Earlier this month, an Oregon woman suffered the tragic loss of her Golden Retriever, Jacob, after an airline mix-up led to a stressful overnight layover.
Kathleen Considine is devastated and determined to get her story out. She hopes to prevent other senseless deaths by raising awareness and inciting changes in United Airline’s PetSafe policy.
After the airline denied all responsibility in Jacob’s death and declared the matter closed, she took to Facebook with a lengthy plea that has received hundreds of thousands of comments, shares and reactions from sympathetic dog lovers.
Considine recently relocated to Oregon from Michigan and arranged for Jacob to fly with United Airlines and join her. He was scheduled to travel from Detroit to Chicago and after a one hour layover, continue on to Portland.
Unfortunately, the 80-pound dog’s massive crate did not fit into the luggage compartment of the second airplane. United has admitted to mistakenly assuring Considine that Jacob’s crate could be accommodated on that flight. The next flight with enough space was not scheduled until the next day – a 20 hour layover.
Jacob was sent to a kennel overnight. Considine says that the airline attendant in Detroit declined to take a bag of his food that her mother provided because the flight duration was so short. It is unknown whether Jacob ate or drank at all during his long journey, but when he finally arrived in Portland, Considine’s boyfriend was faced with a dog he hardly recognized.
Hours later his breathing became labored. Considine and her boyfriend rushed him to an emergency veterinarian, but after 8 minutes of CPR, Jacob was declared dead. He had developed gastric dilation volvulus or bloat – a dangerous condition where the stomach twists within the abdomen, cutting off blood supply. The exact cause(s) of bloat are not known, but it tends to occur in large breed dogs and can be associated with stress.
Considine believes the trauma of his ordeal brought about Jacob’s death. Less than 24 hours before flying, he had undergone a mandatory physical and was declared fit to fly. United Airlines has denied any responsibility in the incident. They said in a statement:
“Our PetSafe team is committed to the safety and comfort of all the pets that travel with us. We worked to ensure Jacob’s comfort throughout his entire journey and he showed no signs of distress nor behaved in a way that would suggest he was unwell while in our care.”
Considine has vowed to keep fighting until the airline changes its policies:
“United Airlines “PetSafe” program is cruel. They treat animals like baggage. They did not care if Jacob had food or water or any time out of his cage. They are incredibly rude and have shown no sympathy for my dog’s death. I would have received the same responses if they were to have broken my guitar in baggage.”
She ended her Facebook plea with the following message:
“My heart is broken and I never want this to happen to another dog parent. Rest in peace, my sweet polar bear. I love you forever.”
We want to know what you think. Was Jacob’s death just a tragic accident or should the airline be held responsible?
Featured Image via Facebook/Kathleen Considine
