The Dog Doesn’t Go There!
Picture of the breed of the dog that was pronounced deceased on the airplane. (French Bull Dog)
On March 14th of 2018, a family grieved the loss of their black French bulldog while traveling on United Airlines to New York from Houston, Texas. The dog was kept in the overhead bin for three hours and claimed to have suffocated. The family of the deceased dog, claims that the attendant of the flight forced them to put the dog in the overhead bin. Despite following all the regulations and rules for the animal, the attendant still prompted the family to place the dog in the overhead bin.
United Airlines responded to the National Public Radio with a statement,”This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family.”
Furthermore, the reason to why the attendant wanted the dog in the overhead bin is unknown, but many of the people who were in the flight were left traumatized. Many stated that they could hear the dog barking, and slowly the barking faded away.
A woman on the flight stated,”I witnessed the attendant tell the family to put the dog in the overhead bin, and while the family were hesitant to do so, she pushed them to do it.”
Additionally, after finding the deceased dog, the owner of the dog was left shaking and crying on the ground, holding her lifeless dog in her hands. Many of the fellow passenger were left speechless and in disbelief to how the dog situation was handled.
A woman by the name of Maggie Gremminger tweeted on social media,”Pets are family. How could a trained flight attendant instructs a passenger to place her dog in that bin. It’s her job to understand the rules and regulations.”
Moreover, Gremminger spoke to many media outlets and news reporters, in hopes of promoting safety on airplanes involving animals. She claims that by “shouting” at the media, that another incident similar to this will not happen ever again.
United Airlines additionally stated to National Public Radio,” Our policies allow for dogs, cats, and some types of pet birds to travel in the plane’s cabin, if the passenger brings a carrier in addition to a carry on.”
In conclusion, this is not the first incident of a dog dying while aboard United Airlines. Just last year, they faced a similar incident where a large dog was found deceased in a crate in the plane’s hold.
