A New Yorker has gone viral for showing how she brings her enormous dog on the subway while sticking to the rules of public transport.
Jackie Jacob and her husband, Ben—who were married this month—are the proud owners of Samoyed dog, Lumi, who is an expert at getting around the Big Apple.
As she explained to Newsweek: “We moved to NYC when Lumi was just six months old.
“I had found out about the Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) rule that all dogs had to be in bags [on the subway], but by that point he was already over 30 pounds.”
Determined to stick to the rules, however, Jacob thought outside of the box: she got a large bag from IKEA and cut four leg holes out, allowing Lumi to travel with her on the subway while still, technically, being in a bag.
“We used that for a while, and then I found a backpack I thought would be better,” she said.
So, for the past three years, Lumi has been riding the subway with his owner carrying him on her back, in a giant backpack.
Lumi has gone viral over years for how he travels in style, and on July 10, Jacob shared a video to her TikTok account, @littlebearlumi, of herself carrying the 50-pound dog through the subway, speaking to the camera as he relaxes casually in the bag over her shoulder.
She carries him through the concourse and down the stairs, waits on the platform with him before finally settling into a seat—and all the while, Lumi is simply looking around him.
TikTok @littlebearlumi
Needless to say, they get a lot of attention on their travels, with Jacob explaining to Newsweek: “He does like the backpack, largely because of all the attention and pets he gets from people!
“He absolutely loves people and always loves getting to say hi on the subway. We always get tons of comments, people absolutely love seeing a giant 50-pounds cloud in a backpack on the subway! It brightens up their day which also makes me so happy.”
On TikTok, too, users had a huge reaction, awarding the video more than 120,000 likes and 1.2 million views, as one commenter asked: “How do you even fit that polar bear in a backpack?”
“I get the feeling he really likes it in there,” another said, as one sympathized with Jacob: “Your poor back! But so cute!”
One declared: “I have so many questions like did he voluntarily get in? How long did it take to get him in the backpack? How did you trick him?”
“I would simply cry tears of joy if I saw this in person,” another admitted, as another said: “Lumi is living his great life while you break your back for him.”
And another compared her dog to Lumi, writing: “Meanwhile my Yorkie is a complete menace that could never ride in any form of public transportation.”
TikTok @littlebearlumi
According to the MTA website, pets are welcome to ride the subway and the bus, but must be put in a “bag or other container,” and carried for the entire journey in a way that doesn’t annoy other commuters. On the Long Island Rail Road, the pet must be in a container that fits on your lap, and the Metro-North Railroad requires the pet to be carried in a container or securely controlled on a leash.
Jacob said: “Of course, this started because we wanted to follow the MTA rule, but now it’s grown to be so much more than that. We love bringing a smile to people’s faces.”
Lumi is an important part of Jacob’s life, and he recently traveled with her to something major: her wedding to her husband, Ben, where he was the guest of honor—performing as their “ring bear,” and bringing the rings down the aisle to them.
“For him to be a part of our wedding after all he has done with us just seemed right,” she said.
“It was a magical day—and to think his backpack adventures started all of this, and now people got to see him in our wedding, is wild and all the more beautiful.”
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