North News/NNPA dog with a taste for adventure has inspired many would-be travellers after opting to hop aboard a bus for parks anew.
All of us have felt the pull of wanderlust at one time or another; captivated by the fantasy of hopping aboard a train or a plane and leaving our ordinary, hum-drum lives behind for a while.
But for Alfie – an adorable Staffie cross from Darlington – the daydream was not enough. Going one step further, he decided to break free of his everyday routine and take himself for walkies of a highly unconventional nature.
North News/NNPAfter wandering away from his owner, bold as brass Alfie hopped onto a bus and took a seat amongst other passengers on the bottom deck. Being a dog, he conveniently didn’t have his wallet on him and so was able to ride for free.
It was naturally assumed Alfie belonged to a woman who was seated next to him, and so the independent dog was able to ride the bus without detection for nearly an hour. Soon, he was the very last passenger travelling on the bottom deck and began to arouse suspicion.
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One passenger observed Alfie seemed quite happy having a bit of time to himself, and – unlike many a bus rider before him – didn’t bother any of the other passengers:
Everyone else got off the bus and the dog was left. Me and my boyfriend were upstairs and the dog was downstairs. I thought the dog looked cute just sat there by himself.
The dog had followed a man on to the bus and the driver assumed it was his. The driver told us we couldn’t go anywhere until it was sorted. He seemed stressed because he needed to carry on driving but he wanted to help.
They continued:
The dog kept sitting on my knee while I was stroking him so I don’t think he was too scared.
North News/NNPAfter finally twigging the dog was riding solo, the driver called several vets but they had all shut shop for the day. Thankfully, passengers managed to contact Alfie’s owner and reunited them with their gutsy pet.
A spokesperson for the bus company, Arriva, said in a statement:
We get some unusual passengers on our buses from time to time, but this dog was paw-fectly well-behaved. Our new furry friend joined us at the Darlington travel shop while the driver finished his shift.
Thankfully, dog and owner have been reunited and we’ll look forward to seeing them both on our services in the future.
I do admire Alfie’s sense of spontaneity. Hopefully he’ll remember to take his human along with him next time around!
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.