25, 2024

Except that his message did not go unnoticed. Many Internet users responded to him, most of them telling him that the dog, a golden retriewer, did not seem to pose a real threat. Then, personalities joined the debate, including television hosts Christophe Beaugrand and Bruno Guillon. And even the journalist from France 2, Hugo Clément, known for being a defender of the environment and animals. "I hope that you kindly made the remark to the owner of this big chap who looks very threatening, reminding him of the rules for next time, before taking a photo of him (with his agreement ?) and to denounce him on social networks, he first protested.

"Your passions lead you astray"

The Montpellier woman did not allow herself to be intimidated by the notoriety of her opponent. "I denounced WHO ? A face? A name? A train and seat number? WHO is identifiable? Your passions are leading you astray", she replied, before&# 39;Hugo Clément does not retort: ​​"Yes, this man's face is very identifiable. Your indignant tweet, with questioning of the company, for such an innocuous situation, is quite pathetic. This poor golden resting has ruined your journey so much ?"

What the regulations say

The verbal jousting stopped there, but Ms. Le Dain's tweet was seen more than 650,000 times in the space of a few hours. Let's take the opportunity to respond to the subject raised by the former elected official. According to the SPA, dogs weighing less than 6 kilos must "travel in a closed bag or transport cage with smaller dimensions or also 45 x 30 x 25cm& ;quot; ; you must also buy a pet ticket for 7€ whatever the class and destination, a ticket which does not give the right to a place because the cage or bag must be placed on your knees or between your feet. For dogs over 6 kilos, "they must be muzzled, kept on a leash and travel between their owner's legs", with a price equivalent to 50% of a second class ticket. "We recommend opting for a basket muzzle which allows the dog to pant and even drink without constraints", adds the SPA.

Anne-Yvonne Le Dain was basically right. In terms of form, the inspectors obviously felt that the dog in question seemed too peaceful to require it to wear a muzzle.