American Airlines sued over dog's death
 

SAN FRANCISCO - A pet owner sued American Airlines on Wednesday after his English bulldog died following a cross-country flight.

Terrence Ing, 29, claims airline employees refused to provide a veterinarian and other care after the dog became sick. He is seeking unspecified damages.

Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp., declined to comment on the allegations but defended the company's pet transport practices.

According to the suit, Ing flew 2-year-old Willie from New York to San Francisco on Aug. 2. When Ing went to retrieve him, the dog did not come when he was called, said Ing's attorney, Corey Evans.

Employees said a veterinarian would arrive in five minutes, but one was never called, the suit alleges.

Workers then took Willie to a hangar off limits to Ing, who did not see the dog for another five hours, the suit says. By then the dog was dead.

It was unclear why Willie died, Evans said. Animal paramedics said the dog may have survived had employees provided adequate care, the suit said.

It a shame the airline just let this dog die..I don't think I would ever ship a pup or dog ...until they have a better system in place to protect the animal.

I totally agree with you. I would NOT trust shipping my dogs. What a sad story. :cry:

It a shame the airline just let this dog die..I don't think I would ever ship a pup or dog ...until they have a better system in place to protect the animal.[/QUOTE]

2 yrs old...what a terrible loss. it appears airlines need more training regarding animal travels.

I understand that sometimes it's impossible to obtain a puppy except via air, but I do not believe it's the airline's responsibility to provide one-on-one care.

The ideal situation would be for the new owner to fly to the dog, and fly back home with it in the cabin, in an approved carrier.

I agree that it would be great if the new owners could fly to get the baby. However, as someone that flies a lot puppies, I have to disagree with the rest of your post. When I entrust my dog to them, they have a responsibility to provide care for my dog should it get sick. AA is the airline we always used until recently when they merged and stopped taking live animals. They automatically give you a thousand dollars flight insurance on your dog and you can purchase more at a reasonable flight. Our dogs never leave the ground without five thousand dollars of insurance on them. Too many times, I think airline employees just assume that the air travel is what made the dog sick. Fortunately we have never had a dog or pup arrive sick or have flight problems but I'll tell you one thing, if they ever did, that airline daggone well better provide medical care or some heads would roll.

if something was wrong with an individual on a flight would they not call for medical help? it is the same difference. you paid for them to insure a safe flight for the animal on the airline. outside of some unforseen disaster that they have no control over they are obligated to do something about it. i must say i have only heard about two positive stories on flying animals. my neighbor flew her english bulldog first class and was very pleased with her care, maybe that makes a difference.

There is something missing in this story? Why did the airline take the dog for 5 hours? The owner was there as the story claims then why did the airline take him somewhere else for 5 hours? Why did the owner not take him? If he had a claim check it was his property to take?

I am not taking the airlines side in this as I personally don't like shipping animals but something is fishy here.

There is a theory going around with behavorists that long airline travel as cargo is very traumatic to an animal. I think they do fine in the cabin of a plane.

IMHO.

It's not easy for lovers of other breeds to fly because an English Bulldog (like the one in this story) is not going to fit in any carrier or under any seat. They have to fly cargo.

I agree with Cindy. Why did the dog leave for 5 hours?

Isn't there some kind of doggy bus or something now. So breeders don't have to ship? Thats what I would do. But then again airplanes scare the life out of me.

wow that is so awful :( thank you for sharing

I agree the airline has a responsibilty to ship that animal safely! I have never shipped an animal and would never, but some people have no choice, due to moving or traveling far away, not all people can drive for long periods of time or have someone to watch there precious baby while away. So I believe that any airline that accepts live animals should have trained staff to care and transport the animals, including an on call vet, otherwise don't accept live cargo. I also agree that you should always get insurance on your pet just in case. It won't fix the heartache but it will help with out of pocket expenses!