A Windsor teen and her father are on their way to Toronto on a Via Rail train with two service dogs after there was a previous snag in their plans.
Emily Sadowski, 19, was previously told she wouldn’t be allowed to make the trip with her service dog and another dog she is training.
Sadowski travels with her service dog Pryia, to help with her anxiety and other health issues and she also trains dogs for other people.
The 19-year-old has been planning a trip to Toronto to deliver another service dog, Lilo, and train the new owner on how to interact with the animal.
VIA Rail initially said Sadowski would not be allowed to travel with both dogs, since policy states only one service dog per person, even though Sadowski rode the train with two dogs in August.
Her father Mark Sadowski tells CTV Windsor he has now received a complimentary ticket to escort his daughter and the two animals to Toronto.
“At 2 pm Wednesday, I received a phone call from a contrite James Peters, Manager, Customer Relations at VIA Rail,” says Sadowski. “He apologized for the confusion, explained the problem from his side and steps put in place to avoid repeating the problem in the future.”
A spokesperson with VIA Rail confirms with CTV News they have “arranged an amicable solution that allows the customer to travel with her two dogs.”
“While I can't say I'm looking forward to a one day round trip to Toronto, it was a fair and reasonable compromise,” says Sadowski.
Their train left the Windsor station at 9 a.m. Thursday morning.
