dog days of winter

"Can I bring my dog on the bus?"

It is one of the most common questions I am asked by northern visitors. And my usual response is to fall back on parsing the question.

"It depends on the type of the bus, where you are coming from, and where you are going." We lawyers are prone to taking a hypothetical cottage and turning it into a palatial maze. That is, when we are not turning them into castles in the sky.

And the entire cross-examination is unnecessary for one simple reason. I have ridden only one bus since I have lived in Mexico -- and my dog was not accompanying me. But I now know there is an easy answer to the question.

This morning, while walking past the bus station in San Patricio Melaque, I discovered Primera Plus (one of Mexico's premier passenger bus lines) has come to the aid of their passengers. That large banner is a typically-thorough Mexican response to the bus-riding dog question.

And if the banner is not sufficient, Primer Plus has provided a customer service dog to fill in any details lost between the warp and the woof. She told me that she also acts as the bus equivalent of Shimbleshanks the Railroad Cat, welcoming vagabond dogs on their arrival.

I still do not know the answer to the question, but I know where I can now refer questioners. 

Because they are barking up the wrong tree with me on this one.