A dog named Jean refuses to board a tube train, forcing her owner to carry her onto a packed carriage where another passenger reacts with surprise at a dog heading to the cinema. The owner finds the idea of bringing pets to films strange and prefers cinemas as a break from pets. Dog-friendly screenings emerged in Britain about ten years ago and increased after Covid restrictions. Greenwich Picturehouse runs dogs-allowed Sunday morning showings to align with pet outings. Staff describe the events as community-focused opportunities to meet up with dogs and enjoy their presence, and practical arrangements include unallocated seating and no separate ticket for dogs. A visiting photographer chose the phenomenon as a British subject to explore.
When the doors slide shut the woman standing next to me in the packed carriage asks if my dog has ever been on a train before. No, I say. Can you tell? How far are you going? she says. Canary Wharf, I say, where we change trains, and then The look of concern or possibly scorn on the woman's face is such that I don't finish my sentence: and then we're going to the cinema.
Dog-friendly screenings first appeared in Britain a decade ago and have been spreading steadily since the end of Covid restrictions. Greenwich Picturehouse in south-east London, where we're heading, schedules dogs-allowed showings for Sunday mornings, when people are already out with their pets. But why? Canine and human film fans get set for a screening in Canterbury It's a community thing, says deputy manager Mike Miles.
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