Originally Posted by
musicalbox
I ride the NER twice weekly and not only have I never seen this happen, I can't imagine how they'd feasibly do it at either of the stations you mention (three, I suppose, if you count both in Boston). No one checks your ticket before you get on the train to see if you have a pet and once on the train, there are no scales. The rule is just to keep your Doberman off the train, I'm guessing.
According to
Amtrak's pet policy, in addition to purchasing a ticket for the pet, you must check in with a station agent at staffed stations (e.g. BOS) to sign a release. The station agent in BOS would have access to scales, obviously.
Of course, the OP could board the train without checking in with the station agent and then plead ignorance, but that would now be multiple policies they would be flaunting.
I mean, I think there's still a high likelihood of getting away with it, but it's not as cut and dried as you make it sound.