Back in March, there was big news when a french bulldog died, after a United flight attendant insisted that the passenger put their bag in the overhead bin. You can read about that here: Horrible: French Bulldog Killed on United Airlines Flight in Overhead Bin.

Another Poor Dog Dies Under Airline’s Watch

Unfortunately another poor dog has died, this time traveling on Delta Airlines.

As reported by Fox News,

Photo courtesy Fox News and (EVAN OSHAN/ OSHAN & ASSOCIATES)

The owner of an 8-year-old Pomeranian dog found dead during a layover on a Delta flight has accused the airline of a “cover-up.”

Alejandro was found dead in his crate in the cargo facility at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, southwest of Detroit, in Romulus.

Michael Dellegrazie, the owner, said the dog was alive when the flight from Phoenix, Ariz., landed at the airport around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday for a scheduled layover en route to New Jersey.

About two hours later, Alejandro was found dead by an agent, who said the dog was unresponsive. He reportedly had vomit in his crate. The dog’s blanket also had blood stains.

“He was brought to the curb area where we were given a carrier, a Delta carrier, and some garbage bags and in one of the garbage bags was Alejandro,” Dellegrazie said.

“I was very careful that the handoff was done cleanly, so I opened the first garbage bag and in that I discovered something that shocked me. … It was a blanket that was full of blood.”

Dellegrazie said the dog’s items were also wet. “The only explanation I could find was they were washed. It was a cover-up, something to that effect — it just didn’t feel right,” he told ABC.

A Delta Air Lines spokesman told Fox News the dog was seen in good health after the flight and brought to the staging area. The kennel facility determined the dog had died about two hours after landing and airline officials immediately notified the owner. The spokesman added that Delta offered to conduct a necropsy, but was told by the owner to hold off.

Bottom Line

The circumstances of this story certainly seem strange. Of course you need to be your pets best advocate when traveling with them to keep them safe. But, when you allow your pet to travel in cargo, what can you do to insure that they are treated appropriately? Hit the comments with your thoughts on travel with pets on airlines these days? 

HT:  Fox News