Cacao, the bus-riding dog of Milan

Cacao, a 16-year-old mixed-breed dog, from Milan, Italy, has become somewhat of a celebrity after he appeared in local papers for his weird habit of taking the bus to his favorite spot in the city.

A true “Milanese”, Cacao knows the city by heart, some would say even better than some of his fellow human inhabitants, and his weekend antics  are clear proof. Almost every day, for the last few years, Cacao leaves his master’s home and heads for the bus stop on Arrgone Bouleverd. There he sits on his backside, alongside the other human commuters, waiting for bus 54. As it approaches the station, he prickles his ears and takes a good look at who’s sitting in the driver’s seat. You see, this four-legged rascal only takes the bus when it’s driven by the driver he’s known since he first started his secret trips.

After he makes sure he’s got the right driver, Cacao leaps on the bus and waits quietly until he reaches his destination – Lambrate Station, in north-eastern Milan. You’d think he has a certain reason for taking the bus here, but Cacao just loiters in the public garden for a few hours, then when he’s tired, takes the bus home. Luckily, his old friend the bus driver always ignores regulations, at his own risk, and allows to ride on the bus.

When his owner, Ms Nicoletta, who owns a bar in the Arrgone area, first heard about her dog’s strange habit, she couldn’t believe it. One of her regular customers told her she watched Cacao take the bus, and when she followed him and saw it was true, she realized her pooch was much more independent that she originally thought. 54-year-old Nicoletta adopted Cacao after she saw him wandering the streets as a stray, and in just six months time she taught him to cross the street, recognize the green light, and respect people and animals.

She let him walk around the neighborhood without a leash and collar (although he has a microchip), but never imagined he would ever learn to take the bus by himself. She believes he memorized the route they take every Saturday, on the way to the market.


/Oddity Central/